~"Hands"- ORKID

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December was not a good month for Elena.

 It had been almost six years since ... Kyle, but Decembers brought it all back.

She had gone home after work to rest a moment and eat something, afterwards changing into a pair of running leggings and an oversize t-shirt that fell to her thighs. Her mother had asked her why she kept buying baggy clothing, she was a beautiful girl. Elena simply told her that she didn’t want any perverts staring at her during her run. Truth was that her high school demons kept her from wearing fitted clothing, and Kyle’s actions made her think that guys would see it as an invitation.

She knew she was being ridiculous. She knew she was letting her demons win, her insecurities control her, but she couldn’t help it. Some days, like today, she desperately needed the run, the adrenaline.

Grabbing her phone, headphones, and a water bottle she headed out for her run. She was going to avoid the big park today as she wasn’t completely feeling it but rather would go for a run around the neighborhood dog park with its open track around the fenced dog area, the one three blocks from her house.

She was on her fifth lap around, when it suddenly started raining. She stopped, hand over her eyes trying to keep her glasses dry. Shit. Where the hell had this rain come from? Sure, it was December but forecasts hadn’t mentioned any rain. She shoved her phone and headphones into the waistband of her leggings hoping that they’d stay dry.

Dammit. She sped walked to stand under the roof of the bus stop. She could’ve walked home in the rain but she didn’t want to risk losing her phone, and she’d just have to wait because she couldn’t afford to spend money on a new phone.

She pulled her phone back out while she listened to the pitter patter of the raindrops over the bus stop’s metallic roof.

“Hey!”

_

Ben had just pulled into the road from the dog park when he caught sight of a slender redhead sitting at the bus stop. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him because she looked like Elena. He did a double take when he drove closer and saw that it was in fact his nurse sitting there waiting on that damp bus stop in the pouring rain.

She looked completely different.

She raised her head to look at the sky and he saw that she was wearing big black rim glasses, those that made her look like a librarian. That's all he could think she looked like—an angry librarian ready to smack him across the face with a ruler if he misbehaved. Which he did often, misbehaved.

Groan.

Now, what was she doing out there in the rain? Was she waiting for the bus?

He pulled over to the side in front of the stop, Elena not even noticing what was going on as she looked down at her phone, headphones in her ears.

“Hey!” He called with a honk of the car, startling her and making her jump slightly. Her face snapped up as she looked to see who was calling her, eyes widening when she realized that it was him in the car honking at her. “What are you doing?”

She pulled her headphones out, still not moving from her seat. “What?”

“What are you doing? Are you waiting for the bus?” He leaned against the steering wheel watching the emotions play across her face. Usually she was a blank slate and he had a hard time figuring out what she was thinking. The only exception was when she was mad at him, then he could finally see a reaction... Maybe that was why he liked teasing her? Because he wanted to understand what was going on inside that brain of hers. He knew she was smart, she just chose to not show it. She wasn’t flashy, she was perhaps the last person he’d consider so.

“Uh, I’m waiting for the rain to pass.” She called back, and he noticed the way her hands immediately went to her lap, twisting the hem of her clearly oversized t-shirt, almost as if she was trying to pull it over her knees. “I was going to run home, but then it really started pouring and I didn’t want to ruin my phone.” The last part she added with a wave of her phone in front of her for him to see.

He nodded, glancing around. It was still pouring. “Want a ride?” She blushed, lifting a hand to her cheek. She looked like she was debating her answer. “I promise, I don’t bite. Besides, I can’t risk my nurse getting sick and calling out on Monday,” he added with a grin. She nodded slowly, but still didn’t move from her seat.

“I don’t think I want to mess up your car seats.” She confessed when he looked at her in confusion.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that I’m soaked and you have a very nice car that I don’t think I could ever afford repairs for.” She waved her hand in the car’s direction. Yes, it was a nice car indeed. He had finally given in and gotten himself a Mercedes (Big eh). It was a Mercedes SUV, big enough to fit himself and his large dog, Kevin, who sat in the back seat probably drooling to meet her. He looked back and saw his giant 10-month old, 110-pound Great Dane puppy had his face smashed against the window, whimpering slightly as he stared out at her.

