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"Career first," I repeated, trying to drown out the whispers of doubt and longing that echoed through my mind. "That's all that matters now."
But as I stared down at the laptop screen before me, I couldn't shake the feeling that, deep down, a part of me yearned for something more.
Chapter 5
Dominic
As I sat at my desk, reviewing the latest patient files, the door to my office swung open. In strode Hugo, the one and only. His appearance was totally unexpected.
"Hey. How's the world of Dominic today?" he asked with his familiar Italian accent.
"Ah, Hugo," I replied, leaning back in my chair and rubbing my eyes. "Just another day in paradise, you know." I gestured for him to sit down on one of the visitor chairs across from me. "To what do I owe this privilege of seeing you?"
"Can't a man visit his friend without an ulterior motive?" He flashed a playful smile as he settled into the seat, crossing his long, athletic legs. "I was just grabbing a coffee and have five minutes. My appointments are going fast. Nice, simple scans to order, great people. I just thought I would see how you're holding up. You're the one with more on your plate than the rest of us."
"Hey, man. I appreciate it." I chuckled, shaking my head at his directness. "I'm doing alright. Just drowning, as usual. But I'm getting used to the feeling. Who knows what trouble I would get into if I had more time?"
"I think it would be a great thing if you got into more trouble, to be honest. Ah, the glamorous life of a doctor is actually not that glamorous." Hugo laughed, his deep-set brown eyes crinkling at the corners. "I bet you never imagined this type of time commitment when we decided to start this place together."
"Tell me about it," I agreed with a wry smile, remembering the countless nights we spent studying and dreaming about our future careers. "But hey, I wouldn't trade it for anything. We spent a lot of time studying and honing our craft. I just haven't slowed down. We've built something amazing here, together, and it's just going to continue to grow."
"Damn right, we did." Hugo raised an imaginary toast in the air, and I joined him in the gesture, clinking my pen against his in celebration of our shared success.
"Speaking of amazing things," I added, trying to shift the conversation to a lighter topic. "How's fatherhood treating you? Little Enzo must be keeping you busy."
"Busy? That's an understatement." Hugo's face lit up as he pulled out his phone to show me the latest pictures of his son. "But it's worth every sleepless night and dirty diaper, I tell you."
"Look at that little guy," I cooed over the pictures, genuinely happy for my friend. "Growing like crazy. I just saw him last week and he's already changed. He's got your eyes, Hugo."
"Thank God he didn't inherit my big nose, huh?" We both laughed at his self-deprecating humor, and I couldn't help but feel grateful for our friendship. It was these moments of genuine connection that helped me stay grounded amidst the chaos of our demanding careers.
"Alright, enough about me," Hugo said, putting his phone away and leaning back in his chair. "What happened when we left you and Calla at the bar? Any excitement to share?"
"Excitement? In my life?" I feigned surprise, knowing full well what he was referring to. "You must be mistaken, my friend. Nothing exciting ever happens to a boring old Dom."
"Come on, Dominic," he prodded, clearly not buying my act. "You played the hero last night and saved a damsel in distress from a bad date. There was something between you two, it was obvious. Why do you think all of us scampered when the night was still young?"
Now that I thought about it, he was right. We usually cut loose when we had the night out, especially now with Hugo joining us only half the time, we try to really make a night of it when we go out. I was too wrapped up in Calla to really notice, but now, it was obvious.
"Shit. You guys ARE looking out for me."
"Hell, yeah, buddy. I guess you were too distracted by Calla to see. Honestly, I love it. I love the feeling when it's like you're the only two in the room. It's really great that there might be someone there to help distract you from all this craziness." Hugo waved his arm around to indicate that he was talking about my entire fucking life.
"I have to admit, Hugo, it felt really good to meet someone. But she's too young. She's incredible, but she just graduated from university with a business degree. That means she's somewhere around 22-25. I can't do that." I hung my head as I just realized this.
"Says fucking who? You can be with whoever you want to be with. Yeah, she's young, but if she makes your heart sing, why not be open to explore the possibilities?" There goes Hugo with his Italian romanticism.
"You think?" I looked up at him.
"Shit, yeah. It's worth it, man. You need something more in your life than work and F2. Sharing your life with someone is amazing. The sooner you do it, the better. Otherwise, you get to be set in your ways and less compromising. Having Simone and Enzo means I have to take their needs into consideration when I'm planning my life now. But, you know what? I want to. They are my priority and fuck, it feels so good to have that priority in my life."
"Yeah, you're right. I just… well, I like to have my ducks in a row. No uncertainty."
"Yeah, you're a fucking control freak. You know we all love you, but you need to relax a little. Your need for control is great for us because we leave you to do whatever you need to do to feel in control. But now we're growing bigger and you can't control everything. We're in our mid-30s, Dom. You have to start thinking about including someone in your life. And love isn't really controllable. Gotta loosen up, man. As much as we are bros, there's a difference to having someone special in your life, you know?"
I hung my head again. He was so right, even though it went against every controlled fibre within me. Fuuuuuck.
"But back to the topic at hand," Hugo teased, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "Between us, you can admit it. You were smitten with her, weren't you?"
