"Yeah, sure." She nodded as I took her arm and led her back to the department. I wanted to ask her what was going on, but I knew her well enough to know that she wasn't going to give me any answers until she was good and ready.
"Hey, Cam came in a little while ago and asked me out," I said, trying to find a topic that we could discuss, hoping it would draw her out of whatever funk she was in.
"Did he, now?" she replied as we walked into the ER, then suddenly she was back to normal. "I hope you told him he needs to take you someplace good, not to another of those dive bars he and his coworkers seem to like."
"Liz! That's rude!" I laughed as she gently punched my upper arm and winked at me.
"You've got enough condoms, right?" she asked with a knowing grin.
"Elizabeth Banks!" I half-gasped, half-laughed.
"Oh, don't be an old spoil sport," she said. "We've had the talk, now it's time for you to get some action!"
Something about Liz's nonchalant tone set me off, and I laughed until the tears rolled down my cheeks. She stood looking at me, shaking her head as she watched my complete meltdown, and that made me laugh even harder. When it was over, Liz offered me some water and then said, "But seriously, condoms."
That set off another wave of laugher and it wasn't until Leslie came over to find out what was going on that I was able to stop and catch my breath.
"I have no idea what's got her so hysterical." Liz shrugged as we cleaned up Exam 2. "Something random just set her off."
"Alex, do you think that overnight shifts are a little too much for you to handle?" Leslie asked. "Maybe you aren't cut out for late shifts."
"There's a lot that's a little too much for her to handle," Liz muttered under her breath. "But it ain't overnight shifts, I'll tell you that."
This sent me into a new fit of laughter and made Leslie giggle too. Liz continued sweeping the floor as she looked at both of us and shook her head sadly. For the rest of the night, anytime Liz look at me and said, "But seriously," I broke down in laughter.
On the walk home, Liz chattered about exams and the hope that Violet would fail all of hers, but nothing was said about what had happened outside of the pharmacy. I worried about her, but decided that if she needed something, she'd ask. It was Liz, after all, and she knew she could ask me for anything.
Chapter Thirteen
Cam
"All right, girl, here goes nothing," I said to Tesla as I pocketed my wallet and grabbed my keys. "I don't know how this is gonna go, but one thing is for sure: I won't forget about you."
Tesla let out a short bark and then went and climbed up on the sofa. She sighed as she dropped her chin between her paws and stared at me. I laughed at her attempt at emotional blackmail as I tossed a few cookies her way. It always amazed me how quickly accusations could turn to love when food was involved.
I drove over to Alex's apartment and parked. She buzzed me up, and when she opened the door, I was struck by how beautiful she looked no matter what she was wearing. She had chosen a soft blue dress that hugged her curves and high-heeled, leather boots that made her hips sway gently as she walked around the apartment gathering her things. Watching her move, I wasn't entirely sure that we would make it out the front door.
"So, where are we going?" Alex asked as she pulled her coat out of the closet. It took me a moment to snap out of a fantasy involving me removing the blue dress and seeing Alex in her lingerie.
"Huh? Oh, dinner, yeah," I said as I grabbed the coat out of her hands and held it for her. She laughed as she slid her arms into it and then buttoned it up. "Dinner, I thought we should try someplace a little nicer than O'Neil's, so I got us a reservation at Villains over on Printer's Row."
"I've heard of it, but never been there." Alex smiled as she locked the door and we headed to dinner.
Over beers, we talked about work and school, but the conversation soon turned toward getting to know one another better, and I felt myself pulling back even though I wanted nothing more than to have Alex know me.
"So, have you always been single?" she asked before sipping her beer.
"Not always," I said, shaking my head. "Just for a really long time. Too long."
"Why is that?" she asked, tipping her head sideways so that her long hair fell across one side of her chest. She looked like a Nordic painting. I swallowed hard and tried to answer her question.
"I've just been really involved in my career," I replied, side-stepping the reality.
"So, have you ever had a girlfriend?" she continued. I could feel the heat rising under my shirt collar as my desire collided with the guilt I felt being so attracted to her.
"Sure, I've had girlfriends," I said. "Nothing worked out."
"Is that because you leave your wet towels on the bathroom floor or because you leave the toilet seat up?" she asked as a hint of smile played at the edges of her lips. It made me want to kiss her even more.