AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fuck,” he said. “Were you all okay?”
“No one was critically injured, thankfully. But the car hit my side of the vehicle, and it was so jarring that my shoulder was dislocated, and I pulled a ligament. I was pinned in for a while before they got me out, but my left leg and shoulder suffered the consequences.”
“Holy shit,” he said. “God, I’m glad you all were okay.”
“It sucked. My friend Lizzie and I went through physical therapy together—she was the one I told you about tonight who died of cancer,” I said, realizing it was still hard to talk about Lizzie even after all these years. “We encouraged each other, and she helped me a lot when I realized I couldn’t compete anymore. She managed to recover fully, but—” I stopped, shockingly getting choked up. “Ugh, sorry,” I said, smiling through the unwanted tears I abruptly wiped away. “She was able to return to the swim team and was offered my place on the Olympic team because I was toast.”
“The Olympic swim team?” he asked with surprise.
“Yeah,” I smiled. “She turned it down because she said it wouldn’t be fair for her to go instead of me.”
Although I appreciated Lizzie considering my feelings, I was upset that she turned down the opportunity of a lifetime to make me feel like I wasn’t being left out.
“It sounds like she was an amazing person and friend,” John said softly, probably wondering if I would break down into a puddle of tears.
“She was. She had a beautiful soul, and I always felt like a crappy person because I’m not sure I would’ve turned down the opportunity if I were her.”
“You can’t say that,” he said. “Seriously. You weren’t in her shoes, so you don’t know how you would’ve reacted.”
“No, I know myself, and I’m much too competitive to turn down such an offer,” I said. “It was a thoughtful, considerate thing for her to do, but I always felt guilty that she didn’t do it because of me.”
“Not to jump off the subject of your friend, but,” he sat back and eyed me, “I can’t believe you got a spot on the Olympic swim team. The mystery just keeps going deeper in your little world. Quite impressive, Dr. Smith.”
“It’s not impressive anymore.” I shrugged, “I guess it all just left a bad taste in my mouth.”
He studied me briefly, then swallowed a sip of wine, “I can see it still bothers you. Are you still struggling with her passing?”
“I don’t grieve well at all,” I answered with an embarrassed smile. “So, when it comes to losing a best friend so tragically, I don’t like to talk about it. It’s hard enough thinking about the beautiful things she did for me, going beyond what a friend or teammate would do.”
He pinched his lips together, and his expression was so handsome it stole my breath from my lungs for a second. His sharp jawline and the dark hair growth framing his lips were already too much for one woman to handle, and these little expressions I’d seen all night were making him easier to stare at.
“Well, what do you think?” John said, interrupting my dreamy thoughts of him. “From the look on your face, it looks like you want to kiss me for coming up with the idea?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I said, trying to cover for the fact that I hadn’t heard a word he’d just said. “You come up with some silly ideas sometimes.”
He eyed me as if a third eye appeared on my forehead, “How is it a silly idea for you to continue your education and specialize in oncology in Lizzie’s memory?”
“Oh, shit. What?” I said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you correctly.”
“Seriously, though. Since I’ve gotten to know you, you seem like the type to challenge yourself. You have a beautiful way to honor your friend’s memory, and most doctors pursue certain specialties because of a conviction to honor a dear friend or family member.”
I thought about that for a moment, and though it was a fantastic reason to pursue that field, I didn’t know if I had the fortitude for a career in oncology.
“Meh,” I played it down. “I couldn’t imagine going back to school while being a resident?—”
“You’re scared,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes at his insult.
“I’m not scared of anything,” I lied.
“I’m calling bullshit,” he said. “You’re frightened of that damn disease, and because of that, one of the most driven and intelligent doctors I’ve met is going to sit out the fight against cancer.”
“That’s a shitty way to put it,” I said, irritated by his challenge. “Why don’t we turn these personal life questions on you?”
“There’s not much to tell,” he said.
“Now it’s my turn to call bullshit on you.”
