“Alf, twice in one month, you are becoming quite the social butterfly.”
“We can’t all be the bad boy of psychology, Caleb. I’ll leave that to you,” I joke, slapping my hand into his and shaking it.
“I hear you’re making quite the impression on my boss, Mia. We’ll have to arrange a date for you to shadow me.”
“Sounds good. Tonight has been great for meeting people, actually. I have a few things to set up on Monday morning.”
He leans in. “Well, don’t forget about me, will you?”
It’s borderline flirting, enough to make my fists clench, but as he twists his head and gives me a wink, I know I need to calm down.
“I’m gonna leave you to whatever this is.” Mia flits her finger between the two of us. “I'll be back in a minute.”
I hate to leave her, but what am I going to do? Stand outside the bathroom? I watch her walk away, briefly stopping to say hello to someone along the way.
“I never thought I’d see the day, Dr. Alfie Adams in love.”
“Shut up,” I say, throwing back the champagne and grabbing another flute.
“Oh my God,” he bumps his shoulder into mine, “you’re not even trying to deny it.”
I shrug my shoulders, but the pounding in my chest makes me slightly concerned that my feelings are free-diving where Mia is concerned. Turning back to the crowd, “I’ve been alone a long time. I’m not sure I have what it takes to give her what she deserves.”
“I wouldn’t wait too long to figure it out. Or she’ll find someone that knows for sure.” He stares out at the ballroom, and I try to work out if he’s thinking about someone in particular or watching them. I follow his line of sight just as Lottie makes her way between the tables, laughing gracefully at a joke before reaching out to shake someone’s hand.
It’s the first time I've seen him look despondent. Caleb is an odd character. He’s full of charm, a complete ladies' man who bounces from woman to woman like there’s been a shortage of orgasms and he’s the only one that can provide them. He grew up incredibly poor with a single mother who struggled to make ends meet. I don’t know the full story of his childhood, but from what I do understand, it was filled with empty bellies and cold houses.
Despite this, he landed on his feet at the hospital. He’s loyal to his friends, even if he flirts with their dates. Of all of us, he and Lottie are closest, and I always got the sense they found a kindred spirit in each other. Their upbringings couldn’t have been more polar opposites. And yet they both had something to prove to themselves. They want to be more than their family history.
Caleb sighs beside me, reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone.
“I’ve got to run. I’m on call. Say goodbye from me?”
“You could tell her yourself; she won’t mind being interrupted.”
“Nah, she’s doing her thing. Catch up soon? It’s been a while.”
“We have Dinner Club every month.” I laugh.
“You know what I mean.” Pocketing his phone, he slips out of the ballroom, shoulders slightly more hunched than before.
The music shifts into something a little slower, and a few people descend on the dance floor. Enough drinks have flowed that the awkwardness has lessened. People are jovial, happy and have given their pitch to whoever they needed to.
I watch Mia return from the bathroom, and she glides back to me with the elegance of a princess. I drop a kiss against her hair.
“Dance with me?” I ask.
“You want to dance?” her tone laced with a teasing undertone.
“Isn’t that what a normal couple would do?”
“Do you want to dance for the optics or because you want to dance?” she snips, her eyebrows knitting together for the first time tonight.
“Mia, I haven’t been able to keep my hands off you all night. I’ve been part boyfriend, part bodyguard, partunhingedseeing you in that dress. Now get your ass on the dancefloor.”
She smirks, all hints of her frown disappearing as her lips cock to one side. “Jeez, a simpleI want to dancewould have sufficed, Dr. Adams.”
She begins to saunter away, her hips emphasizing each step until I physically fight the urge to keep her plastered to my body so no one but me can see the perfect round of her ass.
