Aiden's eyes narrowed as Dr. Lim stormed ahead, ignoring him. He wasn't going to let it slide. He caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder, not expecting her to be so light. To his surprise, she stumbled, almost falling backward.
Reflexively, Aiden caught her in his arms, his strong grip steadying her. That's when he saw it—her eyes were red. The tough, unshakable Dr. Lim, always cool and in control, had been holding back tears. No one would've guessed she was hurt by the vile words Mr. Zhao had thrown at her.
"Let me go!" Dr. Lim snapped, her voice tight.
Startled, Aiden did just that, but to his dismay, it caused her to fall hard on her backside, hitting the ground with a thud. She glared up at him, her face flushed with both embarrassment and anger. "Hey, why'd you actually let me go?"
"What?" Aiden blinked, dumbfounded. "You said to let go."
"Not like that," she muttered, rubbing her sore behind. "Forget it. I've got too much work to do. I'll send the next set of instructions over the phone."
Aiden stood there for a moment, watching her walk away, still trying to reconcile the tough-as-nails Dr. Lim with the vulnerable woman he'd just caught mid-fall. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd seen that sweet, mesmerizing smile somewhere before, though he couldn't place where. "Two-faced," he muttered under his breath.
Still, he had no time to dwell on it. He had Mr. Zhao's case to focus on, and the mountain of work was waiting.
***
Hours later, the hospital was quieter, the hustle of the day shifting into the subdued hum of night. Aiden had been so buried in work, he barely noticed time passing. It wasn't until he finally stood to stretch that he realized it was already dark outside.
His mind drifted back to Nick for a second. He wasn't too hung up on Amelia now, surprisingly. Maybe throwing himself into work had actually been the distraction he needed. He finally admitted to himself that he'd lost. Nick had won.
Just as he was about to call it a night, Michelle popped in, grinning.
"Hey, want to grab a drink? Dr. Lim's buying!" she said with a playful smirk.
Who could say no to that? Aiden needed a break, and honestly, the idea of hanging out with friends sounded like the perfect way to cap off the night. He wasn't going to sit alone at home and wallow in his knight-in-shining-armor complex any longer.
***
The barbeque joint was lively, and the group had already dug in by the time Aiden arrived. Beer flowed freely, and the sound of sizzling meat on the grill added to the festive vibe.
"Dr. Lim said she'll be a bit late," Michelle announced to the group as she waved Aiden over. "She's got a ton of work, but she promised to cover the bill."
"She may be strict, but she always feels bad after blowing up," Eric chimed in between bites. "And we always get a free meal out of it."
Everyone laughed, except Aiden, who couldn't shake the image of Dr. Lim's teary eyes from earlier.
"She's sweet, though, deep down. Just gets a bit, uh… intense," Michelle added, taking a sip of her drink. "But I really like her."
"Yeah, she's super hot. I mean, I wouldn't mind if she yelled at me all day," Eric joked, grinning in that sleazy way he did. Michelle promptly smacked him upside the head.
"You're such a pig," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "It's weird though, right? She's beautiful and smart, but she's not married. She's already, what, 33? I heard she was engaged once, but no one's ever seen her with a guy."
"Probably made it up to keep creeps like you away," Eric shot back, rubbing his head where she hit him.
"I am straight, you jerk." Again, Michelle hit Eric with her purse.
"That's not it," Dylan, who had been quiet most of the night, suddenly spoke up, his voice low but serious. "It's 'cause she's got a dick problem."
The table went silent.
Aiden raised an eyebrow. "A what?"
Michelle, sensing the awkwardness, jumped in with a nervous laugh. "I think Dylan meant 'big problem.' He's probably too drunk and talking nonsense. What even is a 'dick problem' anyway?"
Dylan, ignoring her, leaned back and took another long swig of his beer like he was dropping some deep wisdom. "You heard me. A dick problem. That's why she doesn't date, doesn't get married."
Eric, always quick to play moral police despite his own crude sense of humor, chimed in, "Cut the crap, Dylan. Don't talk trash about our boss."
But Dylan wasn't backing down. "My sister's friends with Dr. Lim, y'know. And when she asked her why it's so hard to find a guy, Dr. Lim told her it's 'cause she hasn't met the *right one* yet."
Everyone leaned in a little closer, clearly curious about where Dylan was going with this. "So, what does her 'ideal guy' look like?" Michelle asked, half-joking but also intrigued.
Dylan grinned like he was about to drop the punchline of the century. "A guy with an XXL dick."
Aiden, in the middle of a sip, immediately choked on his drink, coughing violently. Nobody seemed to care if he was choking to death; they were too stunned by Dylan's absurd claim.
"Are you serious?" Michelle asked, eyes wide. "She's a doctor. She *must* know that sexual satisfaction isn't just about size."
"Yeah, man," Eric threw in, trying to sound wise. "You can satisfy someone just fine with standard size and the right technique." His comment only made it more obvious he probably wasn't packing what Dylan implied.
While everyone was wrapped up in the ridiculous gossip, Aiden's mood darkened. Dylan's words had triggered an uncomfortable memory from his college days—one he hadn't thought about in a long time. He remembered the time Amelia had accidentally taken one of his XXL condoms home, thinking it was a random souvenir. The fallout had been brutal—Nick had blown up at both her and Aiden over the misunderstanding.
The thought of that memory stung, dragging Aiden into a pit of old frustrations and regrets. He zoned out, pouring himself another drink while his friends continued their mindless chatter. It was like he was trapped in his own world, the conversation fading into the background as his mind wandered.
Everyone was laughing and gossiping, but Aiden just felt... alone.
"Let's go home, how long are you planning to rot here, brat?"