Page 21 of See Through

“No problem.” Most of the time, patients can listen to music while they’re in the scanner; most of the time, I mute it on my end. Most of the music people like isn’t up my alley, but this station is one of Aubrey’s favorites, so I turn it up, loving the flashes of her pink hair that filter through my mind.

She was flustered leaving my place last night, and, frankly, I was too. Not only had I accidentally let it slip that I’d been flirting with her, but the moment she started arguing with me, the room had been charged with tension I had never felt between us before. Which can really only mean one thing—she’s been thinking about me how I’ve been thinking about her. Something shifted after our last investigation, and I don’t know what changed for her, but her stares felt different after I fell asleep on her that night.

And yeah, maybe I was a little forward telling her I’ve been flirting with her since I met her, but she didn’t run screaming or change the subject. I saw how that admission affected her. Her throat closed, her eyes widened, and her lips parted how they always do when she’s surprised. I caught her off guard, but the way she responded has me giddy for what’s to come. She might have feelings for me. Last night just affirmed that.

“You have a pop up.” Cooper’s voice scares the crap out of me.

“Geez, dude.” I try to smack him, but he dodges me. “I’m going to get you a bell collar.”

“You and I both know that’s not feasible. It would fly right into the magnet, idiot.” He grabs the chair next to mine. “How much time left?”

“I have ten minutes until contrast. Probably about twenty minutes until I’m done.” I look at him, a weird glint in his eyes. “Why?”

“My next patient isn’t for like half an hour. I’m bored. Let me draw up your contrast. How much do you need?”

“Uhh.” I check the paper for the patient’s weight. “Six point five.”

“Got it,” he says, grabbing the bottle and the syringe. “So, did something happen with Aubrey?”

I say nothing as I pretend to check the images on the computer.

“I knew it. I knew it!”

“You sound far too excited, and I didn’t even say anything.”

“Do you know how long I've waited for this day? I swear, it has been years in the making. Look at you two, finally getting your shit together. So, what happened? Did you kiss or⁠—”

“Stop. Nothing happened.” Not totally the truth, but he’s jumping the gun.

“Something happened, I’m sure of it.” He sets my contrast on the counter. “Does she know how you feel?”

I say nothing again, because it really isn’t his business. I don’t pester him this much about his relationships—or lack thereof. On second thought, why don’t I?

“Oh, she totally knows.”

I swat at him again, but he slides his chair back. “Fuck off, dude. You’re nothing but a thorn in my side.”

“Yeah, but you love me anyway.” He smirks. Asshole. “You and I both know I’m not going to let this go. You might as well just tell me, or do I have to get into that locked note of yours again while you're with your patient?”

“That is a total invasion of privacy, and I changed the password after last time.” I roll my eyes. I don’t even know how he got into that note. It’s my own digital diary where I like to write my feelings sometimes, and somehow, he got into it. Cooper is like an annoying little brother to me, and while I love him, he’s such a pain in my ass sometimes. He’s got far too much energy, and I blame the caffeinated beverages he always has on him. I swear, sometimes, they just appear out of thin air.

“So then spare me some reading and tell me what happened.”

I sigh heavily, knowing he’s not going to let this go. I was going to tell him when we had lunch together, but, as usual, he wanted to speed up the process.

“I may have admitted I’ve been flirting with her for years last night.”

His jaw drops, his hand on his chest. I swear, he’s the most dramatic person I know. “And what did she say to that?”

“She didn’t really say anything. All she did was stare at me and stammer. I thought she might fall over, but we finished our talk about our next investigation, and she ran out of my place like it was on fire. I’m worried I might have said too much and scared her off. She hasn’t talked to me all day.”

“Is that unusual for you two?”

“Yeah. I sent her a post that reminded me of her this morning before work, and she hasn’t responded yet.”

“Maybe she’s busy,” Cooper tries to calm my nerves. It’s only been a little over twelve hours, but still. Aubrey and I never go a day without talking in some capacity, but maybe I put too much on her last night, and now her brain is all scrambled. “Don’t read too much into it. She probably knows you’re working and not on your phone as much.”

“Yeah, I guess. I just wonder if this is going to be one of those scenarios where we pretend it didn’t happen and neither of us brings it up, or if we’re actually going to talk about it this time.”