She wouldn’t leave, right? Aspen was too much of a professional to do that to me.
After coming in second today, when I came in for a hug, she backed away and held her hands up, stopping me in my tracks. She was further away than ever. Four countries and four races later and I was trying to get back the fun girl I’d traveled around Monaco with.
I could still hear her words after I mentioned she could be my girlfriend. “Callum,” the veil had dropped over her face right then, “you’re my patient, and I’m here for your well-being. You know we can’t go there.”
“Why fight it? Don’t pretend you don’t like what you see.” I knew right then and there, I’d said the wrong thing.
After my race, she’d gotten a ride back to our hotel by herself, stating that she had a headache and needed to go lie down. I didn’t fight her on it. At that point, I wasn’t sure if she was only saying it to get away from me, or she did indeed have a headache. That was how I found myself standing at her hotel room door with my hand in the air, ready to knock. I knew she wasn’t expecting me since our rooms weren’t on the same floor. There was no reason for me to come to her room.
Knocking, I held my breath as I waited for her to answer. I waited with bated breath and started to get worried when a couple minutes ticked by without a sound coming from inside. I knocked again and heard a loud bump from deep inside before her door cracked open, and one of Aspen’s eyes appeared in the sliver between the door and wall.
“Callum, now’s not a good time. I told you I had a headache and needed to come back to rest.” Her voice was quiet and raspy as she spoke.
“I know you did, and I wanted to check to make sure you’re okay.”
She winced at the sound of my voice.
“I’m obviously not okay. I need dark and quiet.” Her face was scrunched in pain.
“Have you taken any meds for it?”
“Yes, but not the good stuff. I ran out before I left and didn’t refill my prescription.” Her eyes became glassy before she shuffled away from the door.
I followed her inside and locked her door.
When she saw me, her shoulders slumped before she walked into her bedroom and crawled onto her bed.
Kneeling beside her, I asked in a quiet voice. “Do you, by any chance, have any Icy Hot?”
“No, Callum,” she said my name like I was the dumbest fucker to ever live.
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” I reached out and squeezed her hand before I went to the seating area and called downstairs to request anything that was remotely like what I needed. I wasn’t sure the equivalent in Austria. If I knew she’d let me back inside, I would have gone to the pharmacy myself; instead, I had to rely on what the concierge brought up.
Half an hour later, there was a light knock on the door to her room. With a quick glance through the bedroom door, I answered. Handing over a hundred, I took the bag and went back inside and into the bathroom.
Slipping the cream out of the bag, I pulled the protective silver seal off and put the lid back on. I left the light on and closed the door until there was only a sliver of light shining out so I could see. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, I squeezed a small amount of the cream onto my index and middle fingers, placed them at her temple, and started to rub.
“What are you doing? I thought you left.” Her hand reached out and rested on my leg limply.
“I’m here to take care of you. Can you turn your head, and I’ll put this on the other side?”
“What is it?”
“A muscle relaxer type cream. It has menthol that will hopefully help your headache.” I’d never tried it, but I’d heard it could be a remedy and thought I’d try it on her.
“At this point, I’ll try anything,” she mumbled.
Moving around to the other side of the bed, I climbed up and leaned back against the headboard.
“Come over here and let me give you a massage. It will make you feel better.” Or at least I hoped it did.
She lifted up, and I helped guide her over until her head rested on my thigh. My fingers slipped into her hair and started to rub over her scalp. The longer I rubbed, the more I felt her relax against me. Since she had a horrible headache, I kept quiet and let my hands work.
Her breath started to even out, and I thought she fell asleep until she spoke. “You’re such a good guy, Cal. Thank you for being here after the way I’ve been icing you out.” She moaned when I applied more pressure and snuggled deeper into my leg.
“That’s what friends are for, right?”
“You understand why, though, right?” she asked instead of answering my question. When I didn’t answer, she continued. “I like helping people, and if I was reported for sleeping with a patient, I could lose my license.”
“I don’t want you to lose your job, Doc, but I can’t help the attraction that I feel for you either.”
“All I can offer you is my friendship, Cal,” she mumbled. “I hope you can accept that.”
I didn’t want to be put in the friend zone, but I’d take what I could get. Maybe once the season was over and I was no longer her patient, she’d give me a chance.
“I like you calling me that.” My hand swiped down and massaged along her neck.
“I’ll call you whatever you want if you keep doing whatever you’re doing.” She let out a big yawn.
No matter what she said, I knew she wouldn’t call me the one thing I wanted.
Boyfriend.
Pressure lifted off my leg, causing me to wake up and groan at the stiffness in my neck. Cracking open my eyes, I watched as Aspen slipped off the bed and made her way into the bathroom. After a moment, I heard the toilet flush, and then the shower turn on.
I wasn’t sure what to do. I desperately needed to take a piss, but I didn’t want to head back to my hotel room until I talked to her and made sure she was okay.
This time when I knocked on her door and opened it, it was to a bathroom full of steam.
“I’m coming in,” I called before I stepped inside.
“Cal, what are you doing?” she shrieked and stumbled as far as she could back into the shower.
“Peeing.” I unzipped my fly and relieved myself, much to her dismay.
“Oh my God, Callum. This is beyond what our friendship is. Please leave.”
“So, you’re admitting we’re friends?”
“Yes, of course, we’re friends, but not the type of friends who pee in front of each other.”
A smile spread across my face. “I’m going to head up to my room to get cleaned up, and then I’m going to take you to breakfast and on a little day trip. I’ll be back down once I’m ready.”
She sighed loud enough for me to hear before she agreed.
Since she was otherwise occupied, I grabbed the keycard I saw on the dresser and slipped it into my back pocket. Afraid that she might try to give me the slip, I took a quick shower. I didn’t bother to shave before I got dressed and slipped my Aviators on top of my head and went back downstairs.
Without knocking, I made my way inside her room. Aspen squeaked with her hand clutching her chest. “Are you out to give me a heart attack today?”
I rolled my lips in an attempt not to laugh. That was until I took in what she had on—or more like what she didn’t have on. The tiniest pair of sleep shorts I’d ever seen hugged her ass, and a white cami that was becoming see-through from her wet hair dripping down her chest left little to the imagination.