Naomi laughed loudly from across the bar with Adam. Piper shook her head as she took a drink of her beer.
"She seems in her element." I commented pressing my own bottle to my lips. I looked around the bar for Declan and Spencer where I saw them playing darts.
"She's never had trouble making friends," Piper replied.
I hummed in agreement. I had noticed the others had taken an instant liking to her. It wasn't surprising. She was an attractive woman with a confident and fun personality.
"I wonder if Adam knows she's gay?" Piper asked.
"It's good for him to figure these things out on his own."
She giggled. It was such an amazing sound. I wondered if I could make her do it again.
"Honestly, Adam isn't really looking for anyone right now," I said.
"Really?" Piper seemed intrigued. "Why not?"
I shrugged. "I think Spencer knows, but they live together so it's hard to keep secrets. Declan, Bram, and I don't."
"Bram?"
"Another friend of mine. He and Declan don't get along so he's not often with the four us. Long story."
Piper nodded just as Declan appeared and straddled the barstool next to me with a bottle of water in his hands. Spencer took a seat next to Piper.
"Who won?" I asked as I eyed Spencer. He stared straight ahead at the sports highlights on the TV. He must really be smitten by that waitress to ignore Piper sitting right next to him.
"Me," Declan said, then leaned across me to ask, "What do you do for work, Piper?"
"I'm a Clinical Psychologist," she answered confidently.
I liked that she took pride in her work. I turned my attention to Declan whose brows were raised at her response, "Do you deal with... grief?"
Now it was my turn for my eyebrows to shoot up.
Piper slowly nodded. "Yeah, I do."
Declan hummed but didn't say anything further. I could only hope it was a step in the direction I wanted him to go.
I opened my mouth to say something but Naomi came over.
"Hey, I think I'm going to head out," Naomi told her. "Are you ready to go or..." She turned her sights to me.
I let out an uncomfortable chuckle.
"Well, I'm your ride." Piper drained the rest of her beer.
"No, I think you've been drinking and I should drive your car back to your place," Naomi suggested.
"How will I get home?"
"Uber!" The word came out faster and louder than I meant. I could feel Spencer and Declan looking at me as I looked between the two women who were eyeing me suspiciously. "I mean," I stumbled over my words, "if you wanted to stay, I'd make sure you got an Uber."
I felt like an idiot.
"Oh." Piper's lips turned up into a smile. "In that case, maybe I'll stay and have another beer."
Naomi shook her head then leaned down and hugged Piper. "Be safe." I heard her say in her ear as Piper handed her the keys to her car.
Naomi gave me a look, then turned and headed out of the bar. I watched as Piper leaned across the bar and waved to the bartender. Her ass was slightly off the seat and in those tight shorts it looked absolutely perfect.
"Another please."
Her voice broke my less than friend-like thoughts. She sat back down then turned her attention back to me grinning.
"Thanks for inviting me along."
"You're welcome." I returned her smile.
"Hey." Spencer nudged Piper. "You know anything about football?"
"A little," she replied.
"Perfect. Maybe you can explain what these guys were thinking." Spencer gestured to the screen.
I pressed my bottle to my lips, not particularly bothered that her attention was elsewhere. I was just grateful to be in her vicinity. The fact that my friends seemed to like her was like icing on the cake.
Wait. Stop!
Platonic.
Friends.
My mind wandered to what would happen if the hospital caught wind of a relationship between me and Jakub's granddaughter. As long as I was his doctor, I had to keep my thoughts much more G than I was currently.
I sighed and drained the rest of my bottle as Spencer and Piper chatted beside me. I peered over at Declan who had a knowing expression.
"What?"
He shrugged. "You know what you need to do man."
We all stood outside on the curb.
"So you guys going tomorrow night?" Adam asked.
"Yeah, I'll be there," Spencer said.
"What about you, Reed?" Adam turned his attention to me "You can bring your girl." He lifted his brows as his eyes slowly moved from me, to Piper, then back to me.
Both Piper and I started responding at the same time and backed off equally as fast. The guys chuckled a bit.
I looked over at Piper. Her cheeks were quite flushed. "I don't even know what I'm being invited to."
"Bram's fight," Adam answered. I looked around to see if Declan was coming out. He had stopped to the go to the washroom. "You could come, even bring Naomi with you. Bram gave me extra tickets in hopes that Declan and his lady friend might come, but we all know that ain't happening."
I could see a mischievous smile crossing Piper's lips. "I could invite her."
"Cool," Adam dug into his back pockets and pulled out two tickets. He handed them to Piper who took them with a smile.
"Thanks."
"Does this mean you're coming, Reed?" Adam asked.
"I was anyway," I informed him.
"It's too bad Declan can't come. He's into MMA and all that stuff," Spencer said.
"Yeah, the legal kind," I reminded him. "Come on, man. Have some respect for what he does."
"I do. I just wish things were different, you know," Spencer said.
"I don't think it's D who needs to change," I said.
"You haven't even tried to come see one." Bram pushed.
Piper looked confused. I offered her a warm smile.
"Don't worry about it," I said with a shake of my head.
"Our Uber is here," Spencer informed Adam.
The two said a quick goodbye before walking up to the car that parked.
Declan strolled out of the bar toward us a big smile on his face. "Did I miss saying goodbye to Adam and Spencer?"
I nodded. "Uber just grabbed them.
Declan nodded. "Do you guys want a ride? I didn't drink."
