Morning light filtered through the hospital windows, casting pale streaks across the polished floors of the internal medicine wing.
Phones rang constantly at the nurses' station while keyboards clacked in uneven rhythm, the usual chaos of the morning shift already underway.
I had just finished reviewing a patient chart when a group of nurses passed behind me, their voices low but not quiet enough.
"Did you see the pictures from the gala last night?"
"I heard Mr. Huang personally invited her."
I pretended not to hear them and continued writing.
"Dr. Huo."
The voice behind me was smooth and deliberate.
I looked up to see Nurse Beatrice standing beside the desk, her arms loosely crossed. Her expression was pleasant enough, but her eyes held a sharp curiosity.
"Good morning," I said.
"I didn't realize you and Mr. Huang were so… close," she continued, tilting her head slightly.
"We've known each other for a long time."
Beatrice smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That must be convenient."
For a moment I wasn't sure I had heard her correctly. I set the patient chart down slowly and looked up at her.
"Excuse me?" I held her gaze, the corner of my mouth tightening.
Beatrice rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You're lucky you already know Mr. Huang. Some of us actually have to impress him."
Then she turned on her heel and walked away.
I watched her retreating figure, a familiar feeling settling quietly in my chest.
Back in high school, whenever a girl developed a crush on Harley and got turned down, they always seemed to find their way to me afterward.
Must be convenient knowing him personally.
What do you have that I don't?
The words were different each time, but the meaning was always the same.
I exhaled slowly and picked up the patient chart again. There were more important things to focus on.
As I turned to leave, I saw a petite nurse with blond hair tied up in a messy bun hurrying toward me. She leaned forward with her hands on her knees.
"Dr. Huo," she said between breaths.
When her breath steadied, she stood up straight, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from her scrubs.
"There's a really handsome man in the lobby looking for you."
I blinked.
Who could it be? Certainly not Harley—he wouldn't show up unannounced. Oh my god, it can't be…
After thanking the nurse, I made my way toward the lobby, and sure enough, he was there—leaning against the front desk, flirting with the receptionist. His face lit up when he saw me.
"What are you doing here, Dylan?"
He walked toward me with his arms wide open. Before I had a chance to back away, he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly.
"Wow… you know Dylan too."
I didn't need to turn around to know it was Beatrice who made that snarky comment.
I pushed Dylan away and turned to look at her.
She walked past me toward the exit, muttering, "Mr. Huang isn't good enough for you."
Dylan watched her disappear through the glass doors before looking back at me. "Why do you let her talk to you like that?"
"She's pissed that Harley didn't give her the time of day."
He leaned forward, hugging his stomach, laughing hard. "It must have been hard watching her flirt with him."
"I don't care," I said. After a brief pause, I added, "She's not his type anyway."
Dylan stepped closer and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Not mine either. I prefer women like you. So what do you say? Will you go out with me?"
I smacked his hand away.
"First of all, you're only doing this to antagonize Harley. Secondly, you're not my type. So I'll have to decline your request."
"Then why aren't you dating Harley?"
Silence lingered between us. Was he always this annoying back in the day?
Before heading toward the main doors, he added, "Don't wait too long or someone else will snatch him up."
I exhaled slowly before turning around and heading back toward the internal medicine floor, my sneakers squeaking against the polished marble floor.
By the time I finished the last patient chart, the sun had already begun to set outside the hospital windows.
After removing my lab coat and pager, I grabbed my purse from my locker and headed toward the main doors.
When I stepped out of the hospital, I closed my eyes as the cool night breeze brushed against my skin. The distant hum of traffic drifted through the quiet street as I let out a soft sigh.
"Busy day?"
My eyes popped open.
I looked toward the voice and saw Harley leaning against his car, his arms crossed.
"Harley," I said as I walked across the parking lot. "What are you doing here?"
"We're going somewhere," he said, stepping away from the car and opening the passenger door. "Get in."
When I climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up, I noticed the lit cigarette between his lips as he walked around to the driver's side.
He slid into the seat and started the engine.
The car roared to life as he turned the key in the ignition. We pulled out of the parking lot and merged into traffic, heading away from home.
"Where are we going at this hour?" I asked.
Harley glanced at me briefly before returning his focus to the road.
"Relax and enjoy the ride."
I rolled my eyes.
The car fell into silence as I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes, the hum of the engine fading into the background.
When I opened my eyes again, the car was parked, and Harley was nowhere to be seen.
I looked behind the vehicle and spotted him leaning against the truck, on the phone.
With one hand pressed to my chest, I let out a breath of relief. I stepped out of the car.
Then I froze.
My breath caught when I realized where we were. Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes. It was the hill overlooking the city. I hadn't been here in years.
Memories rushed back all at once—summer evenings after school, the two of us sitting on the railing while the city lights slowly came to life below us.
Harley was still leaning against the trunk, watching me quietly as if he had been waiting for this exact reaction.
I wiped at the corners of my eyes, embarrassed that he had seen them.
"You remembered," I said softly.
Harley didn't answer right away. Instead, he pushed himself off the car and walked past me toward the overlook.
"You said if either of us ever got lost," I said quietly, looking out over the city, "we should come back here."
"So we could find each other again." He added.
The city stretched endlessly beneath us, glowing beneath the night sky. For a moment, neither of us spoke. But somehow the silence didn't feel heavy.
It felt familiar.