11. A Longing for The Past

Stassi

S till on for drinks? Have a lot to talk about. The message came through fifteen minutes before Stassi was off the clock. She released a yawn and stared at her phone. She would have dismissed Ariel’s message, but part of her wanted to check in on her friend. Ever since she had gotten the job, she had had to ignore calls and texts. She was too busy. Working too much overtime, and by the time she was done, she was exhausted. But now, putting her off would only continue to delay the inevitable.

Stassi

Yep. See ya in 30 minutes. Can’t wait.

It was a little white lie. It wasn’t like anyone would have to find out. She checked her watch, another yawn escaping. She sat down in her chair and shook her head. If she continued to yawn, she was likely to text back and tell Ariel another night would be better.

The elevator door opened, and a patient stepped out. “Hello, are you checking in?”

The patient rattled off her info, and Sassi quickly got her checked in. The time it took was ten minutes less than when she first started. She wondered if she would ever get there. Turned out, she had picked it up relatively quickly.

“Have a seat, and the nurse will be with you shortly.” She checked the box stating the patient was ready and pushed the chart off to the side. She leaned back in her seat and began strumming her fingers on her desk. As she continued to strum, she saw Sage headed her way. She stopped and sat up straighter in her chair.

Sage smiled and grabbed the chart. “Getting ready to leave?” she asked.

“Yep. It’s been a long day.” Stassi nodded.

“Yeah, that can happen.” Sage snickered.

“Do you leave after this patient?” Stassi asked. The conversation seemed to flow well between them. Whether Sage saw that, too, she wasn’t certain. However, after their impromptu lunch together, things seemed even brighter.

“I’m here until midnight.” Sage made a face. “Four more hours. Can I make it? We shall see.” Sage winked and then pushed past the desk to grab her patient. Sage was the one therapist that tended to be stuck without a nurse. She frequently grabbed her own patients, but Stassi found that endearing. Another part she found endearing was the way Sage would wink, giving an air of flirtation. Yet, she acted that way around everyone, so it could confuse a person.

They passed the desk, and Stassi looked back at her computer. Just one more minute. Just as the thought escaped her, she spotted Lucile from the ER. She didn’t miss a stride as she crashed into the empty chair at the desk.

“I’m your relief,” she said.

“Thank April was coming in overnight.”

Lucile shrugged. “Guess she has food poisoning or something. So, instead of replacing it, they did some shifting. This desk is stuck with me. Anything I need to know?”

“Nope. I think only three patients are scheduled, so it should be pretty quiet.” Stassi stood up and grabbed her purse from the desk. “Thanks for covering. I’m beat.”

“Anytime.” Lucile tossed a wave to her. “See you later.” She moved in and signed into the computer. Stassi went to the elevator and dug her phone out of her pocket. Ariel had replied to her message. Hope built inside that maybe Ariel was the one that was going to cancel on her, but no such luck.

Ariel

Drinks ordered. Hope you don’t have to be to work too early in the morning. ;)

Stassi laughed. She wasn’t the free spirit that she used to be, making her own schedule and having the time that her friendship circle required. She left the message unanswered and got in the elevator. She knew her limits, and Ariel wouldn’t push her to go past those.

The drive to the club was only five minutes away. She pulled into the parking lot, and it was dead, securing her a spot right next to the front door. She entered the club and spotted Ariel at a usual table of theirs. She went over to join her, and a beer was sitting in Stassi’s place.

“You weren’t kidding,” Stassi laughed, sitting down and taking a sip. She sighed. “I needed that.”

“Rough day?” Ariel asked.

Stassi snickered. “Define rough.” She then shook her head. “I don’t want to bore you with shop talk, though. How are you doing? Any modeling jobs that you just can’t resist?”

“Too many to count.” Ariel winked, a smirk raising the corner of her lips. “I am working on a fashion magazine spread for LA Now. ”

“Wow, that’s huge, a far cry from where you were two weeks ago, and this is the first I’m hearing about it?”

Ariel gave a nonchalant shrug. “It was sort of one of those things that happened unexpectedly. Just got the call yesterday. It’s pretty cool, actually. I met with the exec this morning and will model four different covers for each season. If they like what I have to offer, then they’ll come back for more. What’s even cooler, I get to choose the outfits and keep them when it’s all over. Getting a pretty nice sign-on bonus, as well.”

Stassi’s face fell. It was hard not to be jealous. There were times when they would both be gushing over their modeling gigs. She bit her lower lip, trying not to show her jealousy. Ariel continued to ramble on.

“I’m thinking something cute and flirty would be the ideal shoot for summer. What do you think?”

“Um yeah, I would say so.” Stassi sipped on her beer.

“Oh, and you know what? There’s a total Goddess that is modeling with me. I got to meet her, as well.” She smiled. “Maybe I’ll meet my happily ever after through this job. Oh, and my nails…” she squealed. “They’re going to give me a complete manicure.”

“Well, you would deserve it. You’re going to do great, Ariel. I’m happy for you.” Ariel was so excited, and Stassi didn’t have the heart to put a damper on her parade. Ariel needed this boost in her life, and Stassi would do what she could to make sure she wasn’t the rain in the scenario.

“I shouldn’t be gushing like this.” Ariel took a swig of her beer. “You can slap me at any time.”

“Nonsense.” It was only a matter of time before her father was able to get back to the position he was in. Stassi could do what she had to get by, but as soon as possible, she would get out there and get back to the life she had left behind.

“Well, I’ll cool it anyhow. You don’t need to hear me babbling on. What about you? How is it slumming with the common folk?”

“Common folk? That’s harsh, don’t you think? You’re talking about real people here.”

Ariel arched an eyebrow, and Stassi closed her mouth. “Gosh, Stassi, I was only kidding.”

“I know,” Stassi mumbled. She couldn’t believe how quickly she was to be angered by a simple comment, but it was true. Ariel didn’t even know these people. And while Stassi wasn’t extremely close to anyone, she had started to see bonds forming. She didn’t want anything to get in her way. “I just don’t want it to get back to these people that I think I’m better than any of them. Ya know?”

Ariel shrugged. “Not sure that I do. I mean, who would I tell?” She smirked, and Stassi looked around, shrugging. Anything could happen. She would rather play it safe. “But I’m glad that you felt compelled to defend them; that shows a lot, actually. You’re not struggling as much as I thought you might.”

“Gee, thanks.” Stassi took a swig of her beer. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“As you should. It was a drastic change for you. Totally get it. Have you made any work friends yet?”

She sipped on her beer as Stassi considered that one question. It’d been less than ten days; could friendships be formed in such a short time?”

“I would say there’s some potential there. The first few days, I was eating my lunch at my desk, but then I realized that wouldn’t show anyone that I was open to talking to them, so I would say that’s a first step. Friendships will come, but just take it slow.” Her mind went to Sage, and she felt her cheeks getting warmer. She looked down at her beer and downed the rest of it.

“What’s that look for?” Ariel laughed. She then opened her mouth. “Is that because there might be someone that could be more than a friend?” She practically squealed as the words came out.

“No way!” Stassi snapped. “And lower your voice. It’s way too soon to even consider that. Besides, I’m not going to be here that long. Why get too close to anyone just to abandon the job and the relationships?”

Ariel frowned. “You certainly can’t think that way. Be open to it. You just never know what could happen.”

Stassi thought about those words, but she shrugged them off. A friendship was one thing. If something happened there, she would gladly accept it. As for anything more, there wasn’t any reason to consider someone along those lines.