All Chapters of BENEATH THE SURFACE : When fire meets ice : Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

Jason's coworkers had just wrapped up a delightfully tuneless version of the birthday song, their voices harmonizing in a way that could only be described as endearing. They turned their heads in unison, eyes glued to the cake, where the words "Happy Birthday Jason" had been squashed and awkwardly rewritten in light purple icing. "That's my bad," Tracy chimed in, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "My three-year-old slapped his palm on the cake." She paused for dramatic effect. "But don't worry, there was a double layer of wrapper over it, so no actual palm contact. "You know what? It's totally fine, Jason reassured her, a grin spreading across his face. Given how his life had been lately, a palm-slapped cake felt oddly fitting. "Blow out the candles already, Jason! They're melting away to nothing!" Bella exclaimed, her excitement infectious. He took a moment to gather his thoughts; he needed a wish. Once he had his wish firmly in mind, he blew out the thirty candles in one

The day had started on a sour note for Jason Miller, but he didn’t realize just how sour it would get until he accidentally spilled cake all over Dr. Vincent Maloney. The incident replayed in his mind like a bad dream, leaving a trail of embarrassment that lingered long after the frosting had been cleaned off. Vincent’s piercing, cold glare had cut through Jason like a blade, and his clipped reprimand still echoed in his ears. Jason had gone back to the ER afterward, throwing himself into the rush of patients and endless paperworks in a futile attempt to forget about it. But no amount of adrenaline or distraction could erase the image of Vincent’s rigid frame, his jaw set in irritation, or the unmistakable hatred in his voice. To Vincent Maloney, Jason felt like nothing more than a nuisance, someone barely worth acknowledging except, of course, when he was scolding him. Jason hated how much that stung, though he would never admit it to anyone but himself. By the end of the shift,

The morning after Jason’s shift with Vincent, the almost-smile he’d seen lingered in his mind like an unresolved melody. It had been faint, nearly imperceptible, but it was there—a crack in the icy facade Vincent wore like armor. Jason tried to brush it off as nothing, convincing himself that the Vincent he’d seen in that moment wasn’t any different from the aloof doctor he worked with every day. Yet, no matter how much he reasoned, the image refused to fade. It was as if he’d glimpsed something beneath the surface, and as much as he hated to admit it, he wanted to see it again.When he walked into the ER for his next shift, the usual buzz of activity filled the air. Nurses shuffled in and out of patient rooms, their conversations drowned out by the beeping of monitors and the occasional overhead page. Jason scanned the room instinctively, searching for a tall, brooding figure. But Vincent was nowhere in sight. A strange pang of disappointment followed, unwelcome and unbidden. He quic