Riley steps out from her bedroom in an East Village two-bedroom apartment that she shares with Alice. She stumbles out the door into the living room area and rolls over the backrest onto the fabric couch. A couple of pillows are lying on the couch but they didn't stop Riley from breaking her own wrist falling on them. Her eyes are not fully open just yet and she doesn't even want to wake up.
"This is why you broke your wrist." Alice with a cup of coffee in her hand says from the kitchen area that is not far away; a fully functional kitchen with only counters separating the area from the living room. Riley spent a few months putting this kitchen together. She wanted some sort of Food Network kitchen and she got it. "You should break another bone so you can ask that doctor out properly."
"I asked her out." Riley lifts her head up from the couch with her hair looks like it has been through war, not a night sleep. Nothing has been done more than what she already did. Riley is very good at leaving some space and she intends to keep that reputation although it might cause her this girl.
Alice shrugs. "Congratulations?"
"I asked her. She just hasn't answered and she hasn't called." Riley tries to fight for herself. Alice can't say that she chickened out because she did ask Julia out. That is a progression of her dating life. "Are you going out tonight?"
"Yeah. It's Friday night. I'm not going to stay home and play video games." Alice turns to the toaster as two toasts pop out of it. "Do you want some toasts?"
Riley's phone rings. It is in her good hand but that doesn't make her answer it any faster. She takes some time to look at the number that is shown on the screen. Some number that she doesn't recognize and her glasses are still on her night stand. 6 can be 8 and 2 can be 5. "Sunshine Cleaning Service, how can we help you today?"
"Hello?" The end of the call responds with so much confused in her voice. "Ah. I'm trying to reach Riley Flynn."
"This is Riley Flynn."
"This is Julia. Terrell. The doctor at Ridgeview hospital."
A smile slowly creeps on Riley's face. "Julia Terrell. The Doctor at Ridgeview hospital. Hi. This is Riley."
Alice immediately takes her quick steps towards Riley who is now sitting up on the couch. Her eyes light up nearly as bright as sleepyhead Riley's. She gets excited and tries to listen to every bit of the conversation while nipping her avocado toast. Crumbs are falling on the couch and Riley hates that but it doesn't seem to matter now.
"Hi." Riley seems to be able to repeat only one word and that might be enough.
"Are you also running a cleaning service?" Julia chuckles softly.
"No. No. That was just a joke." Riley starts to wave her casted arm around nervously as she speaks.
"Ask her out." Alice mouths while trying to stop Riley's arm from casting a spell.
"Julia..." Riley starts and then gets interrupted.
"What are you doing tonight?" Julia asks. There is not one bit of hesitation in her voice. She sounds confident and determined. She sounds like everything that Riley is not.
"Going out with you?" Despite the nervousness and the sweat in her palms, Riley tries to appear cheeky. If that isn't her intention, at least she can get some laugh out of it. She has plenty of jokes in her arsenal in case things go terribly wrong. She can also start a cleaning service if it's necessary.
Julia giggles. "I believe so. Can you meet me at the hospital tonight... say around 8?"
"Yeah."
"See you tonight then."
"Yeah."
"Okay. Bye." It's the kind of bye that has a smile hidden in it. Riley can tell by a small giggle Julia has left at the very end.
"So?" Alice asks as soon as Riley gets off the phone. "Are you going out tonight?"
"She is very pretty. Like. Did you see her eyes? I mean. Dude. I don't know how to swim but I'll swim in those eyes." Riley says the only thing that she can comprehend at this moment. "I'm going to leave for work now."
"It's not 8 yet."
"So I can leave early." Riley climbs over the backrest to another side of the couch; towards her room. "Clean up those crumbs."
"What are you going to wear tonight?" Alice goes back to the kitchen and ignores what she was told completely. "Please don't wear flannel. I'll be home to supervise you on that."
"Mom?" Riley enters the kitchen area in pink Mickey Mouse sweater and pants. "Have you cleaned up?"
"Don't wear those either. See you back here at 6."
Riley tries to sneak back in the apartment a little before 6 but Alice is already there. After a few tantrums and argument, Riley finally leaves the apartment in her dark jeans, black floral print bomber jacket and white sneakers. She leaves right before Alice would start a hair salon on her. Her hair looks fine. She lets her bang down naturally and uses her fingers to comb them slightly to the side. It looks fine. She keeps telling that to herself every time she sees her own reflections. Julia already saw her in pajamas. She looks better than fine now.
Riley arrives at the hospital and paces back and forth in front of the ED entrance; not knowing if she should go in and wait inside or it is already alright to wait here. A few days have passed and she still doesn't get used to the fact that her watch is now on her left wrist. She keeps looking down and sees her pink cast. It's annoying but it also reminds her of Julia.
