Devil’s in the Details (16 page)

I pointed towards the giant clock, "The structure two blocks over. It was the only place that wasn't full."

Victoria turned us to head in the direction of my car, "No wonder you're tired, I had you walking for miles to meet me. You should have called me. I would have come to meet you here instead of up at the cemetery."

I shrugged, "I could have, but then I wouldn't have been able to sneak a peek at a beautiful blonde reading spy novels mixed with the best view in the city." I bit the inside of my mouth, hoping my blunt attempt at flirting didn’t backfire. When I glanced at Victoria, I couldn't get a read off of her, just noticed the deepening pink on her cheeks telling me that my flirting did indeed have some effect on her.

We walked together towards the parking structure. Victoria filling the air with typical idle chatter about the weather, the influx of tourists in the city, and when I was going back to work. Her tone had shifted back to the closed off one that had reigned at the start of our lunch. I answered her, finding small victories when I could make her laugh or get her tone to change back to the warm one that was sweeping me off my feet.

Entering the parking structure, I dug out my keys, pointing to the rusted blue back end of my Mini Cooper, "That's me over there." I palmed my keys, letting Victoria walk me to the driver's side door. I really didn't want this day to end. I wanted to ask her to go have a drink with me, go to a movie, troll down the dairy aisle at the grocery store. A hundred different things I could suggest, all of them included spending a handful more hours with her. I opened the driver's door, throwing my bag onto the passenger seat, "I go back to work on Monday, the night shift. But I do have Friday and Saturday off if you wanted to grab lunch or go to a museum?"

I cringed at my awkward stumbling. I was always a smooth operator when it came to dating, but then again I primarily dated men who asked me out first and could barely tear their eyes away from my chest. Not the stunning blonde woman who was pushing her sunglasses up so she could hide from looking in my eyes after scanning over my piece of crap car. I blew out a nervous breath, "I know you’re busy, but you can call me, text me if you want to talk or hang out? I think we just barely grazed the surface of this friendship, I mean I have a ton more awkward high school stories I can tell you."

Victoria laughed, "I’ll call you Monday after I get my midterm break schedule. I would like to try the Washington chicken salad sandwich." She turned back to my rusty bucket, "Is this a '67? How does it run?"

I looked over the hood of the rust bucket, "It's a '74, but there are some '67 parts on it." I tapped the edge of the door, "It runs like it is brand new these days. The mechanic down the street from me fixed it up at no charge, gave me free lifetime maintenance on it too. And here I thought he was trying to gouge me when I hobbled in with it on the back of a tow truck." I turned back to Victoria, catching the hint of a smirk on her face.

She nodded, "It's hard to find decent mechanic's these days." She then turned back to me. A heavy silence fell between us when our eyes met.

A silence that spoke volumes when neither of us could find a simple word, let alone a vowel to utter towards one another. I watched as she visibly swallowed hard, "I should get going. If you don't leave now, you'll hit traffic, Alex."

I reached out, gently grabbing her wrist as she went to turn away from me. I held on to her tightly, moving closer, "There's always traffic in D.C., Victoria." I waited until she faced me, it was now or never. I moved closer, "Victoria, I, today was amazing and I really think you're amazing and I have been wanting to do this since you gave me your pickle."

I broke into her personal space, feeling and hearing her heart pound as my hand moved from her wrist to the side of her neck. I looked up in her eyes, our faces inches apart, Victoria kept looking down at my mouth and back up in my eyes. She wanted this as much as I did. Definitely a good sign to continue what I was about to do. I smiled softly and leaned in to kiss the woman, my lips brushing hers softly. I could hear her gasp, and it did nothing but spur me on as I went to close the gap hovering between us.

Victoria suddenly turned her cheek to me. I could feel her breath on my ear as she whispered, "I can't Alex. I...just can't."

I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my top lip as I nodded slowly before backing away. Taking a deep breath to reform my rejection into acceptance, I smiled at the blonde woman who was clutching to the strap of her bag like it was a life line. I nodded again, sticking out my left hand to her, "I understand, Victoria. Friends? I can do friends." I tried to keep the waver out of my voice.

I glanced at her, seeing the storm return in her eyes. Her jaw clenching as she struggled with whatever was in her thoughts at this exact moment. Victoria shot her hand out after a moment of leaving mine hanging in the space between us, wrapping it up in a tight grip, "Yes. Friends, Alex."

I held her hand for a moment, trying to get that damn storm to break and release the woman I knew was hiding under the firm grip and the professional facade she just threw on in hopes of making the rejection of my advances, easier. "Then friends it is." I dropped her hand against my will and turned back to get into my car, "Call me Monday, Victoria."

Victoria nodded, shutting the car door for me before taking a step back. She stood there straight as a board, waiting for me to start the car and drive off. I took one look in the rear view mirror to see her pull out her cellphone and get on it immediately. I groaned, squeezing the steering wheel out of embarrassment and frustration.

Of course I had to crush on a woman who was already taken. It was just the trend of my luck these days.

