Angsty - Enemies to Lovers - Slow Burn
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Hitch Pepper might've had a stupid name, and a personality that drove me crazy, but that didn't stop her from being gorgeous. Everyone knew it, guys and girls alike.
And my buddy Phil Childre...
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I WORKED AT Peters & Monroe Marketing in the city, and I was damn good at my job. Especially since everything had happened with Hitch.
I worked as much as I could, I always showed up early and left late, and I never skipped a day.
When I got a startling call from Gail one day, however, I threw all of that out the window.
"You've got Julian Mercado," I said when I picked up the receiver.
"Julian, it's Gail."
My insides felt cold. "What is it? Is it Hitch? Is she okay? What happened?"
"Um, well, I think she'll be fine, but she just fell from a ladder at work and hit her head pretty hard."
"What? Is she okay? How badly is she hurt?"
"She was knocked out cold for a few seconds, but she should be alright I think. Polly is cleaning up her cut and then I'm gonna take her to the hospital to be sure, though."
I swallowed thickly. "Is she functioning well? Can she see straight? Did you ask her basic questions to make sure she remembers things?"
"Yes, she's fine. I checked her out myself. She's just hungover, which is probably why she fell in the first place. I didn't see it, but apparently, she fell into a shelf and clipped the corner of it with the side of her head. It's swelling and bleeding, but I think it should be fine."
I felt panicked, rising from my seat. "Take her to Wilkes-Knightly," I told her. "I'll meet you there."
The receiver caught her sigh. "Julian, I don't think that you being around her is a good idea—"
"I'll be there. You can't talk me out of it. I need to make sure she's alright."
" . . . Okay, but try to stay out of sight. I don't think she'll be happy with either of us if she sees you."
It felt like I had been kicked in the chest. "I know." I hung up the phone and stopped the first person I crossed paths with to tell them I had a family emergency and to pass on the message. The second I was out of the building, I was running to my car and then speeding towards the hospital.
It took forever to find parking, and I almost hit a man with an arm cast trying to turn into a parking spot, but I barely paid him or his middle finger any mind as I parked my car and jogged towards the emergency room through the ambulance entrance.
I spotted Hitch almost immediately, her back to me as she sat on a bed with a nurse cleaning a wound just above her right ear.
"Julian," Gail hissed in a whisper, appearing out of thin air to grab my arm. "I told you not to let her see you."
"She didn't," I replied. I didn't look at her as she dragged me towards the waiting room, my eyes desperately latched onto Hitch and soaking in the image of her until a wall was blocking my view. "She's okay?" I asked.