"Hey."
Riley looks up to the sound of the greeting. The picture she sees right in front of her makes her heart drop. Julia is walking towards her in jeans, a beige cardigan over a black spaghetti strap top and white sneakers. She lets her hair down today and Riley finds herself staring as the wind blows through her hair. Julia is busy digging in her shoulder bag that she doesn't notice how captivated Riley has become.
"I have something to tell you." Julia stops in front of Riley and looks at her. Riley's ears are already blushing red and her eyes are already fixed on her. "I don't think you'll like it."
"Okay." Riley doubts if she has enough wills to hate anything that come from Julia's mouth.
"It's my senior resident's birthday and they wants to have a couple drinks. They just told me this morning when I came in." Julia is hesitant. She is not sure what Riley's reaction will be. It should be their first date and now, it is fast-forwarded to meeting the friends. "Do you mind?"
"I don't mind leaving... "Riley's eyes are still on her. Julia's blushing cheek and red lips get her distracted.
"No. I mean do you mind hanging out with us for a little while?" Julia reaches her hand to touch Riley's arm to stop her from leaving although she hasn't taken any steps back. "We can do something later."
"You want me to go with you? And your friends?" Riley has a little smile on her face as she adjusts her glasses with her casted side; she tries not to mess with her hair so her hand goes up as high as her glasses. "As your..."
"date." Julia smiles like it is nothing. "If you don't mind, of course."
"It's fine." Something is on her mind and Julia can't tell what it is but she can surely tell that her smile is one of the most assuring smiles she has ever seen. Also, the way she says things now is different. It is warmer and in tune with her favorite song.
"What is with that smile?" Julia finally asks when the smile seems to be frozen on Riley's face.
"I don't know." Riley still can't stop smiling. It goes from the small one at the corner of her lips into the obvious beam. "You are pretty."
Julia shoots a smile with her crinkle nose and Riley almost dies right on the spot. Maybe a CPR is something she wants from Julia right now.
There are a couple of people walking out of the ED entrance and making their way towards them. They are residents that were on the same shift as Julia.
"Hey, guys." Jack greets them. He makes himself clear as a birthday boy with a birthday hat on his head. "Riley, I'm Jack."
"Happy birthday. I like your hat." Riley shakes Jack's hand; overlooking the fact that Jack knows her name.
"Sorry for ruining your date." Kat shakes her hand next and she looks as guilty as if she has just broken something beautiful.
"Hi." Willa greets quietly with a little wave.
"So you're coming? Everything is on me. Let's go." Jack is too hyped for a 30-year-old and he doesn't care if the rest is hyping with him or not. He just wants a drink or two on his birthday and he doesn't want to do that alone. If these are the number of people he can get, he takes it.
"Sorry." Julia mouths to Riley and starts walking with her with her fellow residents in front of them.
They go to a bar that is not very far away from the hospital. Julia doesn't leave Riley's side the whole walk to the bar. She constantly checks on her if she shows a bit of uneasiness. Riley starts being her usual self after a half a block of having Julia right next to her. She asks all the small talk questions in the book and Julia doesn't seem to mind answering them all. She would make sure that Riley hears what she has to say amid the loud noise of New York city but never too loud to make it everyone else's business. By the time they reach the destination, Riley learns that Julia is about two months in her first year of residency and she is from Maine; while Julia learns that Riley grew up with Alice and Kevin. That is why they seem to be very close.
A small entrance next to a fruit stand leads the way up to the second floor where the fun is happening. As soon as they reach the top of the stairs and into the bar, some people who are already hanging out at the tables start singing happy birthday to Jack as loud as the playing music in the background. Tons of doctors and nurses are already there to surprise Jack and party is on.
"I'll grab us some drinks." Riley whispers to Julia who is greeting some other doctors. She fits right in as people form a small group around her. "What do you want?"
"A beer is fine. Thank you." Julia smiles at Riley before turning back to her small chitchatting session.
"Who's that?" Someone asks Julia as soon as Riley walks away from them.
"My date." Julia quickly responds with no hesitation and no beating around the bush. She is being her own self at the fullest.
Riley reaches the bar and orders some drinks for herself and Julia. Then, she pulls out her phone to text Alice.
Julia's eyes are on Riley who is walking through the crowd back to her with two bottles of beer in her hands. The way Riley's eyes are on her makes her heart flutter. Riley always looks at her like she is the center of the world and nothing else matters. She just hopes this stays for quite sometimes; not just something that appears only for a couple of dates.
"You're getting better with the cast, huh?" Julia takes a bottle of beer from Riley and puts her hand on Riley's cast. Immediately, she notices the cute doodle on her cast. "Lauren?"
