Enchanting Sparks | (Doctor Strange x Female!Reader)

Chapter 15 - Start With 'I'm Sorry'

- Third POV -

It had been a few days since the spar. Stephen now found himself yet again upgraded to blue robes - a sign his hard work was paying off. The rain had started to pour down outside of his window. At his desk, he was staring, deep in thought, at the email in front of him. Despite everything that had happened since he left New York and his doctoral life, he couldn't help but feel guilty about how he ended things with Christine. Yes, they were once lovers, but he had moved on, and he, now looking back on it, appreciated her efforts to comfort him after his surgery. But all he did was make her feel like nothing.

No.

Less than nothing.

Even when he had lost everything; his career, his ability to save lives, his money, his reputation, she had stood by him. The only friend he had at the time. So since his somewhat physical and now mental recovery, he had been trying to find a way to apologise to her. And an email seemed to be the only physical way. At least, right now.

Knock knock

Stephen turned to his door, "Yeah?" he called.

"Hey, I was-" (Y/n) had stopped midway through her sentence at the sight of his stressed features. "What's wrong?"

She was about to ask if he'd like to join her in meditating in the rain, something she often did by herself. The rain calmed her. But now her focus was Stephen.

"It's nothing." He turned back to his screen.

Reluctantly, she moved to stand behind him. With her hands on the back of his chair, she peered over.

Christine,

I'm emailing you one more time to...

Then it stopped. He was trying to write to her. And although she felt a little pang in her chest at the thought of Stephen writing to someone else, some mystery woman, she wanted to help him.

"Who's this Christine?" she asked, trying her best to suppress any jealousy.

He sighed, "She was an old colleague from the hospital I used to work at. She was one of my only friends if you could believe it." He let out a breathy chuckle, sorrow laced his words.

Oh. "Is this the famous Dr. Palmer?" She replied, a mischievous grin now plastered along her face.

"How did you...?"

"The Ancient One isn't the only one around here who knows things." She smiled. "Tell me about her."

(Y/n)'s hands had now moved up from the ledge of his chair to gently squeeze his shoulders, trying to relax him. She could tell this was a string from his past and she wanted him to know that she was prepared to listen, no matter what it was that was troubling him.

"When I... You know... My hands," He started, nervous about how to phrase the words that were about to come pouring out of his mouth. He was nervous, not because he was going to be talking to (Y/n) - his new crush - about a woman from his past whom he was romantically involved with, but because of how he had treated her. He was scared (Y/n) would see this as her opportunity to run. To realise he was a heartless, selfish monster when it came to relationships.

"It's alright Stephen." She gently rubbed his shoulders. (Y/n) rarely called him by his first name. Not because she didn't want to, but because it was more fun to joke about with his last. And she knew, in times like this, that using his first name would indicate to him that she understood the seriousness of their conversation.