He wraps it around my arm a little too loosely at first, then tightens it too much. “Okay, I need circulation to live.”
“Relax,” he mutters, adjusting it again. He fumbles with the stethoscope before finally getting it in place, his brows furrowed in concentration. But he still looks a little unsure. Then Sophie’s voice cuts in from behind us. “If you’re unsure Liam, try adjusting your placement slightly.”
He nods, shifting the stethoscope just a bit. “…Oh,” he says after a second. “Okay, yeah. I think I got it.”
Mel leans in, checking. “Youdohave it.”
He sits back like he just performed a miracle. “Thank Goodness.”
“I knew you could do it,” Mel says.
I shake my head, laughing, as I reach for the IV kit.
“Alright, IV’s,” I say. “My turn to be reckless.”
Mel immediately straightens. “Do not be reckless with a needle.”
“I’m joking,” I say, reaching for the fake arm, tying off the band and tapping the practice arm like I’ve seen in the demo. I line it up, adjust slightly, and then go for it. The needle slides in. Liam immediately recoils. “Why did you stab it like that?”
I blink at him. “I didn’t stab it.”
“You absolutely stabbed it.”
Mel leans in, checking my placement, her brows drawing together for a second and then she nods. “It’s actually fine.”
I glance at him. “See?”
Liam just laughs, shaking his head.
After class, we head toward the library. The smell of old books hitting immediately when we step inside, along with the low hum of whispered conversations and the soft tapping of keyboards.
It’s cooler toward the back, and it makes me wish I’d grabbed a sweater before leaving the house. Noah, Kiara, and Ryan are already sitting at one of the long tables near the windows, notebooks spread out between them.
I’ve been avoiding talking to Noah as much as possible—on the way home yesterday, at dinner, even this morning at breakfast—because I have absolutely no idea what I’d say if he asked what’s going on.Hey, funny thing, I agreed to fake date your best friend because I want to make my ex jealous like some kind of lunatic.
Yeah. That’s not gonna work.
Ryan is the first to look up as we approach, his green eyes lifting from the page in front of him. I slide into the chair beside him. Across the table, Noah glances up from his notebook, pen still loosely held between his fingers. “How was class?”
Before I can answer, Liam drops into the chair beside Noah and leans forward dramatically. “Great,” he announces. “I didn’t cut of your sisters circulation, so I’d say we’re doing amazing.”
Ryan turns slightly in his chair toward me, one eyebrow lifting as he studies my face. “Saving lives out there, nurse Gracelyn?”
“Of course,” I reply easily, leaning back in my chair. “Someone has to.”
“Wow.” He presses a hand to his chest like he’s deeply offended, even though there is a small grin. And then he suddenly shifts in his seat, stretching his arms briefly before letting one rest casually along the back of my chair.
When I glance up, I catch Noah noticing. His eyes flick once to Ryan’s arm behind me, then to my face, before he lowers his gaze back to his notes like he didn’t see anything at all. Which somehow makes it worse.
Two girls walk past our table, their voices dipping the second they notice us. One of them leans slightly toward the other, whispering something, while the other glances our way before they disappear down the aisle.
What only an arm can do in Baylin.
We study for the next hour or so, pages turning and pens moving while the afternoon drags lazily toward evening. Ryan stays relaxed beside me, his attention mostly on the laptop in front of him, his arm still stretched casually along the back of my chair.
“If I read the wordsventricular fibrillationone more time,” Liam groans, dragging a hand down his face, “I’m going to start seeing double.” He pushes his chair back and stands, stretching his arms over his head. “I’m getting snacks.”
A minute later he comes back from the vending machine with his arms stacked full of snacks. He drops everything onto the table in a loud, chaotic pile.
