Page 1 of What the Doctor Ordered

K iley

My feet dragged as I made my way up the steps leading up to my apartment, muscles feeling heavier and heavier with each step.

I blew out an exhausted breath and pushed some of my wavy dark red hair behind my ear to get the stubborn strands out of my eyes.

When I pushed the door open, I was surprised to find all of the lights on, despite it being nearly midnight.

My roommate, Lily, shot up in her plush computer chair, spinning it so she could pin me with a surprised look. “Kiley! You scared me!” She exclaimed, holding a hand to her chest.

I just shook my head fondly at her, shutting the door and dropping my work bag on the coffee table. I put my hands on my hips. “You say that like you weren’t expecting me.”

Lily giggled, tossing her head back, causing her honey blonde hair to cascade over her shoulders. “I guess I just lost track of time,” she said, before spinning back toward her desk and diving back into whatever she was doing.

I slipped my shoes off and straightened my light blue scrubs before making my way over to her so I could peer over her shoulder. “I’m surprised that you’re still awake,” I admitted. “You’re the one who is always prioritizing your beauty sleep and telling me I should do the same.”

Lily grinned at me, revealing her annoyingly symmetrical dimples. She was a cute girl and probably the textbook definition of feminine beauty. She had long golden hair and large, crystal blue eyes that shimmered whenever she smiled.

I hated her when we met a couple of years earlier when I moved to southern California to start veterinary school. She was clearly a spoiled rich girl who never had to work a day in her life.

I had asked her why she was looking for a roommate when she had enough money to live on her own. My heart went out to her when she shyly admitted that she was afraid to live on her own. She wanted someone in the apartment with her.

I stopped hating her after that, and we had basically been best friends ever since.

“I’m still awake because I need to finish this paper tonight,” she said, still smiling.

I tilted my head at the strange, almost mischievous expression on her face. I furrowed my eyebrows when I remembered something. “Isn’t this paper not due for a couple more days?”

Lily’s grin widened and she snatched her slim pink phone off her matching pink desk and shoved the screen in my face. It took me a moment to register what I was looking at. It was a picture of a man with angular features and light, hazel eyes. He looked like an Italian model.

I raised my eyebrow at her. “What? Is this guy your new celebrity crush or something?”

Lily laughed loudly and shoved me playfully. “No,” she said. “He’s my date tomorrow night!” She squealed and jumped up from her chair, throwing her arms around me.

I was barely able to keep from toppling over as my friend barreled into me. “Congrats,” I said with a light laugh, patting her back. I gently pushed her away from me so I could give her a questioning look. “Who is this guy anyway? Did you meet him in one of your business classes?”

Lily made a face and shook her head. “No way would I date someone from my business classes,” she said, wrinkling her petite nose. “Those guys are all so dull.”

I laughed. “Are you saying that you’re dull too then?” I teased.

Lily winked at me. “I am the one exception,” she said, twirling dramatically before posing.

“A unicorn, if you will.” She showed me her phone again.

“I joined this online dating app and matched with this guy almost immediately! Isn’t he cute?

He owns a bunch of fine dining restaurants!

Imagine what kind of meals he could cook for me! ”

I tried to school my expression so that Lily couldn’t tell just how amused I was by her thinking.

“Just be safe,” I warned her. “It’s a bit sketchy to meet people online.”

Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Yes, Mom. Honestly, you sound like such an old person, Kiley,” she scoffed. “I promise that these apps are completely safe, and they even have ways of confirming they’re real people.”

Lily pulled me to the couch and started to walk me through the app, going to the date’s profile and showing me all his pictures and links to other sites proving his identity.

It did look legitimate, but I wasn’t going to admit it.

The whole dating apps thing had always sounded kind of sketchy to me, especially for my best friend who tended to be a little more trusting than she should be.

Still, it looked mostly safe, and I wasn’t about to try and stop her from going out and having a good time with some hot guy who cooks.

At least one of us should try and have a little fun, and it apparently wasn’t going to be me.

Lily was watching me intently and I noticed too late that the gears were turning in her mind.

I just stared at her for a long moment before my eyes widened and I started to wave my hands back and forth. “Oh no, Lily,” I said sternly. “Don’t even think about it.”

“When was the last time you went on a date?” she asked me, grinning widely. “I swear you’ve only been on like one date since we’ve known each other, and that’s been years now!”

I felt my face flush scarlet and I did my best not to avert my eyes from her prying gaze. “I’ve been busy,” I told her simply. “I do have to work to afford my tuition, you know. We don’t all have the luxury of only having to focus on our studies.”

