It was a cool morning, with a veil of grey mist floating in the air. A weak drizzle fell down on Simon Brenner's shoulders as he turned the corner into the ambulance bay of County General. He was still slightly hung over but estimated his blood alcohol to be low enough to legally practice medicine. It wasn't his shift, but he assumed the ER still could use some help. He wasn't doing it out of any charitable impulse, but to play the role of a good guy.
He'd spent the night with a young IT professional he'd met in the bar. She'd been a fairly unimpressive redhead, but Simon's standards hadn't been at their peak at that time. They'd chatted for a while, and she'd obviously been impressed by finding out he was a medical professional. The accent had helped. One thing had led to another, and he'd found himself at her apartment in Streeterville. The sex had been good, if not altogether unforgettable, and he'd even had a chance to grab a few hours of sleep.
Passing the ball court, he suddenly saw Neela walking out through the sliding doors. She looked tired and had little makeup on, suggesting to Simon that she'd been summoned to help out through the mass casualty. He immediately deviated from his path to attract her attention.
"Neela!" he cried out. "Hey, fancy seeing you here."
Neela slowed her trot and stopped, giving Simon an indifferent stare.
"Simon," Neela said. "What are you doing here?"
"Just decided to stop by and see if I could help," Simon said. "It's a shame I couldn't get here earlier."
"We managed," Neela said, beginning to continue on her way.
"Hey, hold it," Simon called out. "I actually wanted to have a word with you."
Shrugging, Neela turned to face him and said: "Sure. What did you have in mind?"
"You know, us," Simon said, putting on a bit of his shy guy act. "I thought we might carry on from where we left off."
Neela rolled her eyes, and something in her body language made Simon uneasy. She gave her a casual, self-confident smile that he took as a warning sign.
"Right," she said, nodding. "Where did we leave off, exactly?"
Simon shrugged his shoulders. "I thought we made a connection, don't you?"
She laughed softly. Suddenly, Simon Brenner felt a shiver running down his spine.
"No offence, Simon, but…"
"But what?"
"The fact that we made out doesn't mean we should have," Neela said. "I know, you said that I needed to get laid, and that may have been true, but…"
This was definitely sending cold shivers down Simon's spine. "Come on, Neela. Are you saying you don't want to go further with what we have between us?"
"Simon, I'm not saying I didn't find what we shared enjoyable. What I am saying that I don't feel any need to repeat the experience."
"Come on. I want to at least give this a try."
"I don't really give a tinker's toss about what you want."
"Ouch. That's rather cold."
"I tried polite. Didn't seem to work," Neela said, adjusting the the shoulder strap of her bag. "Besides, I'm much too tired right now for niceties."
"Why the change of heart?" Simon asked, now. "You seemed quite eager yesterday."
"You were there, you were easy. You were practically pushing yourself onto me, so I jumped the opportunity. But on the long term, there's simply no place for you at my flower festival."
Simon didn't get the reference, but understood the intent. Neela's posture and tone of voice made it patently clear. Normally, this would have been the point for him to back down gracefully, cut his losses and maybe leave the door ajar between them. That was the way pros played the game, but there was something Simon felt in Neela's presence that reduced him into a rank amateur.
"So, you think you can just have your fun and then toss me aside like some toyboy?" he said. It was a transparent appeal to her sense of shame, and Simon regretted voicing it before he'd finished the sentence.
"Shut up," Neela said. "I think we both got what exactly what we wanted out of each other."
"What if I want more?" Simon asked.
"Then excuse me if I'm repeating myself, but I don't give a damn. You caught me at a weak moment, and what we did is never going to happen again." Neela turned to leave. "Good bye, Simon."
Simon stood speechless, looking at her go. There was no angle to play anymore. The rejection had been definite, not made in a fit of emotion but with calm conviction. Simon Brenner, for the first time in his life, began to feel that he'd been used.
-
She stopped by a deli on her way home to pick up a sandwich, which she wolfed down during the El ride. When Neela finally reached her apartment, the light drizzle had turned into a full-blown rainstorm. Her home was still a mess, exactly as she had left it. Even the TV was still on with the sound turned down. Sitting down on the sofa, she reached for the remote and turned it off.
Time for sleep, she thought, making herself comfortable. The bedroom window faced the fire escape, and whenever it rained heavily the raindrops falling on them produced a merciless cacophony. A nap on the living room couch would have to do for now.
Then, the cell phone interrupted her rest once again. It was still in her bag, but the muffled ringtone was still too loud to ignore. Shoving her hand inside to grab it, she slammed the phone against her ear.
"You have ten seconds to make your case before I hang up," she said, eyes still closed.
"Well, hello to you too, Neela," a familiar, raspy voice said on the other end.
"Ray?"