"Professor! What did I do to deserve a Saturday night call from you? Are you going to ask me out for drinks or tacos?" Dani's chipper voice added to my frustration.

I was half walking and jogging out of the parking structure. Trying to control the overflow of feelings from the day and Alex almost kissing me. "Dani, you're beyond annoying today. I’m returning your phone calls."

"Oh those. Those were just the confirmation of payment and a quick side job offer coming in from the old lady. She wanted me to offer it up to all of the plumbers before she sanctioned it back down to the B teams." Dani huffed, "What has made you a cranky pants today? The library didn't have the copy of Washington's boring-ography you wanted?"

I groaned, clutching the strap of my bag until it felt like it was cutting into my palm. The emotions I currently felt, made it feel like I was drowning. I wanted to kiss Alex. I had wanted to kiss her halfway through our lunch when I saw how her eyes grew brighter with her smile and when she laughed at my dumb Navy jokes, but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything more than be friends with her, no matter how much my heart pushed against my chest, begging me to let it go, so it could welcome Alex in with open arms. That this was my chance to have a normal life, make an attempt to have a normal relationship.

But I wasn't normal. I couldn't be normal.

"What's the side job?"

Dani huffed again, tapping on a keyboard, "It's a quick sniper hit up on the edge of northern Cuba. Some militant is threatening to take over the Cuban establishment as we know it. It’s resulted in both sides of Voltaire's interests getting their panties in a big twist. It's an in and out job. Pays a quarter of your usual. Probably why none of you plumbers want it. Greedy bastards you all are." Dani's mocking tone was not helping me.

I ran around the corner, hitting the unlock button on my BMW parked outside of the parking structure, "I’ll take it. I will be at the airport in fifteen, have the flight ready."

"Whooooaaa Professor. Are you okay?" Dani's tone shifted away from active irritation to active curiosity, "You never take the last minute side jobs, what's wrong?"

I sighed, dropping down into the seat, "I need to clear my head before I do something stupid." I threw my bag on the passenger seat, catching the corner of the Bond book. I clenched my jaw as it continued to remind me of Alex and how I should be calling her right now, apologizing and telling her that I did want to kiss her. I wanted her to kiss me. That during our lunch I had been more open and honest with her than I had with anyone, even my gentle harmless next door neighbors.

I pushed the bag on to the floor before starting the SUV, "Did you hear me Dani? Fifteen minutes and I’ll be at the airport."

"Copy that Professor asshat." I heard Dani click a few more times, "You are a go. Hangar five. The cleaning crew will meet you and hand over the equipment. I’ll brief you when you land."

I hung up on Dani before she could utter another asinine remark. Pulling out on to the street, I raced through traffic and towards the airport. I knew exactly what I was doing, running from my feelings. Running towards the one thing that had stolen all of the things I felt for a long time ago, all because a brunette woman was sweeping me off my feet every time I turned around to look in her dark blue eyes.

Dark blue eyes that begged for me to stop hiding behind the veil of my double life and let her in.

But I couldn't.

And I wouldn't.

Chapter 6

~One Month Later ~

Walking into the hospital, balancing two cups of coffee and my briefcase, I smiled and nodded at the handful of nurses who brushed by me. It was half past seven in the morning and I was headed towards the nurse's station right inside the first level trauma ward. I grinned softly at the yawning younger nurse leaning against the filing cabinets, "Morning Stacy, is Alex still here?"

Stacy covered her mouth quickly, nodding and reaching for the cup of coffee I extended to her. "Yup. She should be over in a second to drop off her charts from rounds." She took a deep sniff of the hot coffee, moaning in delight, "You are a lifesaver Victoria. The cafeteria coffee tastes like burnt tar."

I laughed, watching the woman sip heavily from the paper cup, "It's the least I can do." I tilted my wrist to look at the time. I would have plenty of time to make it to the academy and prep for the morning's class.

Stacy smirked at me, "The least you can do is bring some fresh bagels the next time?" Her eyebrows raised in a display of hope.

I gave her a playful dirty look as Alex popped around the corner, arms full of charts. Regardless of the fact that she was wearing faded green scrubs and bright blue tennis shoes, Alex still looked beautiful with her hair up and in nurse mode. Her tired blue eyes brightened up when she saw the coffee I held out towards her. "Oh! I had hoped you would stop by this morning." She took the cup from my hand, dropping the charts in hers, and grinned at me, "Good morning, Victoria."

I rolled my eyes slightly at the over exaggerated way she said it, "Good morning, Alex." I shifted my briefcase, "Why wouldn't I stop by? It's Thursday, and I always bring you coffee on Thursday because you always buy my first drink on Fridays." I looked over at the brunette, my friend, smiling at how happily she sighed as the caffeine gave her the extra energy she would need to finish out the last two hours of her shift. Alex chuckled, setting the cup down as Stacy grabbed a stack of charts and hustled away, hollering a thank you and her bagel request. "I’m so ready for the weekend. It's been a long couple of nights on the ward and I want nothing more than to sit in my pajamas and swim in piles of popcorn, binge watching movies."