Ben shrugged, looking back at Elena. “Come on. Don’t be silly. I doubt a little water is going to ruin anything. If I was concerned about messing up this car I wouldn’t have the small horse in the back seat.” He finished with a laugh when he saw her expression. She probably thought he was crazy. Before she changed her mind, he motioned for her to hurry. “Come on. Unless you want to sit there until night time when the rain maybe stops.”

Mother Nature decided to show off in that moment, the crack of thunder sounding off as he finished his last word. Elena jumped up right away, rushing to the car, and getting in.

The first thing he noticed when Elena climbed into the passenger seat was that she was wearing a pair of tight black leggings that covered her to her midcalf. He had never seen her in anything other than baggy scrubs and he could see that she did indeed have very nice legs. Maybe it was all her running around the clinic? She was still wearing a baggy shirt but even that didn’t manage to make her look frumpy, and you couldn’t mistake her for a boy, that was for sure.

“I don’t think I should be in this car," she said, looking around the car almost as if she was scared that she’d break something.

“What do you mean?”

She gave him a look. “It’s...too nice?” She tried to relax as she leaned against the seat. “But I do appreciate the ride, though.”

“Stop it. You’re not going to mess anything up. Now, put on your seatbelt.”

Seatbelt on, she pointed in the direction behind them. “I live about three blocks from here. You can make a left at the light and head back that way—hey!” She gaped when instead of listening to her he put on his blinker to merge and simply did a U-Turn there and then. “You’re going to get a ticket!”

He winked at her. “Nah. Not if you don’t get caught.” He looked so casual, one hand on the steering wheel, one on the window. He could see her giving him small glances, trying to not be obvious, but her silence only made her so. He looked over at her. “Left or right?”

“Huh?”

“Do I make a left or right and where?”

“Oh. Make a right at Madison, I'm like the fourth house from there.” That was all she said and went back to being quiet, the only sound was the rain pattering on the roof of the car.

“So,” he started and she looked over at him. “Did you have any plans for tonight?” She frowned, cocking her head slightly, thinking.

“Not really. I mean, besides the literal Netflix and chill, nothing else.” He could see her twisting her t-shirt again, flipping the phone on and off. She was nervous. Did he make her nervous? Before he could stop himself, he reached out and put his hand over hers, stopping them from fidgeting and immediately felt her tense up.

“Am I making you nervous?”

“No.”

“You look like you’re ready to twist that shirt to shreds. It’s okay. I told you, I don’t bite...” At the light, he turned to look at her. Her face was flushed pink, as she stared at her hands in his big one. She glanced nervously up him, and he grinned.

She snapped her hands away, looking away from him. Well, so much for making her comfortable. He turned back to the traffic, thinking of what he could possibly say next that would help her relax. He was waiting to make the turn on Madison when there was a loud whine from the back seat and Elena jumped up, turning in her seat to stare to the back of the car.

“What is that?”

“My miniature horse.” He said with a grin. Kevin was obviously upset that he hadn’t been introduced and was making it known. Ben had him in the last row of seats where he had trouble climbing over the middle row since he was too big and his legs too lanky.

“Shut up. That’s a dog!” Elena exclaimed happily as she twisted even more on the seat. “What’s its name? Aww. Poor baby wants attention!” Ben raised his eyebrows when he saw her half off the seat, leaning over the middle console. Her butt in those black leggings had come much closer to him and he forced himself to stare at the road.

“Uh. Elena, maybe you should sit back down. Before we get a ticket.” Before he got other things in his mind. He watched her—with relief—when she turned and sat back down, looking at him happily, a big bright smile on her face. It threw him off completely, to see her smiling because she just never smiled at work. Well, at work yes, at him, no.

“What’s his name?” She asked him happily.

Ben turned on to her street, slowing down since she’d mentioned her house was the fourth down. “That would be Kevin.”

“Kevin?” she grinned widely. “Why Kevin? People usually go for more dog-ish names like, oh, I don’t know, Spot, stuff like that.”

“Spot? Very creative. Which one is your house?”

“Oh! Stop right here. This is me.” She pointed at a quaint little house painted in soft yellow. Its trims were white and it looked like it a mix between a Victorian house and a cottage. There were some steps leading up to a porch with a bench swing. He pulled up on to the driveway next to her blue Altima.

