"Lie down, let me have a listen," Nate said, slipping the stethoscope from around his neck.We all stood there, watching nervously. Even Hayden—who usually had this calm, unshakable vibe—was visibly tense. But it was just a routine check-up, not the surgery itself.I could feel how much Hayden cherished Yuna in that moment, so I reached for his hand. He glanced at me, and I gave him a reassuring nod.Yuna, though, was frozen, staring at Nate like she'd been turned to stone.Noticing, Lena walked over and leaned in slightly. "Lie down and let Prof. Neumann check your heartbeat. It won't hurt," she said gently.Yuna had already bonded with Lena earlier, so it didn't take much. After a second, she blinked, then finally lay down like an obedient kid.I couldn't help but notice Yuna's cheeks were flushed. There was this tightness in my chest as I saw the way her eyes sparkled—brighter than I'd ever seen.I glanced over at Nate, fully absorbed in his task, pressing the stethoscope to
"Keira!" Yuna shot up, eyes wide. "What did you just say? You like Prof. Neumann too? No way—you can only like my brother."She wasn't clutching her chest anymore, just staring at me with this sudden urgency.I stifled a laugh, putting on a helpless face. "But he's so good-looking! The first time I saw him, I was like, 'Wait, is this a doctor or did someone rip him straight out of a magazine?'""No way," Yuna clung to my arm, desperate. "Sure, he's good-looking, but if you look closely, he's not as handsome as Hayden."He doesn't have Hayden's... masculinity."And most importantly? Hayden's honest and genuine—unlike this doctor."I raised an eyebrow, totally amused. "Oh? Prof. Neumann's not genuine? How can you tell?"Yuna pouted and shook my arm back and forth. "You can't like anyone other than my brother. You're his."This girl had a serious sense of loyalty."You're a believer in that one true love, ride-or-die kind of romance, huh?" I teased. I knew exactly where she got i
Yuna absolutely refused to let Hayden stay, and I couldn't shake the feeling of unease about leaving her alone. So, I had no choice but to ask Lena for help since she was on the night shift."You're seriously making me use my work hours to babysit Yuna? Aren't you taking advantage of me a little too much?" Lena teased."It's not really 'babysitting,'" I explained, adding a bit of charm to my tone. "Everyone will be asleep anyway. I just need you to check on her every now and then, make sure she's sleeping okay and nothing unexpected happens."Lena huffed dramatically. "After all these years of friendship, it feels like Yuna has officially replaced me in your heart.""Come on, don't be jealous! You know you're irreplaceable. Not even Hayden compares to you," I said, grinning and giving her a thumbs-up."I'm not Hayden—you don't have to sweet-talk me," Lena quipped, grabbing my hand and examining the ring on my finger."It's old, not worth much, but the fact that Hayden gave it to
Hearing Lena's words, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad inside.She'd had this secret crush on Nate forever, and if I hadn't nudged her, she probably would've kept it bottled up.But Nate... the way he responded was so blunt, like he wasn't even trying to spare her feelings. If he wasn't into her, fine, but did he really have to be that harsh?I was just about to step in and defuse the tension when Nate interrupted Lena again, his voice steady but firm. "I'm not bothered by the trouble, and besides, you're only allowed to trouble me."Wait, what?I blinked, totally confused. And by the look on Lena's face, she was just as lost."Nate—"But Nate cut Lena off again. "Didn't you say you liked me?"She froze."If you like me," Nate continued, "then why are you letting other guys give you attention? Why are you accepting someone else's affection?"Oh. My. God.It finally clicked—he was jealous. Like, straight-up, out-in-the-open jealous.Was this his way of confessing? Because
"Ouch!" I winced.A hand gripped my arm, pulling me back a bit. I glanced up and locked eyes with someone I didn't recognize.He looked startled, like really startled. Before I could even say a word, he let go of me and basically bolted down the hall.Rubbing my now throbbing forehead, I watched him scurry off and then glanced back at Lena's office. It hit me—this guy had been eavesdropping. He was so into their convo, he didn't even notice me walk out, which was why we crashed into each other.Wait... could that guy be Sancho? You know, "A Heart for L," Lena's secret admirer?Still trying to wrap my head around it, Hayden appeared. I was about to head over when I heard Lena's voice from inside the room, "Nate, I'm starving."I couldn't help but laugh. Lena had this whole hot-and-cold thing down to a science."What's so funny?" Hayden asked."Lena and Nate. They're finally a thing," I said, jerking my thumb toward the office.He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, just
Hayden leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine, his voice low and husky. "But I missed you... missed you so much. I want you."He grabbed my hand, guiding it down to his hardening body.I yanked my hand back, tucking it behind me like I'd just touched something burning. His soft chuckle made me blush harder. "You don't want me?" he asked."No," I lied, trying to sound convincing. "I'm tired. I want to sleep." I pushed him away lightly, fumbling through my bag for the keys.Of course, I couldn't find them. My fingers were shaking, and I could feel Hayden's eyes on me the whole time. He reached over casually, pulling the keys out."Such a nervous little kitten," he murmured, his breath hot against my ear.My face went full-on tomato. Why did he always get to me like this?He unlocked the door, but before I could dart inside, he tugged me back. "You're really not gonna let me in?""N-No, no," I stammered, avoiding his eyes, but of course, he slipped in anyway."Hayden!" I s
After Hayden left, I took a quick shower, then flopped onto my bed and grabbed my phone.Lena had sent me a message with a picture of Yuna, fast asleep, along with a little note:[Yuna is safe.]Of course she knew I'd be freaking out until I knew for sure.I shot back a quick reply: [Thanks for looking out for her.]Almost immediately, Lena's video call lit up my screen. Girl had definitely been waiting for me to respond.I grinned, figuring she was dying to spill all the details about her finally making it official with her long-time crush. I swiped to answer, and there she was—lounging in her chair, practically glowing. Like, I could feel her happiness through the screen.I clicked my tongue playfully. "Whoa, someone's got that post-love confession glow. You're shining, girl."Lena chuckled. "You're being so extra right now."I didn't bother with small talk. I was still thinking about how she kept Nate on edge for so long. "You know exactly how to play a guy, don't you?""D
"Private details are off-limits for sharing," Lena joked, thinking I was teasing her.But I got serious. "Have you made it clear to that admirer of yours that you're not interested?""Of course. I turned him down right away.""Well, it doesn't seem like he got the memo. He's still sending you food and flowers. And..." I hesitated, "he's been spying on you."Lena's face shifted. I told her about running into the guy outside her office, catching him eavesdropping.Recalling when a blind date had almost turned into a stalker situation for me, I felt the need to warn her. "Lena, you gotta be careful. Guys like that can escalate. Watch your back—at work, when you're leaving, even when you're driving."She didn't respond right away. Instead, she stood up from her chair and walked out of her office."Where are you going? Did you even hear what I said?" I asked, feeling a little uneasy.She went straight to the nurses' station, where one of the nurses was resting her head on the counte