Heartbeats of the City

Chapter 15 - Michaela's POV

I made my way to the cafeteria, the usual buzz of hospital life fading into the background as my mind replayed the conversation I just had with Miguel. I spotted Lexi and Bree sitting at our usual table, chatting away like always. Bree caught my eye and waved me over.

"There you are! We've been looking for you!" Lexi said as I sat down beside them. "We've been sending you messages—wanted to grab lunch together."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Sorry, I've been all over the place today."

Bree leaned forward, eyes glinting with curiosity. "What's up? You look like you've got something on your mind."

I glanced between the two of them, debating if I should spill everything. But I knew they'd get it out of me one way or another. "So... I agreed to grab coffee with Miguel later," I started, feeling a mix of excitement and guilt swirl in my stomach.

Bree's eyes widened, and Lexi's fork paused mid-air. "What? You and Miguel? Coffee?" Lexi blurted out, almost dropping her salad.

"Yeah," I muttered, rubbing my temples. "But here's the thing... I completely forgot I already agreed to have dinner with Kevin tonight."

Both Bree and Lexi stared at me, wide-eyed. For a few seconds, it was just silence, and then Bree smirked. "Well, well, Michaela Quinn, getting all the attention today."

I groaned, leaning my head on the table. "This is not funny, Bree."

"It's a little funny," Lexi said with a laugh. "But seriously, what are you going to do?"

"I have no idea," I mumbled into the table. "I can't exactly back out on Kevin. He heard me agree to dinner, and I... shouted it in front of everyone!"

Bree giggled. "Yeah, that was a bit dramatic. Even Miguel and Adrianna heard you."

I groaned again, remembering the look on Miguel's face when I shouted my agreement to dinner with Kevin. "I don't even know why I did that. Maybe it was just to get back at Miguel after seeing Adrianna kiss him."

Lexi rolled her eyes. "You're overthinking it. Just go to dinner with Kevin. It's not like coffee with Miguel is a romantic date, right?"

"Right..." I trailed off, but even I wasn't convinced.

"Look, worst-case scenario? You cancel coffee with Miguel, tell him something came up. It's not like you owe him anything," Bree said.

"But what if I want to go to both?" I asked, staring at them helplessly.

Lexi raised an eyebrow. "Then you're in deep trouble, Michaela. Deep trouble."

I reached over and swiped Bree's chocolate pudding without a second thought, ignoring her playful tap on my hand. Stress-eating, as usual. "What am I going to do later?" I mumbled between bites, my mind still running through all the possible outcomes of my impending coffee date with Miguel and dinner with Kevin.