My Bad Boy Doctor

16

We bring my things to his car and I settle into the passenger seat while he slides into the driver's side. He turns the ignition and the engine idles as he offers me a smile. "It's going to be quiet here without you. Is it too soon to say I'm sad to see you go?"

I beam at him and take his hand. "No. I feel the same way."

I leave the rest unsaid, and I have a feeling there's more he wants to add, but doesn't. Our relationship seems unconventional because it's too fast. Regardless of how older Disney movies portray princesses, I know this isn't a fairy tale. It's real life, and I'm smart enough to know love at first sight doesn't exist. Most relationships fail in the first seven years. Yet when I imagine us together, I see us happy, and that scares me as much as being alone. I didn't know what a healthy relationship looked like until now, and I'm afraid I'll sabotage myself and mess things up.

Blake squeezes my hand and releases it, pressing a button on his visor to open the garage door as he places the car in reverse. We drive in silence for a few minutes before he speaks again. "You know, I've never moved this fast with a woman. I know we should take it slow, but when I'm with you, all those thoughts go out the window."

Where is he going with this?

He continues when I don't respond. "Look, it's probably crazy, and I know how it sounds. I just want to say these past few weeks have been special. I'm glad I was able to share it with you."

That's something I can wholeheartedly agree with. I cast him a smile and turn back to the window. He's given me a lot to consider, and has opened the door to so many good possibilities. "Me too. It was fun."

The ride to my dad's house is over before I know it, and I climb out of the car. Dad's F-150 is parked in front of the house and I squint in the glaring sunlight against the side mirror, unaccustomed to it after spending several weeks inside. The heat is stifling, and already my body is covered in a light sheen of sweat from the baking sun. I take my bag and laptop, hoisting the straps over my shoulder. Blake is soon by my side, walking me to the front door across the overgrown lawn. Dad probably forgot to cut it again, and the itchy, dry grass brushes against my calves. The yards next door aren't much better, as there's no HOA to enforce outside maintenence. At least I can say there aren't beer cans littering the ground.

As I turn my key into the lock, Nova screams from inside, scratching at the wood. I laugh. "I guess she missed me." She bolts outside when I open the door, and she moves in figure eights between my legs. I scratch her ears before turning to Blake. Do you want to come inside for a minute?"

He nods, eyes filled with an indecipherable emotion. I step across the threshold and set my things down as I take in the room around me. The house is smaller than Blake's, and even though the front room isn't messy, it's cluttered, and the faded green paint, combined with the hardwood flooring, makes it seem homely in comparison. An old Pepsi vending machine and a slot machine Dad bought at an auction take up a good portion of space, and Blake eyes the vintage game with a smirk. "Nice. Last time I saw one of those was in a casino on the reservation."

"It cusses at you in Korean when you lose."

"No way."

"Way," I say with a giggle. "I play it sometimes when I'm bored. My dad buys stuff at auction, mostly to sell, but sometimes he finds a gem worth keeping. You should see the vinyls in the next room over."

Blake's head moves automatically into the space to our left, formerly a garage that Dad and Carmen converted into a den a few years back. Inside is a flatscreen tv, a mismatched recliner and sofa, and shelves of records, spanning one end of the wall to the other. I never counted, but there have to be at least a thousand in his collection. In boxes on the far wall is my dad's comic book collection from when he used to run a store with his best friend. My house is filled with the odd collector's item, and I'm pretty sure there's a Furby still in its original packaging somewhere upstairs.