STAFF ONLY

When Isolde walks into my room the next morning, I wonder if everyone just takes it upon themselves to walk in while I'm asleep.

"Hey Aria," she whispers and carefully takes a seat beside me, running her fingers through my hair gently.

I hum in response, not capable of bringing anything out at the moment. I don't even want to know what time it is.

But I sure as hell know that it's fucking early since Isolde gets up in the middle of the night to go to work.

Emergencies or clients that need help immediately. She doesn't mind taking the nightshifts she once said.

But that doesn't mean she can bother me with it.

"Adrian has some free time tonight, and he's coming to pick me up at work. I was wondering if you'd like to join us? she suggests.

I make an approving sound, agreeing with anything she'd say right now since all I want to do is just sleep.

"Perfect. I need to head out of town since they need me at another hospital, so it's going to take a while to drive over there. You both will pick me up and after we'll go out to dinner, okay?"

Letting out another sound, she chuckles and gets up from bed, walking out and closing the door behind her.

When I wake up in the morning, I'm not sure whether the encounter with Isolde was a dream or not.

If it wasn't, that means that I have to be in a car with Adrian for quite a while. And I have no fucking clue how that's going to work out.

Getting out of bed, I take some jogging shorts and a cropped shirt, not feeling like dressing up to walk around the house.

I wanted to have breakfast, but running into Adrian and Celeste  wasn’t on my list today, so I chose a quiet workaround and decided to sit this out.

An hour later, I've showered and am completely dressed. I decided to put on a cute, white sundress that ends past my thighs. The thin straps accentuate my shoulders and the top of the dress fits perfectly around my chest.

I look good. Smiling to myself, I go downstairs and take my purse, waiting in the living room for Adrian.

Though, the said man only turns up thirty minutes late. His hair a bit messy because of all the times he's been raking a hand through it.

"I'm sorry, it was a work call that I needed to take," he explains. I stand up from the couch and walk over towards him, clutching the strap of my purse between my fingers.

"That's okay. I understand," I assure him. He looks into my eyes for a few seconds. "Thank you for understanding. Now, let's get going," he says and we both exit through the front door.

He leads me to his car," I smile and get in, buckling in and letting my back rest against the leather car seats.

I'm already coming up with a few subjects to talk about during the car ride. Maybe ask him about work.

But we haven't even properly left the driveway, or he gets an incoming call. Slumping against the car seat, I listen to his voice as he replies to all the calls he's getting, discussing some things or rejecting a few ideas suggested to him.

I'm disappointed that I don't get to talk to him, I don't even bother to tune in to what he's saying, even though his voice is soothing.

I'm not mad. I can't blame him because this is his work.

"I'm sorry, work has been hectic lately," he explains. "You work a lot from home," I notice, just stating it since I don't want to assume anything.

"Yeah, I know. I'm remodeling my office at work and don't want to take in another space there, figured I might as well do it here. The library is a perfect place to do so," he explains.

"I don't care where I end up in life, I don't want to sit behind a desk," I say softly, not wanting to insult him.

"No? Why's that?"

"I want to be active. Do something. Look and discover new things. Not break my brain while trying to solve a problem or count all the money the company has spent."

 I'd want to be able to make my own choices, as well. That's why I won't end up behind a desk," I chuckle, imagining a life in which I travel the worth and get to explore new things.

He's about to say something else, but the phone rings again and he lets out a sigh, taking the call.

But that's okay. I liked the conversation we just had. Lifted the tension a bit.

Letting my head lean against the window, I close my eyes and keep on being on the edge of a slumber and being conscious.

"We're here," Adrian says after some time, making me open my eyes and glance around. We're in the parking lot of the hospital.  Adrian gets out of the car, and I quickly follow him.

"Did Isolde agree to meet us somewhere?" I ask him as we walk towards the elevator. He shakes his head.

"She doesn't have an office here, she said to call her," he answers and takes his phone. He rings her as we go up in the elevator, but she doesn't pick up.

"Damnit," he curses and tries to ring her again when we walk out. He strides through the hallways with purpose, as if he owns the fucking place.

Dressed in a dress shirt tucked into a pair of jeans, he doesn't look like a doctor, though.

My eyes are drawn to a door at the end, with a clear sign.

STAFF ONLY.

I press my lips together, my feet taking me towards the door in an instant. "Hey, where are you going?" Adrian asks, and then he's the one trailing behind me.

Pushing the door open, I enter the quiet and dimly lit hallway. "This could be a shortcut or something, a way to find Isolde easier," I explain, walking down the hallway.

"We're not supposed to be here," he says from behind me. "Oh shush, rules are made to be broken," I reply, but halt in my footsteps when I hear another door open and then some quiet voices talking to each other.

"Chickening out now, huh?" he asks, his tone amused.

Without thinking, I grab his hand and tug him into the closest room there is – which happens to be the room in which they store the uniforms and scrubs away. The room is dark and small but not too small.

In a hurry, I close the door shut and feel Adrian s large presence behind me. "They'll leave soon and then we can get out," I whisper.

"Hopefully," he mutters back sarcastically. But as soon as the voices fade, new ones join. The hallway starts getting occupied by a few more people.

"Oh, for fucks sake," he sighs behind me. I lock the door to make sure they won't find us in this weird position and suspect something.

"What are you doing?" he asks. "Securing us," I whisper back, turning around and pressing my back against the door.

It's now that I notice our proximity.

Our eyes lock, and I notice that our faces are just mere inches apart. My heart picks up its pace and I can feel my hands starting to get sweaty.

"You like breaking rules, Ari?" he asks.

My heart flutters at my nickname. Fuck. My throat suddenly becomes dry. "N-not really," I stammer out.

"You're lying again," he notices.

I lick my lips, and his eyes drop down to them. His eyes become hooded, like a hunter setting eyes on its prey.

"I like the challenge sometimes," I admit, "and feeling in control of things."

He hums and nods, looking back into my eyes. A loose curl lands in front of my eyes, tickling my face.

Blinking, I want to raise my hand to push it away, but Adrian beats me to it. His hands caress my face, stroking over my forehead as he pushes the strand away.

I still hear people out in the hallway, so we can't exit now. Which means that I have to keep on standing here.

And I hate that I like it so much. How my body reacts to his nearness or the goosebumps erupting on my skin.

I hate it. I hate that I love it. I'm not supposed to.

And yet, I don't find myself pressing my body against the door as if I'm scared for my life. I stand straight, never wavering away or turning around to break off this trance I seem to be in.

I don't find myself talking about a stupid subject or making a remark about our situation.

No, instead I find myself moaning when he presses his lips on mine.