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Devon stares across the room. It’s a slow night in the ER and he doesn’t have a patient to check on at the moment. Irving has given him a pile of folders and paperwork to comb through, to finish up since he has nothing else to do. And Devon is trying. He really is. He leans against the counter and lifts the pen. He brings it closer to the paper he’s supposed to be filling out but it hovers as he lifts his gaze again from the pile again.
Conrad stands across the room, leaning against another counter. He’s practically hanging over it as he smiles at the new nursing student. She smiles and blushes and Devon thinks maybe she’s pretty. She’s a bit shorter than him, with blonde hair, if Conrad likes that. And Devon thinks he does. He thinks of Nic and yeah, he’s sure Conrad has a type.
Devon swallows and looks away. He drops his gaze back down to the pile of paperwork. He knows Conrad and Nic broke up a few weeks ago. He’s happy the man has someone new to flirt with. He is. Devon clenches his jaw and grunts to himself. Yes. He’s happy. He’s so fucking happy for the man he’s been crushing on for months. Since he first met Conrad, Devon is certain. Devon had never had feelings for another man before. He was set to marry Priya and was perfectly happy with her. Until he met Conrad. Then the man haunted his dreams for months. Devon really tried to ignore the bubbling feelings. He really did. He tried to focus on Priya and planning their wedding. He had loved her before he met Conrad. And if he could just get the man out of his mind, he could love her again. She could be enough for him.
Until Priya left him. A new job offer across the country and the idea of leaving the hospital, and Conrad, had Devon panicking. He couldn’t stand the idea of leaving the other man, of never seeing him again or hearing his voice. So Priya left and Devon didn’t stop her. And it was for the best, he had eventually decided. Because his feelings for Conrad had started to consume him and Priya didn’t deserve that.
Yes, Devon is happy for Conrad. Very happy. So fucking extremely happy! He grips the pen a bit too tightly and manages to break it. He blinks down at it and the ink leaking out of the broken tip. “Fuck…” He leans over the counter and grabs a few tissues. He wraps the leaking pen and attempts to clean up the ink as best he can but he’s ruined the form and he scowls at it.
“Quite a mess.”
Devon nearly jumps as he hears Conrad’s voice. He fumbles and drops the broken pen. Then he stupidly tries to catch it and gets ink all over his fingers. And then Conrad is laughing at him and Devon glances up at him. He glares and shoves the papers along the counter. Then he promptly spins and leaves. He heads across the empty room and towards the nearest restroom. He doesn’t slow until he’s standing in front of the sink. He sighs deeply as he turns the water on and gets way too much soap. The water is a bit too warm and he scrubs a little too hard and he’s not even sure why he’s so angry.
“Devon.”
Devon rolls his eyes and shakes his head as he hears Conrad’s voice again. “What?” He asks, not looking up. His whole body is stiff and he clenches his jaw and he just wishes Conrad would leave him alone.
Conrad is smirking as he strides across the room towards him. He turns and leans back against the sink beside him. He crosses his arms and leans a bit closer. “I wasn’t flirting with her.” He says softly.
Devon pauses. He swallows and he relaxes a little. Then he shrugs and continues attempting to clean the ink from his fingers. “What?” He says as if he hadn’t been staring at the man for the last hour or five.
Conrad chuckles softly again and tilts his head. “I don’t even know her name.” He admits. “I was just being nice. It’s her first day and she was asking about Austin. I think she might have a thing for him.”
“Hmm.” Devon nods as he gets more soap and puts his hands back under the running water.
“I swear to you, I wasn’t flirting with her.” Conrad says, leaning even closer.
Devon swallows. He licks his lips and resists the urge to look up. Instead, he clears his throat as he continues to scrub his hands. “Why uh… why are you… telling me?” He asks softly.
“Because.” Conrad says, leaning away. He pushes off the sink and shrugs. “I kinda thought you might be a little jealous.”
Devon’s eyes snap up and he looks at Conrad’s reflection in the mirror. He can see himself and see the red spreading across his face.
Conrad’s smile only seems to widen. “I think you might have a thing for me.” He says smugly.
Devon sputters and chokes on nothing and looks back down at his hands. “I uh… I don’t… know what…”
Conrad steps closer and reaches around him. His fingers touch the faucet handle and he turns the water off. Then he grabs Devon’s shoulder and pulls on him. Devon turns and Conrad is very close. The blond smiles and tilts his head. He presses himself closer against Devon and places his hands on the sink, on either side of him, pinning him. “Are you sure about that?”
Devon opens his mouth. But he can’t seem to answer and his brain short circuits. He leans forward and grabs Conrad. He ignores the soap on his hands as he threads his fingers into the short blond hair and pulls him close enough to crash their lips together.