"Lauren is a coworker." Riley looks at Lauren's name on her cast and has a brief episode of panic attack. There are two names on her cast and it is suspicious. "I'm not dating her. She sits next to me at work. We're not flirting. I think she's straight."
Julia chuckles. "Why are you panicking?"
Riley leans closer as if she didn't hear Julia properly from all the music playing in the bar. This is her way out. "Sorry, what?"
"Oh my god." Julia bursts into laughter as she puts her hand on Riley's wrist to not let her get any closer and not let her pull away either. "You're sneakier than you look. The music is not even that loud."
"Julia! Come play." Kat calls Julia from the ping pong table at one corner of the bar. Her head resident is waving ping pong racket in gesture of inviting. She is there with Willa who is trying to balance the ping pong ball on the racket. "You too, Riley."
"Come on." Julia takes Riley's hand and leads her to the ping pong table. She places her bag on the sofa and grabs her weapon. Riley takes a seat guarding the bag like a good date.
"Go doc." Riley jokingly cheers.
"If you win, I'll take one of your night shifts. If you lose, you take Willa's one night shift." Kat's offer makes Julia's eyes glow so bright; the brightest so far. Julia is so sure that she has this game in her pocket. "But it'll be doubles game."
"First of all, I don't think that is how shifts work but okay, I'll agree to it. Second of all, doubles?" Julia gestures to Riley who is sipping her beer comfortably. "Riley has one hand."
"I have one hand." Riley holds up her casted arm.
Julia starts looking around to find someone who is available to help her get one night shift away from her. The more she looks the more everyone seem to be busy doing their own things. "Riley, you'll get me a day shift."
"I have one hand." Riley repeats as Julia pulls her up from the sofa and puts her beer on the table. The racket lands in her hand now and she is out of ways to say no. She has no choice but takes off her jacket and gets into the game. Julia glances over and winks at her before the game begins. That wink is the turbo booster for Riley. "I'll get you a day shift."
The game begins with the struggle for Riley to use her left hand to play one of the simplest sports. She is not the type who enjoys playing sports anyway and having one good hand doesn't make it any easier. None of them are good and they look like a bunch of idiots playing it. The number of times that Julia hits the edge of the table instead of the ball is countless. The number of times that Julia looks so beautiful doing so is also countless. As the game goes on, shifts are not a big deal anymore. Their main concern shifts into how to play the game properly. Laughter is shared and fun time has been made. With her bad hand, Riley is able to help Julia win a day shift. Julia's embrace is really one grand prize for Riley.
After all the games and competitions, they end up hanging out at one end of the bar. Julia is on her second bottle of beer while Riley stops at one. They decide to stay at the bar and enjoy each other company talking about nothing and everything. Riley always smiles with dimples on her face and as soon as Julia notices that, she starts to bite her lips without knowing it. Riley leans a bit towards Julia. Julia's foot is constantly touching Riley's leg as she is crossing her legs facing Riley on the bar stool. In other places and situations, Riley hates when someone else does that to her but Julia is, from now on, the only exception.
"So basically, you're living your dream?" Julia asks while reaching over to Riley's casted arm that is resting on the bar and drawing her finger on it. "I mean you have your dream job, live in New York city, your best friend is your roommate. And how old are you?"
"I'm 28." Riley responds with her hand on Julia's leg; the best place for hand rest. "I'm not... living my dream. You're 20? 22?"
Julia scoffs. She moves her hair back and smiles. "27."
"Ah. Missed by bits." Riley smiles at the corner of her lips. She reaches over to move Julia's hair off her face and keeps her eyes on the girl in front of her. "What is your favorite food?"
"Hmm." Julia taps her finger on Riley's cast and tries to find the answer on her mind. "Pasta."
"Yeah? What kind?"
"Anything creamy, I think. What about you?"
Riley raises her eyebrows with a smile as she sips the last drop of her beer. The first answer that comes to her mind seems to be an inappropriate joke that she wouldn't dare using now.
"What is with that smile?" Julia asks. She starts to get a bit frustrated not knowing what each smile she makes mean.
"I'm just... "Riley pauses trying to find the right words. Her hands are instantly busy organizing the things lining up on the bar in front of her; a beer bottle, napkins and drops of water. "I have these beautiful flowers at my apartment and I keep thinking how I want you to see them."
"Ha." Julia narrows her eyes.
"No. No. I don't mean that."
"Don't mean what?"
"Like I want to take you home and have sex with you." Riley turns to face Julia who is already looking at her as if she is judging what Riley said. "That was not what I want to say."
"You get sweaty when you're nervous." Julia makes a note on Riley's pond of sweat on her forehead. She has seen it before and she can finally pinpoint it.
Riley tries to wipe her sweat away and as soon as she finishes with that, Julia pulls her in for a kiss.
"I hope they are beautiful."