After my fourth week at the hospital, I was ready to blow off some steam. Even though the job was fantastic, I knew I'd need to take my down time seriously.  Most shifts consisted of running non-stop and often doing about ten things at once. I couldn't ask for a better or more encouraging team. The only consistent exception was Dr. Styles' correction and criticism, which happened during almost every shift. The only times I didn't hear about something I could improve on were the shifts when he wasn't working. 

Once I'd had time to rest for a while, I checked out a funky little shopping area I'd never been to before. I found a lot of great thrift stores and tons of new clothes. While I was out, I was surprised by a text from Bridget, asking me to meet her at a bar later, where she said she'd be hanging out with some other folks from the hospital. I was still pretty tired, but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to get to know some of my co-workers better. Besides, I had three more days to catch up on my sleep before returning to work. 

I went through at least ten outfits before deciding what to wear to the club. I know, I know, it shouldn't have mattered that much, but I wanted the chance to show off a little of my style. In the hospital, it was forest green scrubs, post earrings and maybe a watch. In my personal life, I was all about color and texture, dangly earrings and conversation-piece necklaces. The only splash of color I got to wear at work were my floral printed Danskos, the most comfortable shoes on the planet. I paid a small fortune for them, but being on my feet twelve hours a day makes me very thankful that I made the investment.

I couldn't decide on just the right thing. Either something with subdued colors and some smallish, not-too-neon accessories, or I could go all out and be myself with wild colors and patterns that don't always match. My friends Aliyah and Megan sometimes commented about how embarrassing it was to be seen with me in public, but they were only joking. Most of the time.

Finally, I settled on a slim-fit blue dress with some black and white designs along the sides. I could dress it down, which seemed perfect because I didn't really know how people dressed to go out here. Besides, it was mellow enough that I wouldn't totally shock people with my colorful tastes. I wore flats, since I assumed we would be dancing, and I didn't like heels much anyway. I grabbed a pair of silver hoop earrings on the way out the door.

"G'night, Catniss! Be good," I called as I locked up. The club was just north of the river, not too far from Millennium Park. That meant it was close to my apartment. I decided to walk there but I knew I'd probably have to take a cab home later when it was dark.

I arrived at the address that Bridget had given me; it was hard to miss with the giant neon sign proclaiming the name of the club. I paid the cover and slipped into the dark, thumping atmosphere. I stood in place and gazed around at the groups of people gathered at tables and small clusters of friends on the dance floor.

Soon I heard Bridget's voice. "Ellie!" I looked to my left and saw her waving me over to a table with a good number of people. I recognized Jalen and Charlotte, two other nurses, Lynda, a patient care tech, and few more familiar faces, but there were many I'd never seen or met. "You look hot," Bridget marveled, leaning in close to my ear.

I gave her a shy thanks, considering she was tall, slim and flaunted her near-perfect figure in a low-cut, sleeveless red dress.

Kane was there too, and he waved me to the seat between him and Bridget. He leaned in to kiss my cheek and I returned a smile. I ordered a ginger ale and soon got into a conversation with him. I was surprised to find that he'd grown up in French Polynesia where his parents were still serving as missionary doctors. I would never have guessed since his skin as pale as mine. In turn, I told him a lot about my upbringing in rural Wisconsin. Surprisingly, we had a lot in common for growing up in different parts of the world, yet it seemed strangely fascinating to him as I told him about being raised in small-town America.

As the evening wore on, more people arrived, many of them with familiar faces from the hospital, but none I really knew by name. I just smiled and waved, kind of hoping to make my way around the table at some point and introduce myself. 

I hadn't drunk any alcohol, but I was feeling giddy anyway, most likely because I was in my extrovert element, making new friends and having a great time. Kane and I ordered a plate of onion rings. I munched on a few and remarked with a grin, "I hope you're not planning on kissing anyone tonight."  

He shrugged. "My boyfriend won't get back from Toronto until tomorrow, so probably not."

I just nodded and kept on eating. 

"Well, you handled that pretty well," he commented. 

I looked at him curiously and asked, "Handled what?"

"That I'm gay," he said.

"Did you think I'd freak out or something?"

"Well, you are from a small town," he teased. "But I thought maybe you had a thing for me."

"Well..." I said. "I really enjoy your company. But I was hoping the same thing, that you weren't getting the wrong idea. So now we know."

He looked at me sideways. "Did you just friend-zone me?" I'm sure the look on my face showed my complete confusion. "I'm joking," he said. "Relax."

I laughed a little. "I'm not sure I'm interested in any romantic relationships just now. Got a weird message from my high school boyfriend, saying he wanted to see me again, after practically stalking me when we broke up and then not hearing from him for three years. I can't handle that level of crazy." Kane laughed a lot at that.

