stepped out of the lift had been like a slap in the face. Enough to bring back the guilt he’d been wrestling with ever since he’d cut their date short to go and see Nathan.
He’d picked up the phone half a dozen times since then, with the intention of trying to contact Sophia, but something had always got in the way. A call to a job made it easy to hang up but it was never enough of an excuse. He’d been … scared? Well, nervous anyway. He hadn’t been able to come up with any plausible plan to put things right so he’d known he could well make things worse. And he hadn’t wanted to face the potential rejection.
But actually seeing her instead of a faceless phone call brought back all the reasons why he wanted to put things right.
She looked tired. The way she stared after her student had a worried edge to it. And he could sense that her mood was different. More serious. Sad, even? Oh, help … was he flattering himself or could that have something to do with him?
Despite all of that—or maybe because of it—she was still the most gorgeous woman he’d ever met. He wanted to put his arms around her and hold her close. Kiss whatever it was better. But he could only say something and hope that she might choose to stay in his company for just a little longer. Long enough for him to think of something. Some way to put things right.
‘I came in to check up on a patient from today,’ he heard himself saying. ‘Cyclist that got clipped by a tram. I was worried about her.’
‘Oh …’ A rush of mixed emotions washed through Sophia. The attraction that came from imagining him on the job, weaving through heavy traffic with the lights and siren going on that huge bike. Admiration that came from knowing how calmly he would have taken charge of the emergency. Warmth that came from knowing that he did care about his patients.
And there was more threaded through those feelings. She couldn’t pretend that the personal attraction had been quashed by the disappointment of that last date. Maybe the strongest memory right now was the sincerity she’d seen in his eyes when he’d left her on the footpath. She’d been too angry to believe that he wouldn’t have been abandoning her unless it had been for something too important to ignore, but that anger had faded into the flatness of the last few days.
She wanted to believe it now.
She wanted …
‘Would you like to grab a coffee or something?’ Aiden seemed to be watching her carefully, as though he was aware of the struggle she was having, trying to capture a thought that would determine her response to this unexpected meeting.
‘I … um …’ There was no point looking towards the main entrance but she turned her head again anyway, despite knowing that Flick was long gone.
‘Do you need to catch up with her?’
‘No.’ Sophia pushed her concern about her student to one side. She would see her soon enough and, if that startling suspicion had any grounds, it would only become more apparent with the passing of time. She sucked in a breath and looked back at Aiden.
‘I was planning to get a coffee,’ she admitted. ‘It’s been a long day. We had a case that got complicated and we had to bring her in for a Caesarean. And …’ Something she couldn’t identify was melting away deep inside her. ‘I believe I still owe you a coffee?’
Aiden’s smile lit up his face and she saw a flash of what looked like relief in his eyes.
‘I believe you do.’
The tension eased as they began walking towards the cafeteria together but now Sophia was aware of how she must look. Her hair had been squashed beneath a cap for too long and she had crumpled scrubs on under her jacket. Any make-up she’d started the day with must have worn off long ago and she was probably tired enough to look years older.
Except that—oddly—she didn’t feel that tired any more. And a sideways glance showed that Aiden’s uniform was pretty crumpled as well. His boots looked scuffed and he had a big scratch on one hand.
For both of them, their appearance was nothing more than evidence of what they did for a living. A badge of honour even?
Aiden held the door of the cafeteria open for Sophia. The relief he’d felt when she’d agreed to have a coffee with him should have been a warning but he was going to ignore it. So what if it felt like a major victory? That the wheels were back on exactly the right tracks? It shouldn’t feel this good, of course. Not when all he might be winning was the chance for a third—and final—date.
But he was feeling better than he had for days so why shouldn’t he make the most of it? Sophia looked happier too. She was smiling as they headed for the machine that provided coffee that was dreadful but free. She put a polystyrene cup under the dispenser.
‘What can I get you?’ she asked. ‘Cappuccino? A latte?’
‘I think a long black might be the safest choice.’
‘Done.’ With the button pushed the machine whirred into life. ‘And I think I might push the boat out and have a hot chocolate.’
There would be a rush before too long, when staff on an early dinner break came in, but, for now, the cafeteria was almost completely deserted. They found a table in the corner and sat down. Sophia was at right angles to Aiden. Their knees bumped under the table and the eye contact they made was instantaneous. And intense enough to make her heart skip a beat.
‘This doesn’t count as a date,’ she murmured.
‘Of course not.’ Aiden nodded, his face serious. ‘It wasn’t planned so how could it be?’
‘Mmm.’
‘And besides … we never got to finish date number two, did we?’
‘Ah.’ The tension was back again. They had to both be thinking of that moment. Not that any words had been spoken but Sophia could actually feel the impression of that half-smile she’d summoned. The dismissive way she’d shrugged and turned away. ‘No …’ She had to drop her gaze. ‘It didn’t feel finished.’
‘We should do something about that, then.’
It took courage to meet his gaze. ‘Yes. I think maybe we should.’
The intensity humming between them bore no relation to the casual words from Aiden.
‘I’ve got a thing I have to go to tomorrow night. Would you like to come with me?’
‘What sort of a thing?’
Not that it mattered. She would have agreed to go anywhere with him.
Or maybe it did matter. A flicker of something in Aiden’s face made Sophia realise that, whatever it was, it was important to him. That he was inviting her into a part of his life that might not be something he shared with just anyone. That he was taking a risk?
‘A surprise,’ he said, after that tiny hesitation. ‘If I tell you what it is, that would make it more like a new date and it’s not. It’s—’
‘A half-date?’ Sophia suggested.
‘Just a thing. Let’s not try and define it.’
‘Okay.’
‘So you’ll come?’
‘Sure. How could I resist? I’ve never been to a “thing” before. I’m intrigued.’
‘Don’t get too excited. It’s a bit … different.’
‘I’m even more intrigued now. Give me a clue?’
‘Uh-uh.’ Aiden shook his head but he was smiling. ‘I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty.’
‘Dress code?’
‘Definitely casual. And warm.’ Aiden took a sip of his coffee and made a face. ‘This is awful. I don’t even think it deserves to be called coffee.’
A bubble