I also might’ve had this little stalking habit of knowing everything about you even before you met her. But let’s ignore the details, shall we?
“Anyway, being a doctor has always been the dream for me. A real stethoscope was my favorite toy as a kid; I never considered anything else…”
“What kind of doctor do you want to be?”
“Neurosurgeon.”
Madison tried hard not be impressed. “Why?”
“The brain is the most fascinating organ in the entire human body; it can do the most extraordinary things…”
Or turn perfectly normal human beings into silly, lovesick girls who’d give up everything for a kiss from the boy they loved. No, bad Madison. Scott is Haley’s boyfriend… and even if he weren’t, he’d never be interested in you.
“I bet your parents are happy about you becoming a neurosurgeon,” Madison said.
Scott’s lips parted in a foxy grin. “They’re not too cross about it, but the academic is going to be challenging enough for me.”
“I’ll take your word for it, science books are the only kind I avoid. Oh…” Madison stopped abruptly; she’d almost walked right past her building. She was so comfortable talking with Scott she hadn’t been paying attention to the road. “We’re here. Thanks for walking me home.”
“No problem.” Scott smiled again. “You think Haley is still up?”
Oh. Oh. So that was why he’d walked her home. Scott wanted to catch Haley before she went to bed, probably only to give her the most romantic goodnight kiss and then go home.
“She was when I left earlier, can’t say for now. You want to come up and check?”
Yeah, Madison, invite him up to see a girl who’s not you. Smart move.
Why was she torturing herself like this? Was she really so desperate to spend five more minutes with Scott that she’d even put up with seeing him with Haley?
Yep!
For Madison, loving Scott from afar, spending time with him was like poking a wound or scratching away a dried scab. Nothing good could ever come out of it, but she couldn’t control the impulse.
“I should probably text her.” Scott unlocked his phone’s screen. “It’s pretty late.”
He typed a quick text and they both waited to see if Haley would reply.
“She must be already in bed,” Scott said after a while. “I’ll catch up with her tomorrow.”
Madison was about to insist for him to come up when she remembered the whole “Haley kissing David at the masquerade” drama. Maybe her best friend wasn’t ready to see her boyfriend and have “the awkward talk” with him.
“Yeah, right. Now that I think about it, she mentioned she was having an early night,” Madison said. “This is goodnight, then.”
“Night.”
Scott pulled her into a quick goodbye hug, turned on his heel, and jogged away into the night. Madison stood there at the bottom of the steps of her building, dumbfounded. Her skin burned in all the spots where it had just connected with Scott’s. Her nostrils filled with his scent of clean soap mixed with a sheen of light sweat, probably from the game. And her eyes trained on the tall figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.
Haley
Haley stared at Scott’s text, aghast. Fear paralyzed her even if the message only said:
Hey… you still up?
She gaped at the simple line of text while keeping her phone on the lock screen. If she didn’t open the text, he wouldn’t know she’d read it, meaning he’d think she was asleep, meaning she wouldn’t have to reply or, worse, talk to him. Via text or in person, it didn’t matter. Haley was so utterly terrified of the next time she’d have to talk to her boyfriend that her first irrational instinct was to postpone the moment. Even if she knew she was only making things worse.
The entrance door opened and then clicked shut, signaling that Madison had gotten home. Haley and Alice had said goodnight a while ago, but Haley was still wide awake. She was in bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to draft an I’ve-kissed-your-brother-but-it’s-not-a-big-deal speech in her head.
Long, gut-wrenching conversations weren’t her thing; she was more about short, direct communication. But how else could she explain to Scott all the layers of her feelings? Make him understand how much she loved him… and how little she cared about his brother.
Maybe it didn’t have to be so complicated. How about starting with a simple goodnight text? Haley unlocked the screen and typed:
Hey
I just got out of the shower
U still up?
Walking into my room right now
I need a shower, too
How was the game?
We won :)
Uh-huh
#TeamScott
Haley paused, undecided on what to type next. She was #TeamScott. Every cell in her body wanted him. David didn’t matter, he’d been a summer fantasy almost a year ago and a real-life jerk for the past six months. He was mean and cruel, and this was only his latest stunt to try to ruin his brother’s life. Haley wouldn’t let him. She needed to make Scott understand. Her phone beeped again.
I was just outside your building
Wanted to kiss you good night in person
Now you’ll have settle for an emoji
:*
Haley’s heart contracted with a little pang.
If we’re using emoji…
I ♥ you
I ♥ you too
Goodnight
:*
Night
:*
She had nothing to worry about. Scott loved her, and he would believe her.
***
Haley wasn’t feeling nearly so confident the next morning when she had to decide how and when to face her boyfriend. She used every possible excuse not to talk to him, in person or over the phone. Texts were okay for now. Haley had convinced herself that since she couldn’t break the news with a text, it was perfectly normal not to mention the kiss in them. It wasn’t like lying by omission.