I took a sip of my ginger ale, and as I set my glass down, I saw Dr. Styles and froze. Holy shit, he was here? I didn't expect him to hang out with...us. And, oh my gosh, did he look fantastic. With a purple patterned button-down shirt that was open enough to show a generous amount of skin, he put me into a trance as I watched him greet people at the other end of the table. It was hard not to be mesmerized by his fluid movements and his easy smile, which was glorious. I wished he would direct it towards me more often.

Kane leaned over and spoke into my ear. "If you stare at him any longer, you're going to burn a hole right through his forehead."

I started laughing and tried to hide my blush. "Was it that noticeable?" I asked, taking a sip of my ginger ale.

"More than noticeable, honey," Kane laughed. "I think half the bar felt the heat when that sexy bitch walked in and you latched your eyes onto him."

"Oh, please, I was not that conspicuous," I said, rolling my eyes.

He looked at me, not buying any of it. "That man could have impregnated you if he was giving you the same look as you were giving him."

I laughed so hard that I snorted, just a little, one of my bad habits that I was always trying to control. When I calmed down, I saw Dr. Styles staring straight at me. Great, he heard my snorting laughter. I smiled nonchalantly, while I was dying a little bit inside. He nodded a greeting in my direction.

"Oh, my god, I'm such a dork," I complained to Kane. "He's this super hot, successful doctor, and I'm this awkward girl from Wisconsin who sounds like swine when she laughs."

"You're a cute dork," Kane replied. "Besides, didn't you say you weren't interested in a relationship right now?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Yes, but for him, I'd make an exception." 

Kane laughed and yanked my hand, dragging me out to the dance floor. We were absorbed by a group of friends as we started to dance.

It didn't take me long to forget about my embarrassment. Bridget and Lynda were getting a little crazy so I joined in, dancing like I was back in high school. The DJ was playing a retro set, and one of my favorite Madonna songs came on. I started singing along, "Get into the groove, boy you've got to prove your love to me." I spun around and just about face-planted into Dr. Styles' half-bare chest. It was then that I noticed black wings painted on either side of his chest, near his collarbones, peaking out from the open shirt. I looked up at him in alarm, hoping he wasn't going to write me off as completely immature. I wanted to say "I'm sorry" or "Excuse me," but no words came. I just stared into his eyes, which seemed to sparkle, even in the darkness.

Inside my head, I was screaming, Move! Say something or keep dancing. Don't just stand there like an idiot, very similar to what I'd been thinking and feeling that first day when he walked past me in the hospital.

The strange thing was that he was staring, too, not saying anything and certainly not acting like he was upset in any fashion. He was studying me, and I, him. For just a few moments, we were lost in each other. It felt like one of those classic moments where the music seemed to fade around us, leaving us in our own little world.

Slowly a smirk crept onto his face, and he finally shouted over the music, "Sorry! Guess I need to watch where I'm going." 

"No worries," I shouted back, happy to have broken out of my hypnotized stare. I grabbed his hand and tugged him next to me as I continued dancing with Kane, Bridget and Lynda. The smile on his face grew as he occasionally shouted things to the others, trying to be heard over the music. 

After the retro set, I needed another drink; a real drink this time. I walked up to the bar, ready to order when I heard Dr. Styles' voice next to me, "This round's on me." I gave him a sideways smile and a shy thank you. I turned to the bartender and ordered Captain Morgan and Coke. 

"Rum, is it?" Dr. Styles asked. Then he ordered Captain on the rocks. Instead of going back to the table with our friends, he sat on a barstool and motioned for me to do the same. Inside, I was feeling all shaky and nervous, like a girl on her first date, so I had to tell myself to chill. the fuck. out.

His first question was work-related, but a lot more personal than we'd ever spoken before. "How do like CMI so far?"

It took me a brief moment to realize he was talking about the hospital, Chicago Medical Institute. "It's perfect," I smiled. "Just what I was looking for, actually."

"This your first job out of nursing school?" 

I twisted my mouth a little, biting my lip. "Is it obvious?" I asked.

He shrugged. "A little."

"Well, I'll get better, I promise," I said. 

"Actually, you're quite good," he replied, taking a sip of his drink.

A compliment? A flipping compliment from Dr. Styles?!

"Thank you." I left it at that. No reason to continue the conversation with, Why are you always so hard on me, then?

I caught sight of his left arm, with his purple sleeves rolled up, and noticed he had an anchor tattoo on his wrist. His sleeve wasn't high enough for me to make out anything else, but I caught the literal tail-end of another one as he moved. A fish, perhaps? And then, I was completely surprised that I'd never noticed a tiny cross between his thumb and forefinger.

He noticed me staring but I turned my attention back to the conversation. "How long have you been at CMI?" I asked. 

