Page 69 of Perfect Distraction
“I’m a medical professional. Everything is my business.”
“Not that.”
It looked like she was going to argue, but she just squared her shoulders. “Fine. Good luck on your trial. I hope you win.” She turned to Jeni. “See you Saturday?”
Andrew spoke before Jeni could respond. “I can’t believe you two are hanging out without me.”
Jeni imparted her perfected eye roll. “You see her all the time.”
“I do not.”
“Okay, but you talk to her all the time.”
Andrew shrugged and smiled at Lauren.
She smiled back. “We’re going shopping,” Lauren said. “You’d hate it.”
“I wouldn’t hate anything, so long as I was with you.”
Apparently today he was just going to put it all out there.
“Stop it,” Jeni whined. “You’d better get going, Lauren. I think he’s about to recite the poem he wrote about you.”
With a wide smile, Lauren left and Andrew’s eyes followed her as she walked away. Just as she was about to turn the corner, that stocky blond nurse came up behind her. He seemed to whisper something in Lauren’s ear, and Andrew’s hands gripped the arms of his chair.
Lauren turned and took a step backward. She glanced in Andrew’s direction for a split second, then back at the guy. She gestured to the exit and moved to walk away, but he must have said something else, because Lauren slowly twisted toward him once more.
Her cheeks were flushed, but in a completely different way than they had been just moments before with Andrew. She looked pissed. They spoke back and forth, and the guy gave her a slow, theatrical nod, bringing to mind a villain in an action film, contemplating his next move.
Andrew didn’t like what he was seeing, but he felt helpless to do anything about it. They were in a room full of people, and Lauren and the nurse were just talking. If the dude put a hand on her, Andrew would be out of his chair and across the room in two seconds flat.
Surely the guy wasn’t that stupid.
After a few more words—heated ones, by the looks of it—Lauren finally made her escape, glancing once more at Andrew before she disappeared.
Andrew stared at the male nurse, who suddenly turned his head and made eye contact with him. A smug grin spread across the guy’s face before he walked off.
Andrew frowned.
What the fuck was that?
…
Two weeks later, Andrew dropped his dumbbells onto the weight rack.
“I’m out, man,” he called out.
“Already?” Logan looked up from his crouched position near the bench press.
“I’m spent.” He hated that, and hated saying it out loud even more. Especially at the gym, when his regular workout buddies were around. They’d noticed the change in his physique and energy level, not to mention his lack of hair, and Andrew had eventually told them what was going on. They were good guys and were supportive, but he still hated appearing sick and weak. The fatigue worsened with each cycle, and it wasn’t just for a few days anymore. He was tired all the time.
Logan stood. “Need anything?”
“Nah. I’m heading home. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. See ya.”
Andrew drove home and crashed on his couch for a few hours, a textbook open in his lap. Right when he thought he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer, his phone dinged.