She avoided him all of Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning, as she read Scott’s early morning texts, she was ashamed to feel so completely relieved he’d be too busy to see her until later tonight. He had sent her a good morning kiss followed by a string of cute complaints:
Morning
:*
I’m so over the emojis
The real thing is so much better
Seems like forever I haven’t seen you
And today I’m busy all day
I won’t be home until later tonight
Going downtown to interview at Massachusetts General Hospital
For a different pre-med program
They’re going to give me the tour of the hospital afterward
So it’ll take a while
Enough to give Haley a few more hours to prepare for her confession. But she couldn’t postpone it any longer. Tonight, she must tell him.
Haley picked up her phone and hit reply.
I miss you too
Good luck for the interview
But you don’t need it
They’d be crazy not to pick you
Call me when you get back
I need to talk to you tonight
There’s something I have to tell you
Love you
:*
Haley had roughly eight hours to prepare herself. She should draft a speech and perhaps rehearse it on Alice. In normal circumstances, she would’ve asked Madison for help, since she was the best of the three of them with words, but she couldn’t ask her friend to play Cyrano de Bergerac for her and Scott. Haley complimented herself on the literary quotation—totally learned from the Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah movie Roxanne.
Help or not, she had a job to do. Haley jumped off the bed and sat at her desk. Feeling particularly romantic, she decided to leave her laptop off for once and write the speech the old fashioned way using pen and paper.
Her decision p
roved a bad one for the environment. By the time she had a speech that satisfied her, the floor of her bedroom was littered with crumpled sheets of discarded drafts. But Haley was happy with the final result. After hearing her words, Scott wouldn’t be able to turn her down. Now all she needed to do was to shower, make herself look pretty, and wait for her boyfriend to call.
Nine
Scott
On Wednesday night, Scott walked into his apartment lost in thought. The visit at Massachusetts General Hospital had gone well, and he was optimistic they’d accept him. So why did the thought make him so gloomy? Unconvinced, he peeked at the brochure still clutched in his hands. What was he complaining about? Massachusetts General was a top-tier hospital, and Dr. Salinger—Scott’s would-be assigned doctor—was an excellent neurosurgeon.
But not the best.
Okay, not the best, but close. And this internship would be here in Boston, where he could stay with Haley all summer instead of them spending it three thousand miles apart.
Right.
He would get another chance to work with Dr. Allen. Sure, because opportunities like that just happened to rain on pre-med students, especially after they’d turned down medicine luminaries once already. Dr. Allen would simply sit there and wait for the wonderful Scott Williams to be his shadow whenever he chose.
Who am I kidding?
Students all over the U.S. would kill to get picked for that job, to be part—even if only as an observer—of Dr. Allen’s research project. And the doctor had picked him, Scott. And he was about to turn down the offer, for a girl. But he’d do anything for her.
“Hello, brother.” David’s voice made him jump. Scott hadn’t seen him half-hidden behind the kitchen bar. “Sorry, I didn’t save you any dinner.”
“Get lost, David.”
A rundown with David was the last thing Scott needed right now.
“That’s the best you can do? Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome on stage Scott Williams…” David banged a fork against a glass a couple of times and then dropped both into the dishwasher.
Scott refused to take the bait.
“No speech?” David continued. “I’ll admit I was expecting more of a powerful opening.”
“I said get lost.”
“Oh, come on,” David said, coming into the living room. “What’s it gonna be?” He crouched slightly, hopping from one foot to the other and bringing his fists in front of his face in a defensive stance. The movements of a boxer in the ring. “Hook to the face?” David swung his elbow up and punched the air. “Sucker punch to the stomach?” He threw a low punch with his other hand. Then he straightened up—the boxing demonstration apparently over. “Personally, I’d prefer a raging shouting match. I would hate for us to get physical again. No one around to save your skinny ass this time.”
Scott frowned. What the hell was David talking about?
“Wait, wait. Oooooh…” David’s sneer widened. “You don’t know…”
“Know what?”
Scott hated being at a disadvantage with David, and it looked like he was right now. David knew something that Scott didn’t. Something that made David happy and that would, presumably, make Scott feel just the opposite. So much so that his brother had expected Scott to attack him as soon as he’d laid eyes on him. What was it?
“She hasn’t told you…”
She. David meant Haley, Scott had no doubts now. His blood ran cold through his veins, and he rolled his fingers into tight fists, crushing the hospital brochure he was still holding.
“Told me what?”
“Oh.” David shrugged and waved him off. “I wouldn’t want to meddle.”
Scott moved in a blur—in two quick strides he was on his brother. He grabbed David by the collar of his T-shirt and pinned him against the wall. They were almost nose to nose. “What did you do?” he hissed.
“I kissed her, brother.” David spat the words in his face. “It was long and passionate. And she enjoyed every second of it.”
Scott let go of his brother and staggered backward. He felt like he’d been hit multiple times in short sequence. Only David had used words instead of fists. “You didn’t.”
