Winter Waites (Aster Valley 0.50)

I stayed up for hours wondering what it would be like to have an actual relationship with someone like Winter. How would that work with my crazy schedule and all of the travel I did for my job? Would it be fair to my partner?

By the time I finally fell asleep, I knew one thing for sure. I wanted to see as much of Winter Waites as possible before my time in Aster Valley came to an end.

8

Winter

I spent three weeks in an orgasm-fueled haze. My workdays were full of the kind of clinical practice I’d worked so hard to qualify for, and my nights were full of Gent. His warm and sensuous body, his kind and caring inquiries of my life, and his sweet, soothing voice as he sang his new songs to me by the fire.

He was the living embodiment of the fictional rock star I’d had a crush on for so long. How was it possible he was even more amazing in person than I’d imagined him to be? Gent was easy to be with. He showed genuine interest in my life and was willing and able to share vulnerable truths about his own life, too. At one point I asked him if he was afraid of me selling his story to the press.

“Baby, if you need money that badly, let me help you,” he’d said with a smirk. “But if you want fame, go for it. If that’s what would make you happiest, do it.”

And I felt like he’d really meant it. Maybe it was because I’d had a hard time accepting anything from him as it was. When he’d offered to pay me back for the pizza that second night, I’d bitten his head off in snap of defensiveness. I didn’t ever want him to think I was using him.

It wasn’t until the last night of his time in Aster Valley that things between us got weird.

“You never invite me to your place,” he said for the millionth time. “I want to meet Dillie and see where you live so I can picture you after I’m gone.”

My face heated with embarrassment. What would he do when he learned just how broke I really was? I didn’t want him to pity me. But it was the last night. I was never going to see him again, and as silly as it sounded… I wanted him to meet Dillie, too. I was going to be spending a lot of time talking (and probably crying) about him to my cat, so it made sense for Dillie to know who I was going on and on about.

“Okay,” I finally said. “But you need to keep your expectations low.” I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye as I led us out to my jeep. “Like… trailer park low.”

I watched for his reaction. He’d ridden in my jeep many times by now. We’d gone into town to eat at the diner, and we’d walked around the shops of Aster Valley together. I’d even let Gent drop me off at work one day so he could use the jeep to run some errands. He’d brought me lunch and made my coworkers shriek and fangirl like lunatics.

I’d secretly loved every minute of it. The nurses and office staff had treated me like I was some kind of romantic hero after that. “Omigod, I cannot believe you’re dating Gentry Kane!” Annabelle had repeated several times the following day.

“I’m not. We’re just friends,” I’d tried correcting her even though my face was probably bloodred.

“Pfft. You obviously didn’t see the way he was looking at you. He looked like he wanted to eat you with a spoon.”

Aaron, the clinic receptionist, had nodded energetically. “Mmhm. Totally. And dear god, I’d eat him with a spoon any day. You should sneak some sedatives into his drink and take advantage of that boy while you can.”

Everyone gathered around the front desk gossiping about it gasped and giggled. Despite the creepy nature of his suggestion, the consensus was an emphatic approval to his plan.

But now it was all over. He was leaving tomorrow for home. After a few days in LA, he’d be halfway around the world on his down-under tour.

“My place isn’t exactly clean,” I warned, pointing him to take a left at the light. He’d insisted on driving since I’d had a long day full of patients with few breaks between. “I haven’t been around much these days to tidy up.”

Gent’s hand squeezed my knee. “I don’t care. I just want to learn more about you and pet Dillie if she’ll let me.”

As we approached my part of town, I realized I was biting my fingernail. I quickly clasped my hands together tightly in my lap. “It’s just temporary, you know? Until I can afford better.”