Her first glass was empty by the time she picked up her phone to check the time again.

8:14.

44 minutes after she was supposed to meet her date.

Her last text had gone unanswered. In fact, it looked like he hadn't even opened it. She didn't really want to meet with him, but she'd told herself she'd make more of an effort to date this year and Morgan had convinced her she needed someone, something, in her life besides work.

8:15.

"Can I grab another gin please?"

She picks up her glass and motions to the bartender.

"No show?" He asks, filling her glass.

"Apparently so."

She takes a sip and sets the glass down on the bar. It had been a long day.

Nothing went wrong, but nothing went right either.

Morgan got picked for the next lead surgery and Melendez had been ignoring her all week after a complaint was made about favouritism. All they'd been doing was running together. It was therapeutic, she thought, for the both of them.

"Drinking alone on a Tuesday night isn't the best look for a promising young surgeon," came a familiar voice.

Neil Melendez pulled up the chair beside Claire, as the bartender handed him a beer. She didn't have to look up to know who was there.

"Promising? Nah, my attending can hardly even look at me, let alone refer me for surgeries... or teach me anything," she said taking a gulp of her gin.

"Ouch."

The last bit might have been a step too far, but in that moment she didn't care. And she knew deep down he didn't really either.

"Claire, I'm sorry, I know I haven't outwardly been your biggest fan this week, I just can't risk it. It's not good for either of us."

She didn't look at him, or respond. But she could feel him next to her and she knew he was right.

He had been favouring her. But he didn't know how to stop.

"If it helps, it's been really hard," he said quietly.

She glanced at him. He looked tired and a little beaten down but she didn't miss his subtle smirk. Like he was laughing at himself for admitting it to her, hoping she hadn't heard, but kind of hoping she did.

"So what are you doing here alone?" he asked.

She downed the rest of her drink and before she could put the glass back on the bar, Melendez waved the bartender back to refill it for her.

Maybe it was the two gins on an empty stomach and no sleep, but she rolled her eyes and said "what do you care?"

"Okay, I probably deserved that, I can leave if you want."

"I got stood up, okay?" She said finally turning to him.

"Oh Claire, I -"

"It's fine. I didn't even want to go on this date anyway, I just said I would so Morgan would get off my back about being single and sometimes... lonely- just about being single. It's fine."

Neil tried to hide his smirk into his beer as he took a mouthful.

"I'd have thought a good looking young woman like you wouldn't have any troubles in the loneliness department," he joked.

"What, are you offering to help?" She shot back.

Claire's mouth went dry and her hand froze around her glass. She shouldn't have said that. This was her boss. Her incredibly attractive, attentive and sometimes, she swears, flirty, boss.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't - I should go," she said, putting her wallet out to pay.

"I've got it," Neil handed his card to the bartender and told him to put it all together. "Let me take you home. You can't drive and I, I feel guilty about the way I've treated you this week."

He reached out and touched her arm, the callouses on his fingers brushing against her skin. She hadn't expected his hands to be so rough and goosebumps grew on her arm. She wanted to protest but just didn't have the energy. Claire picked up her bag and followed Melendez to the street.

In the passenger's seat, her elbow resting on the centre console just a couple of centimetres from his. A part of her wanted to slide it over to touch his but even a couple of drinks in, she wasn't that stupid. They drove in silence until he pulled up outside of her apartment and offered to walk her in.

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself Claire," said Neil as he put her bag down on the bench for her.

"You're going to be a great surgeon, regardless of who you're in surgery with. You don't need me to teach you how to be a good surgeon. Lim is fantastic, Andrews is also a great teacher."

She sat at the stool opposite him, watching as his helped himself to two glasses and some water. It felt easy, Neil moving around her kitchen as if it belonged to him, pouring her a glass of water without even thinking about it. They'd become good friends outside of work and he'd helped her a lot. She liked to think she'd been helping him too.

"Thanks," she said quietly, taking a sip. "I just, I hate that a totally normal, platonic friendship has suddenly turned into workplace rumours and having to avoid each other."

