Page 44 of Psychotic Obsession

Me: Maybe.

"What are you smiling at?" Gabriella taps her knuckles on the table between us. "Oh my, Aria. You're blushing."

Quickly, I toss my phone back into my bag and look up at my best friend. "Nothing," I say, averting my gaze out the cafe window, watching all the people rushing by.

"Doctor Shique is Iron Man," Gabs snorts, showing me a picture all the morning staff took together, crowding around the reception desk wearing their chosen costumes. "Poor kids. Heprobably ruined Stark for them, being the miserable bastard he is."

I roll my eyes at her, smirking. "He's not too bad."

"Did you get your costume?" she asks, and I nod, wiping my mouth with a napkin.

“Did you get the red and blue hair spray?”

"Yes,” I reply. “And before you say she isn’t a superhero, she’s Ivy’s favorite." I shrug, gathering our plates to take back to the counter and thank the server. I turn back to Gabs, raising my brows. "Ready for our last day?"

"Nope," she replies, grabbing her coat and following me out the door.

During the meetingat the start of our work day, all the staff gather in the break room, discussing patients and what needs to be done. They offer a farewell and a thank you for joining them and hope we enjoy our final day on the ward.

I blush as they clap.

Gabriella is down at the labs, my temp assistant on her break, and I'm now sitting at reception, reading over Ivy's final report, chewing my thumbnail and signing on the dotted line that I’ll be arranging her pick up at Glasgow airport with one of our trained staff.

"You even sprayed your hair red and blue. That's dedication," I hear a familiar voice, and my mood instantly lifts. "Have you already had lunch?" Tobias asks, leaning his elbows on the reception desk, dressed as Captain America. "You look pretty, by the way."

I turn my wrist to look at my watch. "And you look," I stop, running my eyes over his swollen muscles through the spandexsuit, "hot." I shake my head to rid myself of the dirty thoughts, trying to remember we're at work. "I’m about to go on my lunch break.”

"Good. I have something to show you." I tilt my head, and he looks me up and down, smiling, tapping on the reception desk once. “Give me ten minutes.”

The grin stays on my face as he turns and walks away, even while I read the rest of Ivy's file. I close the report, standing and grabbing my foam hammer, holding it to my shoulder as I walk to Ivy's room.

I tried on the netted tights with the costume, but I was far too exposed to be walking around a children's hospital ward, so I instead opted for thick black tights. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Dermot," I say, knocking on the door to see Ivy's mom packing. "Do you need a hand?"

"That would be great, Aria. Ivy's still asleep."

I look over at the little girl, her face completely relaxed and at ease. I feel my chest tighten, gulping away a lump forming. "I'm sorry. I really thought we could do something here." I fold up a pink blanket and place it in the bag.

She reaches over, her hand over mine, giving me a warm smile. "Don't apologize. You did everything you could."

Yet, I still feel like I could've done more.

I help her finish packing up most of Ivy's things, arranging the bags at the side of the room. We sit together until porters come to transport them to a hotel next to the airport.

I step out of her now-empty room and sigh.

"Ready?" I hear Tobias behind me. "I found something you might like."

I bite down on my lip as he leads me down to the basement stairway. "Where are we going?”

"Follow me," he says, his hand on the small of my back. We make it to the very bottom of the stairs, the underground areawhere the cleaners and drivers come in from. He looks around as we walk through the cool hallway, stone walls and flooring making it feel eerily haunted.

"You're not kidnapping me, are you?"

He laughs, looking around once more before opening a door and shoving me in. I gasp, feeling his arm wrap around my waist as he shuts the door, locking it behind him.

His mouth is on mine within seconds, inhaling deeply as his hand moves to the side of my neck. I melt into the kiss, running my hands up the suit.

He pulls away so we can catch our breath, coated in darkness. Tobias moves around, keeping his hand around my waist until he turns the light on, and I laugh, glancing around us. "A broom closet?"