I looked at Piper who shrugged sheepishly.
"Can't get safer than a cop," Declan joked.
"Sure." Piper nodded.
Declan gestured for us to follow him. I walked beside Piper who was fidgeting with her hands as we moved along the row of cars that lined the street. Declan stopped at his sedan and opened the front door.
"Piper," he invited her in.
She smiled and slid into the passenger seat. Declan closed the door behind her.
"I got my own door, babe," I joked.
Declan chuckled as he walked around the front and got into the driver's seat. He buckled up, then cleanly pulled out into traffic. Declan was an impeccable driver, and there was no one I felt safer in the passenger seat next to. I moved my head just enough that I could look in the rearview mirror a Piper. Her fingers were knotted, and she looked a little uneasy.
"Where do you live?" Declan asked Piper.
"Columbus." Piper gave him the rest of her address a bit too quietly for me to make out.
The drive was quiet, the streetlights casting long shadows through the car as we made our way down the interstate. Soon the large influx of passing cars slowed and suburban houses became the view outside the window.
Declan pulled up in front of white set of apartment buildings. I looked at the name that was illuminated on a sign.
Bloomfield Apartments.
I heard Piper's door open and close, breaking me from looking around. I looked over at Declan who shook his head.
"Get out and say goodbye to her maybe?"
As always, my brain let me down around her. Something I should've thought of myself seemed to completely slip my mind. I never felt like I could think straight with her. I quickly got out of the backseat of Declan's car.
"Piper!" I called after her retreating body.
She turned and faced me.
"I...." Suddenly I felt at a loss for words. This wasn't the end of a date, so despite my desire to, I couldn't kiss her. I didn't know how to say good-bye to a woman I desperately wanted to see again, but at the same time couldn't. "Are you sure you want to come to an underground fight?" Cringe.
She shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
"Things sometimes get a little out of hand," I warned.
"I'll have Naomi," she said. I nodded in agreement, then she added, "And you. I trust you'll keep me safe, right?"
My mouth went dry. "O-of course," I agreed.
"It'll be alright then," she said, her pink links turned up at the edge.
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah."
"Okay."
I took a breath, knowing I had to say the one thing I didn't want to say. "I better get going. Declan's gotta drive me back into the city."
"You live downtown?" Piper asked.
"Along the Canal."
"Wow."
I could feel my cheeks turning red and felt grateful for the concealment of night. I felt a pull, the deep desire to reach out and bring her closer to me. To feel her lips on mine. To no longer have to fight my desire to see her. She shifted slightly, moving a step closer.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I panicked thinking she might've been feeling what I was too.
"Oh... um... yeah. Tomorrow." She gave me a small smile. "Goodnight, Reed."
I turned and walked back to Declan's car. I sat down in the passenger seat and clicked my seatbelt in.
"So?" Declan asked.
"I said goodnight." I looked over at him. "You don't have to pretend that you weren't watching us."
Declan chuckled as he shifted the car in drive. I leaned my head against the window, unable to take my mind off Piper.
"What's going on?" Declan asked as he positioned himself more comfortably in his seat.
"I think inviting her today was a mistake," I answered honestly.
"Because you like her," Declan observed.
"Yes." I let out a sigh. "I really wanted to kiss her, and I nearly lost control and went for it. The fuck do I do?"
"Trade off patients," Declan answered simply.
I looked over at him. "So admit to my attending that I'm interested in my patient's granddaughter?"
Declan nodded. "Yeah."
"Is that what you would do?"
Declan's brows furrowed. "Are you asking if I would fall for a criminal?"
"No! If you fell for a co-worker."
"It's a little less complicated for me. As long as I'm not directly in charge of her it's no biggie."
I groaned.
"Look, you have to do this, Reed. You know you're not doing right by her grandfather."
"I have to get through tomorrow," I admitted defeat. "My attending isn't in until Monday."
"So tomorrow you treat it like today. You're just friends hanging out," Declan advised me. "Monday you change things. Don't you have that charity thing coming up you've been complaining about."
"Hm," I agreed. "On Friday."
"Ask her for a real date to that," he suggested.
I nodded my head. "Okay. Yeah."
I leaned back in my seat and let out a relieved sigh. We drove in silence for a few minutes.
"Why did you ask Piper if she dealt with grief?" I looked over at Declan. His eyes were trained on the road.
He shrugged. "I was just curious." He answered the question blandly, like it was something he said to everyone who had a therapy background.
"Are you wanting to know more about..." I tried to navigate the subject carefully, but Declan quickly cut me off.
"The department has resources."
"I know, but if you feel the right connection with Piper then why not use her?"
"Reed, I'm fine." Declan gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter.
"You keep saying that, but I see you losing control a lot. I see your emotions are sometimes stronger than--"
"I was cleared to go back to work." Declan said sternly.
"Doesn't mean that you're not still hurting."
"Reed!" Declan bellowed. "Please!"
"Okay." I put my hands up. "Okay."
Declan sighed. "Look, I'm grateful for your friendship. I'm just really not ready to talk about it."
I could see his eyes were wet. He sniffled loudly then cleared his throat.
"Okay, Declan," I conceded. "I'll be here when you're ready."
Declan nodded his head before turning up the music a bit louder. We had been friends long enough that I knew he was done talking for now. I wasn't completely upset that our car ride had turned silent; it gave me time to think about seeing Piper tomorrow.