He looked at her, disappointed, but knowing. She was right, they were having to avoid each other because of rumours and he hated it too. But the rumours had started and the rules were clear. He was her boss, she his resident - they had to be professional.

Melendez walked around the kitchen bench and took the seat beside her. She looked exhausted, but not drunk. Like her body was too tired, too over it, to bother absorbing the alcohol.

It was quiet, they sat silently beside each other, their shoulders just touching, forearms so close resting on the bench that their fingers could have intertwined at any moment. But neither moved.

"It's not just a totally platonic friendship though, is it?" He said, staring at his hands on the bench.

Claire could have sworn her heart came to a halt and her stomach had fallen out onto the ground.

"I- I don't know," she whispered.

She could feel his eyes on her but couldn't bring herself to look at him. Does he think she's in love with him? Does he think she's some sad, desperate young resident obsessed with her hot boss?

"Sorry," he said finally. "I guess not. Maybe I'm just seeing things that aren't there. Feeling things on my own."

"Feeling things?" she frowned, turning to face him.

He took a deep breath.

"I don't know Claire. I just - I think maybe I was starting to see our friendship as, more than platonic. And that's kind of terrifying."

Claire was silent, looking at him, her eyes ran over all over him trying to figure out if this was some kind of cruel joke.

"I'm sorry," said Melendez, breaking the silence. "I shouldn't have said anything. It's inappropriate. I'm your attending."

He stood to leave but as he turned away he felt a hand on his arm, pulling him back. She was still sitting there, staring at him with half a smile on her face, the other half was a mix of confusion and fear. He couldn't help himself. He took her face in his hands and leant down to kiss her, hard and she sighed as her arms twisted around his neck, kissing him back with more feeling. As she stood he took a couple of steps backward until he was leaning against the back of the couch, Claire still kissing him, her chest relaxing into his as his hands slid down her back. She felt his fingers on the skin between the top of her jeans and the back of her shirt, chills running up her spine. His fingers slipped up under the fabric of her top and she caught herself smiling into his lips, willing his hands to move further.

"Is - is that okay?" He whispered.

She nodded, planting her lips back on his, her tongue edging at his bottom lip. He took a deep breath as their kisses deepened, his hands moving across her back until his fingers touched the strap of her bra under her shirt. She unlocked her arms from around his neck, running her fingers down his chest, tugging ever so slightly at the bottom of his white shirt, where it was tucked into his pants.

But she pulled away, put her hands on his chest to stop herself.

"We can't, Neil," she whispered. "You're my boss."

His hands still on her back, heart beating faster than he thought possible. She'd never called him Neil before, but then again they'd never been in quite this situation before. He bit his bottom lip, staring at her.

"We can stop," he said. "But, I really don't want to."

She sucked slightly on her top lip, weighing up the pros and cons of what they were about to do, but all it did was make him want her more. He pulled her closer and started kissing her neck, she bent her head to the side, letting him and letting out a sigh.

"Neil, don't -" she stuttered.

"Don't what?" He said into her neck.

She let out another breath, as his lips moved over her.

"Don't you dare leave a mark," she smiled, grabbing his face in her hands and kissing him on the mouth.

He smiled into her lips and stood back up straight as she took a step backward, out of the living room and into the hallway. He was still kissing her as she led them to her bedroom door and twisted the handle, falling into the room and onto the bed. Her boss was on top of her, his shirt finally untucked from his tight pants. He laughed at her as she struggled with the buttons, sitting up on his knees to undo them himself.

"Honestly I was about to just tear them off, but I figured your shirt must be expensive," she smiled.

The his full chest and shoulder tattoo was on display as he slipped his arms out of his sleeves. God, he was even hotter than she'd pictured. She reached up and traced the tattoo with her fingers as he leant back down to kiss her.

"I've always wondered what the rest of it was underneath," she whispered.

"I'll tell you the story about it later," he said.