She slipped off her seatbelt, hand going for the door handle before she paused to look at him, biting her lip as she considered something.

“Yes?”

“I know it’s probably not a good idea, but would you like to come in for a cup of coffee or something? Water? It’s still pouring, you’re soaked as well,” she raised her eyes to his making his heart pound. “And I would really like to meet your dog.”

He stopped, then it hit him what she’d say.

“Why Miss Elena, I thought you wanted me for my body, not the dog.” He joked with a wink…which he immediately regretted.

Scowling, she turned away, opening the door and slipping out. “Never mind, bad idea. Thanks for the ride, doctor. I’ll see you Monday.”

“Wait!” Ben jumped out, running around the front to catch her. He stopped her with a hand on her arm. She slowly looked up at him, face still pink, expression grim. “I was kidding. I’ll come in if you still want to invite me in. Lord knows Kevin's probably dying to meet you.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Don’t feel obligated to be nice.” She answered back with a shake of her head, twisting the bottom of her shirt. Ben frowned. Did she always do that at work? She looked away from him, adding softly. “You don’t have to be nice to me outside of work.”

Somebody had really done a number on this girl and messed her up so bad. What kind of fool would have hurt her? He had already placed his arms on her shoulders before he realized what he was doing, and she looked up at him in confusion. She glanced down at his hands on her shoulder, and when she looked up at him again, she had paled slightly.

“Elena, I'm not being nice to you because I feel obligated that you invited me. I’m actually flattered you offered. I don’t get out often.”

She raised an eyebrow up at him. Really? She remembered that woman, hanging off his neck with her mouth attached to his. “Uh huh. You’re going to tell me that you don’t get out often, yet you have people like Sherry popping up at the drop of a text message. Okay.” She patted his hands. “Talking about Sherry, maybe you should get home and get ready for your date?” She pushed his hands off gently, stepping back as she went over to stare into the tinted window of his car.

He felt himself flush. “I’m not seeing her tonight.” He offered as he turned to look at her trying to look into the car. Looking back at him, over her shoulder, “She’s mad at me.”

Immediately, he knew it had been the wrong thing to tell her again, since her arms dropped to her sides. The smile she'd had on faded as her face turned blank. She did that to him all the time at work. “You know, you’re not making this any better. You said you’re not being nice to me just to be nice, but now you said you’re not seeing her because she’s mad at you...So nice to be second resort.” She let out a huff, pushing past him on her way up her driveway. “Have a good night, doctor! Don’t speed, the road’s wet.”

“Elena,” he groaned as he scratched his head in frustration. “It’s not like that. She’s mad at me because I told her that she was being inappropriate. I'm not here because she turned me down and I’m not just being nice because I want something from you.”

She was already at her porch and out of the rain when she turned back to him. “You confuse me. I don’t know what to make of you and it annoys me.”

“How? I’m being honest.” Truth be told, she confused the hell out of him as well. Growing up, he had women fawning for him, yet Elena seemed to want him as far away from her as possible. She never smiled at him even if she did smile at others at work.

“You’re always teasing me and being rude. Now, you're being nice to me. I don’t know if I'm setting myself up for something, what your motives are.”

She was upset and yet, he found himself just unable to look away from her— face flushing angrily, eyes blazing, even her hair looked like a crown of flames. At that moment, he was absolutely terrified of her because she was like a beacon of light and he couldn’t look away.

“I apologize for being rude. I don’t tease you to offend you. It’s just the…” Way you are? Liar. “I don’t normally have people inviting me over for coffee without some other intention. I know you don’t have ulterior motives and I don’t know how to react to that.”

"I am not very social,” She replied, trying to think why it felt so normal to explain things to him. Normally she’d be running for the hills already. “You can come in for coffee if you still want to. Think of it as a thank you for the ride home.”

“Alright. No worries. Let me get my horse out of the car.”

“I’ll leave the door open. I have to run inside and… I’ll be inside.” Elena mumbled before rushing inside to make sure that there wasn’t a random bra lying around.

Passing by the mirror near the doorway, she saw herself—redheaded, pale, not that pretty—and decided that she would be okay. No need to freak out.

Because no man, she thought, especially as good-looking as him, would look at me twice...