AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Don’t get me wrong, I know what Flynn McAllister looks like, and it’s undeniably hot as hell. His looks are not the most important thing to me, even though they are super distracting. It’s the past I share with him that makes my blood boil whenever I’m around him. I’ve succeeded in avoided him for so long. Not that it was hard to do. Once he left town to play for the Frosty Fury Falcons, there was a big chunk of distance between us.
I take a deep breath. I couldn’t care less about Flynn McAllister, or Lucky Seventeen as everyone endearingly calls him, but I have to right now. As a doctor, I took an oath to help anyone who needs help, regardless of their age, background, life choices, or circumstances.
I head to exam room A and put on a composed demeanor, determined to maintain a professional distance.
“Flynn,” I say in a clipped voice as I grab his chart.
“Hey, Holly.”. The hint of familiarity in his tone grates on my nerves. If he wanted to act all friendly with me, he should’ve stayed in touch and maintained our friendship.
I put his chart back down and step toward him to assess his injuries. Jesus, I forgot how good he looks up close and personal. I try not to notice the ripple of his muscles under his shirt as he shifts his weight.
“It’s so good to see you. It’s been what, seven years?” he asks as if we’re still friends.
“You’ve clearly broken your wrist, but you’ll have to get a CT scan to know the severity,” I tell him matter-of-factly, completely ignoring his attempt at starting a conversation. “Your ankle is probably just sprained, but we’ll scan it, too, just to be sure.”
It’s best I don’t answer whatever personal questions he has, because the last thing I feel like doing right now is reminisce about the past with him.
“It’s great to see you made your dream of becoming a doctor a reality,” he says. Clearly, my attempts at cutting him off are not working. “I’m a professional hockey player now.”
“Really? Well, good for you, I guess,” I say, acting like it’s all news to me when I’ve actually been following him online for years.
Not under my own name, of course. I created a burner account just to be able to check out his social media stories and posts. Was that lame? Sure. Was it dumb, considering I’d rather forget all about him? You bet. But I’m only human. If I were a robot, forgetting about Flynn McAllister would’ve been a lot easier. It also doesn’t help that he constantly appears online: in the news, in hot-boyfriend-material memes, in paparazzi pictures… You name it. Even if I wanted to avoid news about him, I couldn’t.
“Someone will in here shortly to take you up for the CT,” I say, throwing my surgical gloves in the thrash.
“You’re going?”
I arch an eyebrow. “I have other patients to tend to, Flynn.”
“But, Holly, wait, I—” he starts, but I’m gone before he can finish his sentence.
I head to the nurses’ station to talk to Pauline. She and I have become great friends over the years. We both started working here on the same day and hit it off immediately.
When she catches sight of me, she jumps from her chair. It rolls back, hitting the desk behind her with a thud.
“Are you okay?” I ask. “You look like a snake just bit you in the ass.”
“Am I okay? You do realize that’s Flynn McAllister in there?” she asks excitedly, motioning toward exam room A. When I don’t answer, she adds, “You know, the famous hockey player and, in my humble opinion, hottest guy on the planet?”
“Yes, I know who he is.”
Her eyes grow wide. “And you’re not even remotely impressed?”
“No, I’m not. We went to high school together. To me, he’s just an annoying reminder of those years.”
She shakes her head in disbelief as if she can’t fathom someone not going crazy over Flynn McAllister. “I wish I went to high school with a stud like Flynn. And to think you never told me about him!”
I roll my eyes. “Believe me, he’s not all that he’s cracked up to be. He kind of… used me.”
“What do you mean?” she asks with furrowed brows.
I bite my lip. Am I really going to drag up the past in the middle of a work shift? Then again, I’m just laying the facts out for her. There’s no harm in that.
“Back in high school, he was a jock, and I was a brainy kid. He struggled with trigonometry and biology. He came to me one day asking if I could tutor him.” I swallow, the sting of his betrayal still fresh in my mind.
Pauline looks at me with a dreamy expression. “That sounds like the plot of a romance novel. You’re so lucky.”
“Not really. He promised he’d take me to prom if I helped him improve his grades. We spent so much time together and grew so close, I honestly thought he was falling for me,” I admit, my voice tinged with bitterness. “But when the time came, he ditched me for someone else. Turned out I was just a means to an end for him. He got his grades and his scholarship, and I was left heartbroken.”