“Ask her if you don’t believe me.” David straightened the collar of his T-shirt. “We were reminiscing about it just the other night. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” David grabbed his phone and put it in his jeans pocket. “I had plans for tonight.” He put on his black leather jacket and, with one last sly smile, he left.
Scott reeled backward until he hit the couch. David was a bastard and an asshole, but he wasn’t a liar. He’d never said he’d kissed Haley if it wasn’t true.
When had it happened? Was that why Haley had been kind of off lately? Scott had had the impression she’d been dodging him in the last couple of days… and now he’d found out why: she didn’t want to confess.
No! The Haley he knew, the Haley he loved, would never cheat on him, especially not with David. She hated his brother. At least, that was what she’d always told him.
But David is no liar.
Scott’s world tilted. He grabbed the couch backrest for support as angry tears streamed down his cheeks. In a blind rage, he punched the cushions in hard, fast strokes until his hand began to hurt. Taking deep breaths to try to calm himself, Scott took out his phone. He opened the messenger chat with Haley and scrolled through the past few days’ conversations. Nothing in her texts pointed to a betrayal; they were full of sweet words, cute emoji, and I love yous.
But David is no liar.
He shuffled the chat to the end, his eyes resting on the last string of texts from her.
Call me when you get back
I need to talk to you tonight
There’s something I have to tell you
Love you
:*
Was “there’s something I have to tell you” code for “tonight I’ll admit I’ve cheated on you and dump your ass to be with your brother”? Could Haley really like David? Kiss him? It seemed so impossible…
But David is no liar.
Why else would she have kissed him?
Scott was still looking at the chat, searching for clues, when an email flashed into his inbox and invaded the top half of the screen. It was from Dr. Allen’s office in California, reminding him they were still waiting for an answer from him about the shadowing program.
He loved Haley so much, and the last thing he wanted was to spend the summer away from her. But was he being stupid and naïve to give up an opportunity like this for a girl? Until an hour ago, Scott would’ve been sure the answer was no. He could already picture himself marrying Haley, one day after they were done with college and both had a job. He was devoted to her, and her to him. She wouldn’t cheat on him, she just wouldn’t…
But David is no liar.
The notion was like a drill into Scott’s brain, and after hearing it so many times in his head, he started to believe it.
Jaw clenched, Scott wiped the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand. He opened the email and, after reading the complete message, he tapped an impulsive reply…
Haley
Seven, and still no call. Haley was losing her mind. For the past hour, she’d been sitting at the dining table in her apartment staring at the black screen of her phone. She’d done all she could to postpone seeing Scott, but she’d spent the afternoon wishing time would fly faster… now that she had her speech ready, all this waiting was getting to her. And Scott should’ve been home by now.
“That phone will disintegrate in your hands if you grip it any harder,” Alice said, staring at her dubiously. “I’m trying to make dinner here, but your anxiety is ruining my cooking chakra.”
“Sorry,” Haley said, releasing the hold a little. “I’m waiting for Scott to call. We’re having the big talk tonight.”
The book Madison was reading tumbled to the floor as she straightened abruptly. “You still haven’t told him? Why?”
Haley shrugged and grimaced guiltily. “I’ve been busy, and so has Scott. I’m telling him tonight.”
“Haley!” Madison pressed her palms to her cheeks, shocked. “But he lives with David. What if the jerk tells him first?”
A sense of unease sneaked around Haley, tightening around her chest like an invisible rope. “David’s never home, and he wouldn’t.”
“Um, hello?” Madison was getting all worked up. “Are we talking about the same person? Because the David I know wouldn’t miss an opportunity like that to make people miserable. Especially his brother.”
The unease worsened. Haley looked up at Alice chopping vegetables behind the kitchen bar for reassurance, but judging from her friend’s worried expression, Alice seemed more aligned with Madison’s line of thinking.
“Why don’t you call him?” Alice said. “Instead of torturing yourself waiting.”
“Okay.”
With a pounding heart, Haley unlocked the screen and dialed Scott’s number…
“It went to voicemail,” Haley said, staring aghast at her friends.
Madison frowned and Alice stopped chopping her veggies.
“What do you think it means?” Haley asked.
“He could have forgotten to charge his phone?” Alice said tentatively.
Madison kept quiet; she just chewed her bottom lip like she did whenever she was nervous.
“Oh, no. No, no, nooo. If David got to him before I could explain… no!” Haley panicked. “I have to call him. Madison, do you have his number?”
“Scott’s? No, why?”
“Not Scott’s, David’s…”
“Ah.” Madison blushed. “Yeah, sure. I’m sending you the contact.”
Maddie sent you a contact
David
Haley saved the number and pressed call.
He picked up on the third ring. “David’s phone.” There was music in the background and David sounded surprised, probably because he didn’t recognize her number.
“Did you tell Scott?” Haley asked without preamble.
“I think I recognize that lovely tone of voice.” The background music dimmed. Wherever he was, David must’ve moved to a quieter spot. “Nighty-night, Sunshine. What can I do for you?”