Back in reality, Ariana was quietly giggling on the opposite side of the couch.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, confused by her reaction to the sultry scenes.
“Nothing,” she laughed. “It’s just that I’ve finally realized how absurd this day has been. I woke up this morning thinking I’d just see you for a few minutes for my appointment and then I’d spend the rest of the day at my apartment. Instead, I’m having dinner and a movie at my doctor’s house. This movie is so over the top, too.”
“Yeah?” I asked. “I didn’t think it was bad.”
“It’s just so over the top. I mean, they’ve been working together for like, a week and they’ve already hooked up. Neither of them even remotely showed interest in each other until they were in the middle of that top-secret mission.”
I smiled. “Maybe they liked each other from the start, but they were too shy to say anything.”
“Maybe. Does that seem realistic to you, though?”
I thought for a second, answering seriously. “If I found the right girl, absolutely. But sometimes, real life is more complicated than the movies. Do you think either of those characters thought about how they were putting their careers in danger?”
She giggled. “I know! It must be a lot of work to become a spy. Would it really be worth it to give all of that up for another person?”
I smirked. “Again, I think it depends on the person.”
“Yeah?” she pried, scooting a little closer to me. She sat on the couch with her legs crossed, facing me. “What would that person be like?”
I bit my lip. “Well, I like girls who are smart and a little bit feisty. They keep things interesting. I want a girl who is loyal to the people closest to her. If I’m going to put up a fight for her, I want her to put up a fight for me. It also doesn’t hurt if that girl is smoking hot, either.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a typical guy.”
“I am?” I asked, feeling slightly hurt.
“I don’t mean that as an insult,” she said quickly. “I don’t dislike the stereotypical male. Sometimes, it’s nice to have someone who wants to look after you. As long as that guy isn’t a creep who sees you as an object, rather than a human, I have no problem with the Alpha-male. In fact, I think that kind of guy can be really sexy.”
My insides did a back flip. Was she describing me?
Chapter Six
Ariana
I was starting to get the feeling that I had gotten in too deep with Daniel. I turned back toward the TV to continue watching the movie.
It wasn’t that I minded having these conversations with a guy, except the fact that I could possibly be revealing too much about myself. I had a thing for guys who were tough on the outside and sweet on the inside. I just hoped I wasn’t being too overt about it.
Perhaps it was my love of fairy tales that made me interested in guys like Daniel. For the most part, I could take care of myself, but I liked the feeling of knowing that there were guys out there who would have my back. Clearly, Daniel was one of those guys.
From my time spent in his office, I knew that he was a caring person. All good medical professionals have a certain amount of empathy and sympathy for their patients. Otherwise, they wouldn’t care about how their patients felt. When I spoke with Daniel, the first thing he would ask me about was how I was feeling. Tests and numbers on a page mattered to a lesser degree than how I felt.
The caring side to him, along with his classic good looks, was what initially attracted him to me. But, the way he handled my stalker reappearing made me like him even more. This guy really wanted to take care of me. That was the fairy tale I longed for—a good person who truly cared about me in a non-selfish way.
Unfortunately, his interest began and ended with me as his patient. I wasn’t sure if it would be crossing the line, just to be friends with him. I mean, could I be pals with the guy who understood my body better than I did?
When I thought about it, I realized that I had a thing for Daniel from the very first time I met him. I had a doctor in Ohio that I had gotten to know well over the four years of undergrad. I was excited to go to Berkeley but nervous about starting over with a new doctor. My current doctor did some research for me and told me that he was going to refer me to an excellent young doctor. At first, I was worried that he wouldn’t have experience treating people with epilepsy, but my doctor assured me that he was very promising.
I was so nervous about being late and having a bad first impression with my new doctor that I showed up thirty minutes early. The patient before me canceled at the last minute, so he was happy to have me there to keep his day rolling along. He poked fun at me for being so early, mocking me for being so excited to meet him.
In truth, I was. But, I didn’t realize it until after that first appointment.
When I got home, I had to lie down for a little bit to process everything that had happened. We hit it off immediately, talking and joking like we were old friends. I filled him in on my medical history and he told me a little about what he studied in medical school. When I left, I remember thinking that I couldn’t wait until my next appointment.
Every appointment after that had been the same. We laughed together when he would tell me stories from his medical school days and he’d hand me tissues and pat me on the back when I cried about having symptoms. He’d reassure me when I had to have my brain scanned and I was feeling claustrophobic in the bulky machinery. In some ways, we had grown pretty close.
Then, in other ways, we were practically strangers. I didn’t even start calling him by his first name until today, and I didn’t know anything about his home life. If I had to guess, I would have assumed that his father was also a doctor and his family life was perfect. In reality, it seemed like there was some reason he didn’t want his dad to crash at his place.
Just when I was starting to relax and have fun, I tensed up. Crushes were the worst—so rarely did they end up the way I wanted them to go. If I let my guard down too much, I would for sure make a fool out of myself. I needed Daniel more as a doctor than I needed him as a lover.
I tried to focus on the movie again, but there were just too many sex scenes. I hated myself for not picking something a little tamer. I just felt so awkward watching that kind of stuff when I had similar desires for him.
“I think I’m coming around to this movie,” he said.
“Why is that?” I asked.
“Why can’t they find love? I’m sure they didn’t sign a contract saying that they weren’t allowed to canoodle in their spare time. Besides, if it doesn’t affect the mission, does it matter if they’re together?”
I didn’t know if he was trying to say something or if he was truly just commenting on the movie.
“I bet you’d never do something like that,” he smirked.
“Run into a burning building?” I asked, looking at the screen. “Probably not.”
“No,” he laughed. “Have a secret relationship.”
My suspicions grew. If he was flirting with me, I wanted to play along. But, if I were just projecting his movie critiques as flirting, I would make a fool of myself.
“Is that your perception of me?” I asked. “Do you think I’m some angel?”
He grinned. “I think so, yeah.”
I playfully rolled my eyes. “Maybe I’m not.”
“But I’m willing to bet that you’ve never done a scandalous thing in your life,” he said, raising his eyebrows.
I searched my memory, trying to think of a story that would impress him. Honestly, I was a well-behaved person. I liked to follow the rules and present myself as a respectable person. I really didn’t have a scandalous story to tell him.
“What have you done in your life that’s been so wild and crazy?” I asked, defending myself.
He turned his face toward the TV for a second. When he looked back at me, he had a shy smile on his face.
“I’ve lived a rather mellow life myself,” he said. ?
??I never felt motivated to go against any social norms or break any rules. Not until now, anyway.”
“Until now?” I asked before I could control my curiosity.
My face felt hot. I looked back at him, but he had turned his head. His shoulders looked stiff and his jaw was clenched. He didn’t respond.
Apparently, I had said the wrong thing. I turned back to watch the movie, vowing to myself that I would never try to flirt with him again. It was silly of me to even engage in such conversation. He wasn’t interested in me that way.