Eve didn't even know what to think with that. A coward little mouse?
"But the joke was on me," Konstantin continued tightly, "because in the end, I realized you were the one who was brave, and I...I was the one..." His jaw clenched. "I was the one who was terrified—-"
Eve shook her head. Did he really think she'd buy that?
"I'm not lying. I was terrified," he repeated doggedly.
"Can we please just stop this—-"
"Then give me a chance to explain—-"
"There's nothing to explain," Eve cried out. "I wanted you, I was an idiot for wanting you, and you—-"
"Wanted you back," Konstantin gritted out. "We had sex just once, Eve. Once. But it was more than enough, and I found myself wanting everything. That was what terrified me that night, and that was why I let you go."
"Please just stop this—-" Eve tried shaking free of his hold so she could walk away and stop listening, but this only made Konstantin's grip on her tighten.
"I thought I could make myself forget you," he said hollowly. "I thought I could make myself forget what happened. But I was wrong. I tried imagining life without you, and I couldn't."
Eve could no longer speak. She could only stare at him, his words echoing in her brain—-
I tried imagining life without you, and I couldn't.
And when she looked into his eyes and only saw the same desperation she had once felt—-
It was true, Eve realized.
Everything he said...was true.
Konstantin saw tears slowly trailing down Eve's cheeks, and his throat tightened.
"I know I've hurt you," he said rawly, "but if you could just trust me one last time..."
He saw her tears spilling faster, and his chest grew heavy.
He had hurt her too much, Konstantin thought dully.
He had fucked things up too much, and he only had himself to blame.
"I'm sorry," he said one last time as he forced his fingers to loosen its hold. "And I know you probably don't want to hear this, but..." He breathed hard as he stared at Eve's pale, tear-stained face.
A face he was sure he might never see smiling at him again after this...
"I love you."
He saw Eve close her eyes, and it was like having the sun go out of his world until...
Konstantin stiffened in shock as Eve suddenly threw her arms around him.
And a moment later, he heard her whisper...
"I love you."
IT WAS A GLOOMY MONDAY afternoon outside Stanhope Medical Center, but while the sound of endless rain had a lot of people sporting rather long faces inside the staff cafeteria, one girl in particular looked so very painfully...scared.
Cassidy did her best to hide her smile as she watched her friend squirm in her chair.
"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Eve whispered.
"Absolutely," Cassidy didn't hesitate to say even as she crossed her fingers behind her back.
"But what if he gets mad?"
"Then just blow him a kiss," Cassidy said airily. "I have it in good authority—-" Another lie. "—-that always works between couples who are truly in love."
"But—-"
Cassidy shot up in her seat when she saw Eve's boyfriend of one month stride inside the cafeteria. "He's here."
Eve froze. Oh no. Oh dear. Oh well.
Cassidy watched the gorgeous Greek surgeon scan the cafeteria with visible impatience.
Anytime now...
Konstantin started walking.
And...boom!
The surgeon, upon finally catching sight of Eve, was so visibly stunned that he ended walking straight into the vendo machine.
Cassidy burst into laughter, and Eve, having heard Konstantin swear at the same time, quickly turned around in her chair—-
Uh...
Konstantin was shaking his head as if he didn't know what hit him, but when his gaze clashed with Eve's—-
Oh?
She gulped in fright as Konstantin started towards her. The look on his face was cold and inscrutable, but she had a feeling she was about to get punished...
And she was right.
The moment Konstantin reached Eve, he wasted no time in whipping his white coat off before dumping the whole thing around her shoulders.
"Up," he barked.
Eve nervously jumped to her feet, and when she saw him reach for her, she couldn't help but inch back in fear—-
Oh.
She blinked in surprise when she realized that all Konstantin intended to do was button his white coat all the way up to her neck until every inch of her body was covered.
OH.
Cassidy had her dressed up as a sexy candy striper, and it had made Konstantin—-
"Are you jealous?" Eve whispered in shock.
Konstantin stared at her like she had lost her mind.
Oops.
She started to apologize—-
But at the same time she heard Konstantin say in exasperation, "Of course I'm fucking jealous. Why the hell would you even ask—-"
The surgeon broke off, no longer able to speak with Eve having once again catching him off guard as she threw herself in his arms.
He must've been blind as a bat, Konstantin thought resignedly, not to have seen past Eve's mousy ways and discover her crazy streak of impulsiveness.
Then again, something told him that Eve couldn't have possibly conjured the idea of wearing a sexy candy striper uniform on her own.
Cassidy, seeing the Greek surgeon's dark eyes narrow at her, already had her excuse ready. "Eve told me being with you was like a dream," she said right away, "and that she was scared you'd one day wake up and realize you weren't really in love with her."
Konstantin glanced down at Eve. "This is true?"
Eve nodded against his neck.
"Very well..."
And without any other warning at all, Konstantin simply tipped his girlfriend's chin up before taking her mouth in a deep, hungry kiss.
Like, tongue-way-down-in-Eve's-throat-deep.
Like, his-hands-were-now-cupping-Eve's-butt-kind-of-kiss.
Like...
Hands suddenly covered Cassidy's eyes from behind.
Huh?
A moment later, she heard a familiar voice with a British accent say very politely, "Find a room, Konstantin. My secretary is still quite innocent, and I'd like to keep it that way."
William
Messy hair? Check.
Unknotted tie? Check.
Fake prescription glasses? Check.
William stepped back to study his reflection, and a nerdy-looking, six-foot-plus guy in a suit stared back at him. Such a sight used to make him grimace with distaste, but now that it had become clear to him this was the most effective way to win Cassidy's trust...
He surveyed his appearance once last time and was satisfied that nothing about it yielded a clue to his true nature.
I got this, William thought.
But he was wrong.
Thunder rumbled outside the hospital windows on a Monday afternoon, and William had been on his way back to the office when he heard two nurses gossiping about the once-shy Eve, who was now the fairly popular (and much envied) girlfriend of Konstantin Manolis, making every male doctor in the pediatric ward salivate at her candy striper uniform.