Journey (3)

Chapter 25

details- maisie peters

(about 3 weeks later)

I walk past Natalie, who is just leaving one of the treatment rooms. "Natalie," I say, getting her attention. "I was thinking of getting coffee, since our shift is basically over. Want to come with?"

"Sure," Natalie says, nodding enthusiastically. "Just give me a second and I'll come with you. I think Will might want to come too."

"Ask him," I tell her. "I'll get down there and save us a seat. You know how busy it gets. You and Will can come down to join me in a second?" I suggest, and Natalie nods in agreement.

I head down to save a seat, finding a perfect one in the centre. I sit down on one of the chairs, and within a few minutes, Will and Natalie show up, walking together. They sit down beside me.

"Okay," Natalie says, leaning forward on the table. "Who is going up there to get our orders?" she asks, looking over at Will, a silent signal that she wants him to go.

Will gets the signal. "I guess that's a sign for me to go," he says, standing up. "I'll be back in a second. Do you both just want your usual order?"

Natalie and I both nod, making it easy for Will. He turns away to go and order the coffee. "He's sweet," Natalie says, smiling.

"He is," I nod, agreeing with her. "Look at him queuing up to get coffee for us." I nudge Natalie. "You're lucky," I tell her, truthfully. "You really are."

Natalie laughs. "I guess I am," she says, nodding. She quickly changes the subject. "So, how was everything today? Any particularly difficult patients today?"

"Well, there was one man..." I start, launching into a complete account of the complicated situation with one of my patients. As I am talking, I notice that someone else is standing just behind Will, also waiting in line, presumably for coffee. It's Connor. 

I have mostly been trying to avoid him and stay out of his way since the last embarrassing time that we spoke- after my shameful night at the bar. I haven't really said a word to him since then. I has definitely been awkward.

"Tessa," Natalie says, causing me to focus up again. "Hello? You just stopped talking. What are you even looking at over there?" She turns around to the direction that I am looking in. "Right," she says, turning back. "Of course." She raises an eyebrow at me. "Are you going to stop avoiding him yet?"

"It's complicated," I say, shaking my head. "But not yet," I quickly add, in case Natalie gets another one of her terrible ideas to embarrass me. I still can't get over what happened the last time.

Will comes back to our table, setting down the coffees in front of us. "Thanks," I say, smiling as I pick mine up. "It's perfect." I look at Natalie as she sips her own coffee appreciatively. 

"So," Will says, sitting down next to Natalie once again. "What were the two of you talking about just now?"

"Well," Natalie starts. "Tessa was telling me all about an interesting patient that she had today, but she got...distracted." Natalie smiles at me, knowingly.

I don't want to draw too much attention to it, but I am still just watching Connor out of the corner of my eye. His coffee order is called, and he picks it up. I watch, as he picks up two cups, holding each of them in a hand. Two cups. One for him, and one for someone else.

"Distracted?" Will repeats laughing. "I noticed who was behind me in the queue, Tessa. You can't hide it from us." Will laughs.

Connor walks around our table to get past, and I see him, still holding the two coffee cups. "He has two coffees," I mention, once he is out of earshot. "Do you think he's meeting someone?"