Meet me in the Middle

Chapter 50

"Amelia. It's me. Aprire." I knock on her office door and look up and down the neurology floor to make sure that no one sees me sneaking into their boss's office with essentials after her lunch break. She unlocks the door, ushers me in and locks it again, before grabbing for the duffle bag I held in my hand. "Not a word, Deluca." I look up and fight back the laugh and teasing that sat waiting on the tip of my tongue while she rummaged through the bag to find the shirt. "Bontà gentile. Your office smells like sex. Can I open a window or burn a candle or something?" I sidestep the disregarded and torn shirt she throws my way and finally let the laugh out that has been stealing my breath.

"It's not funny, Carina. I can't get enough of her. It was supposed to be an innocent lunch to talk about our future. How was I supposed to know that it would take one kiss hello to have her rip off my clothes and take me on every flat surface here." I smile when I see the blush covering her face and point towards the office chair with my eyebrow raised in question. She averts her eyes but nods her head a little with a hint of a smile as she recalls what she and her new girlfriend did on it. I pull open her drawer and take out a few antiseptic wipes to start wiping down the desk and chair for me to sit. Amelia finishes getting dressed and reapply her makeup before falling down on her couch with a dreamy look on her face.

"Did you at least ask her before she ravished you in your workplace?" Amelia rolls over on her side and props her head up with her hand. They met at Joe's a few weeks ago, just after I met Nate, I think. Amelia tried to play it off as casual, but they've hardly spent one night apart since then. I've seen Amelia with Link and Kai before, but she has never glowed the way she does with this woman. I started teasing her a few days ago that I could taste the sunshine, smell the flowers and hear the birds chirping every time she walks out her room after a date with Brooke. She was a few years younger than Amelia, but it was like they were made for each other.

"I indeed had monogamous sex a few hours ago, and she was ecstatic to receive an invitation to join us in Florida for the week with Scout." I snap my fingers and throw her with a pen when I see her falling back into her couch while reliving the conversation. Amelia was asked to perform a one-of-a-kind surgery that would require her to stay in Orlando for a few days. She called Link to ask him if she could take Scout with her, so she could take him to Disneyworld and I told her how jealous I was, since I've never been. She called the hospital back and asked for another hotel room and told me to put in my leave. I hinted that she might want to ask Brooke along too, after she complained about being away from her for so long, which led to what happened today.

She sits up on the couch while chewing on her lower lip, like she's trying to build up the courage to say something. "You and Nate seemed a lot happier last night." I play with the stationary on her desk without looking up. I knew where she was going to try and direct this conversation to, but this was the first morning I didn't wake up and immediately thought of Maya. The first few days were excruciating, and I even caved and called her when I couldn't bear spending one more second away from her. Only for her to tell me to turn elsewhere and leave her alone. That's when the dreams started and I woke up every morning panting, soaked through my underwear and needy for the Maya I fantasized about in her kitchen all those nights ago.

I tried spending more time with Nate to dissolve the need I felt, but he decided to hold off on sex until we were both surer of our intentions with one another, and I couldn't fault him for it. It would be unfair to step into that level of intimacy when the majority of my heart still belonged to a certain firefighter. But the last few weeks have been lighter, happier and less centered around Maya Bishop. I was starting to feel the spark with Nate, the pain I felt while watching Maya's car drive off after she dropped me at Amelia's was less, and my heart didn't skip a beat every time I saw her walk into the ER with a patient. Just because I couldn't seem to get over her, didn't mean I shouldn't try.