"I was a newbie here once, just like you. But it's been seven years now. Lived in Chicago all my life, but I did my residency up in Milwaukee."

"No way!" I shouted, the alcohol making me more expressive than my normal giddy self.

His mouth curled up in a smirk as he replied, "Yes  way."

"I grew up in a small town north of Milwaukee. I went to Marquette University." I told him all of this with my eyes wide and ended with my jaw hanging open. 

"Then you are well-trained," he smiled. "And I thought I heard a hint of that Wisconsin accent."

"I have an accent?" I laughed. 

"At least I think you do. I always thought the folks in Milwaukee sounded a bit like Canadians, but the accent definitely got stronger as I went north." 

"Really? Where did you go?" I asked.

"I went to Door County with...a friend, a few times," he replied.

"Door County is hardly Northern Wisconsin," I teased. "But since you were near Green Bay, I can understand. The accent is definitely stronger up there." 

Instead of sitting there all night, conversing in depth about our personal lives, which is exactly what I wanted to do now that I had his attention, he stood up as he finished his drink and said, "Well, it's nice to have you aboard." Then he walked back to the table. 

So that's all that was? Find out enough about the new girl so she thinks he's personable? Still, that was more than I'd ever talked to him before.

I joined Kane back at the table, with my half of a drink.  He interrogated me on everything Dr. Styles and I talked about. 

"Where we grew up, mainly. Woohoo," I said, twirling my finger in the air. 

"Well, he talked to you, so that's a good first step," Kane said excitedly. "I'll keep an eye on him, see if he's checking you out."

"Why don't you ask him at recess if he likes me," I joked.

"Whatever, girl. I'm pretty good at this matchmaking stuff." 

I didn't comment, but I wondered how on earth he would think he could get Dr. Styles and me together. As gigantic as my crush on him was, we were just...different. He was successful, handsome, and rich; I was a poor, just-getting-started girl with frizzy curls and a laugh that sounds like a pig. Either way, I didn't mind letting Kane pretend to be cupid.

At the end of the night, Kane walked next to me on the way out. "You might think I'm crazy," he said. "But I think Dr. Styles was looking in your direction a lot tonight. Of course, he could have been staring at me. I am quite a catch."

I pushed against his chest, laughing a little, hoping that Dr. Styles was not gay and that he was indeed checking me out. Kane and I parted ways at the curb, where I stood to hail a taxi. 

I was surprised when Dr. Styles drove up in front of me and rolled down the window. "Hop in, I'll give you a ride," he said. I didn't need any convincing at all; I opened the passenger door and once again, found myself in the seat of his silver Beamer.

"Thanks," I said, feeling my heart speed up again. I'd had crushes before, but I was beginning to feel like I couldn't control myself around Dr. Styles. Of course, a little alcohol definitely lowered the crush threshold. Still, I was twenty-five, quite old enough to not have such giddy reactions when a man paid attention to me. "Do you remember where I live?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "You really should be more careful about being alone after dark."

I felt a little miffed, my voice coming out clipped. "I'm fine, thank you. I know how to take care of myself."

"Getting into a cab alone at night?" He questioned.

"It's a cab," I answered back. "What could possibly happen?" 

"The drivers just might not be trustworthy," he said. 

I felt a little irritated by the exchange, but instead I asked him, "What part of Chicago did you grow up in?"

"Old Town," He said quietly. I mouthed out Wow  to myself. Old Town meant money, but I didn't want to appear too affected by the fact that his family was filthy rich. But it explained why he didn't think so highly of taxi drivers. He had probably never even taken a cab in his life.

"Oh, so your parents are nearby," I remarked. 

"A little too close sometimes," he said with only a hint of laughter. 

Once again, we arrived at my apartment too quickly. I don't know why I felt the need to tell him, but I said, "I'm moving next weekend." Maybe I was hoping that this would become a thing, him giving me rides in his expensive car, his hair blowing in the wind.

"Oh, really? To a safer part of town?" 

"Why are you so concerned about safety?" I laughed. It was a good thing I still had a little buzz or I would probably have gotten more irritated.

He shrugged. "I just think it's important. Where are you moving?"

"I found a great deal on an apartment in Great Lakes Towers. It's that fantastic building overlooking Lake Michigan on Lake Shore Drive. Very close to Navy Pier."

He nodded emphatically. "Yes, I know it. That's a great place, good for you."

"Thanks for the ride, Dr. Styles," I said, smiling my best and getting out of his car.

"You're welcome, as always," he said, giving me a bigger smile than he'd ever given to me.

That giddy feeling continued well into the night, meaning I spent hours staring at the ceiling before I finally slept.

* * * * *

If you're enjoying the story, please share it with a friend (or all your followers :D ) Getting a slow start, but I have lots of things planned for this story.