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“Would you two like some coffee? I have a fresh pot.”
Thankful for the momentary distraction, I nod at him.
“Any cream or sugar?” he asks as he pours.
“None for me,” I say.
“Me neither, thank you.”
Once he walks away, Ellie and I look at each other. I still haven’t answered her question, but she doesn’t seem bothered by it. She lifts up her mug to her nose.
“Oh, this smells amazing,” Ellie says.
“Are you a big coffee drinker?”
“No, not really. I much prefer tea. Coffee isn’t the best thing for me to have at work, it makes me too jittery. But I love the taste. What about you?”
“Same as you. Coffee and surgery don’t exactly mix.”
She nods, bringing the mug to her mouth and taking a sip.
I watch her lips touch the cup before my gaze travels up and I notice that she’s watching me, too. As we stare at each other, her bright eyes seem to lock me in. I can’t look away, and I don’t want to.
I take the moment to admire her. She’s beautiful in a way that I’ve never quite seen in anyone else before, with those hypnotizing eyes and the dark sea of curly hair. She barely wears any makeup and frankly, she doesn’t need any.
The longer I look, the faster my heart beats. For a second, I actually forget why we’re here.
“So, um,” she says, bringing me back to reality. “You never answered me.”
I clear my throat, looking out the window and down at the street below. People rush by outside, all of them on their way to different places in different lives. Simpler lives.
I almost envy them, craving that kind of normalcy. I’ll never have that, and I’m not even sure I want it, but it’s nice to dream about moments like those when everything seems so complicated.
“My father holds you in high regard.”
“Yeah, the King is a sweet man. I’ve always admired him. Though I’m not sure what I did to impress him. It’s not like I’ve spent much time with him.”
I laugh.
“Well, he knows you and your mother. Has for a long time. But it doesn’t take long for him to assess someone, to make a judgment on them. He’s always been that way. The annoying part is he’s usually right.”
“Oh, man. I’m imagining a lot of failed relationships resulting from that.”
“You’re not completely wrong. He’s never explicitly interfered, but he finds ways to work his magic. I’ve been too wrapped up in medicine to ever have time for it, so it affects my brothers a lot more than me.”
“Wow, sounds like a high bar.”
“Whatever you did, you made him think that the two of us would be the perfect match, and he refuses to let it go.”
“That must be really annoying.” She has an awkward look on her face, knowing she’s part of this frustration. “I’m sorry.
“No, don’t be sorry. I don’t mind it. And if it weren’t you, it would be someone else. And I don’t exactly disagree with him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see potential here. We have very similar jobs, and your passion for what you do is equal to mine. Even in the medical field, it’s hard to find that. Not all doctors have the drive that we do.”
“I know what you mean. I like to surround myself with people who care just as much as me.”
