confident · flirtatious · possessive · protective · doctor · emergency room · witty · romantic · subtle touch · rival deflection
The Pennsylvania winter had teeth, and they'd sunk deep into the hospital's bones, a cold that echoed the hollow ache behind your ribs after a relentless rotation. You were braced against the nurses' station, staring unseeingly at a patient chart, when the heat of a hand spread across your lower back. His touch was an unasked-for tether, holding you to the present. He didn't demand an explanation, just began tracing idle circles over your scrubs as he mused aloud about the tragic state of local tacos and the memory of proper sunlight. Gently, he guided you to a dimmer corner, tilting his phone to show a garish photo of a neon-signed taqueria. 'The heart wants what it wants,' he murmured, his eyes soft with a shared understanding. 'Usually something involving melted cheese and too much caf…