I winced as soon as the words left my mouth. It really wasn’t Lily’s fault that she was rich, but it had sounded like the best argument I had. I was grateful that she didn’t seem hurt by my comment. She did look skeptical, however.

“Aren’t you off tomorrow night, though?” She asked with a suspicious tone.

I tried not to wince. “Yes, technically,” I hedged. “But I need to get started on my paper that’s due next week.”

She waved me off before I could even finish. “You have plenty of time,” she said dismissively. “Let me just help you get signed up on the app, Kiley! You don’t even have to go on any dates. Just give it a try, even just for the fun of seeing who you get matched up with. You never know!”

She was backing me into a corner, and she very well knew it.

I didn’t have much to argue with since she wasn’t even asking me to go out with anyone.

“Maybe later,” I told her, trying not to grimace openly as I started to move past her.

“I’d like to shower and get ready for bed. ; it’s been a long day.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised when Lily grabbed my arm before I could leave and pulled me back. “Oh no you don’t,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

There wasn’t much of a choice when she pulled me to the couch, shoved me into it, and plopped down next to me.

I surrendered my phone to her and watched with dismay as she downloaded the app and started to ask me questions so she could fill in my profile.

It was easy enough to answer the questions, but I started to panic when she pulled out her phone and began to go through pictures she had of me.

“Do we really need to add pictures?” I asked, my voice bordering on a whine.

Lily gave me an impatient look. “Yes,” she said firmly. “Of course we need to add pictures. How will your future dates know if they’re attracted to you?”

“At least I’ll know they chose me for my personality and not my looks,” I grumbled.

Lily showed me some candid shots of me she had taken over the past couple of years. It took some time, but we were able to choose a couple that I felt confident about.

“You’re so modest,” Lily said with a light giggle. “Look at these! You’re going to get matches immediately.”

“I doubt it,” I said with a laugh, setting my phone down on the coffee table in front of us.

Almost as soon as I did, my phone buzzed, signaling that I got a notification. Lily and I glanced at each other with wide eyes before I snatched the device up.

“I told you!” Lily gushed, scooting even closer to me on the couch so she could look over my shoulder. “Ohh, look at that jawline! You lucky duck.”

My cheeks heated up as I looked at the man that I had matched with. I had to admit that he was cute with golden blonde hair and striking sea-blue eyes. He did in fact have a strong jaw that made him look even more manly. Hmmm…

My breath caught in my throat when I saw that I already had a message from him.

Lily squealed when she saw he was complimenting my photos.

I tried to calm my breathing and answered back calmly, saying that I liked his photos as well.

He had a nice smile, and I found the courage to tell him that with Lily’s encouragement.

Before I knew it, we were messaging back and forth for several minutes.

“I’ll just leave you too alone for a while,” Lily said with a smirk, leaving the room.

I barely noticed she’d left, my thumbs sweeping across my phone screen as I messaged Dr. Kramer Bennett. I had never connected to someone so easily, especially not online.

Kramer was extremely easy to talk to. He was already cracking jokes and said he’d always loved animals and was excited to hear I was studying to be a vet.

“I’d love to hear more about it. I know it’s probably a bit bold but would you be open to going out tomorrow night?”

My heart hammered in my chest, and I just stared down at my phone dumbly. Naturally, Lily chose that moment to come back into the room.

Her eyes narrowed when she got a good look at my face. “What happened?” she demanded.

I looked up at her, undoubtedly with a deer-in-the-headlights expression on my stunned face. “He’s already asking me out.”

Lily’s jaw dropped and she jumped onto the couch so hard she nearly bounced me off it. “You have to say yes!” she practically shrieked.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “He seems nice, but we just started talking. Maybe I should give it a few more days.”

“You’ve been talking for over two hours now,” Lily pointed out. “You obviously like each other. Just do it, Kiley! Before some other girl snatches up the hot doctor.”

“I’m not afraid of someone else snatching him up,” I told Lily with an eye roll. “There are plenty of other guys in the world.”

“But he might be the one !” Lily pressed. “You’ll never know until you try. You two obviously formed a connection already. What have you got to lose?”

I couldn’t explain exactly what possessed me at that moment. Maybe it was Lily’s large, excited eyes or the fact that I hadn’t been in a romantic relationship in several years, but I opened the app and told Kramer that I would love to meet him.

Needless to say, Lily squealed. Again.