Zoe exited the hospital, her eyes set firmly on the figure of Max before her. He leant against the side of the hospital, face raised to the winter sunshine above, his lips blowing streamers of cigarette smoke into the wind.
She stopped in front of him and held out her hand.
"What's this?"
She asked, holding out a roll of sweets.
He lowered his gaze, squinting one eye against the glare of the sun.
"It's a packet of Love Hearts."
He said, raising his arm to take another draw on the cigarette.
"I know that!"
She exclaimed with a roll of her eyes and she folded her arms tightly about her waist, the love hearts in the crook of her arm.
"Did you leave them on my chair?"
She asked. Her hair shone in the sunlight, her eyes coal black in the shadow of the building.
"No."
He said simply, and he saw her face expression falter as he took another suck on the cigarette and exhaled slowly, breathing the smoke so that it billowed into her face. She wafted a hand half-heartedly. Was that disappointment within her frown?
"I put them on your desk, they must have rolled off."
He said quietly, dropping the butt of his cigarette to the ground. He stepped on it with the heel of his shoe and left it to smoulder on the cement, the tip of it glowing a brilliant orange before burning itself out in a puff of grey smoke.
Zoe inhaled slowly through her nose, not quite sure how to respond.
"Why would you do that?"
She asked eventually and he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms, mirroring her pose.
"Am I not allowed to give gifts at Christmas time to my work colleagues?"
He asked, exhaling the last of the smoke whilst he spoke.
"Don't tell me you don't slip Mrs Beauchamp a little something across the desks?"
He added, biting his lip against a smile.
"Perhaps. But I wont be slipping her Love Hearts!"
Zoe exclaimed with frustration.
"The mind boggles..."
Max grinned and she averted her gaze, irritated by the twitch of a smile that threatened her lips.
"That's not what I meant."
She whispered.
"Listen..."
She cleared her throat and raised her eyes to the sky, watching as a plane soared silently overhead.
"When I said that we should just be friends..."
"Is this the bit where you say that you made a terrible mistake and that I was right all along, we are meant to be together...?"
He asked, cutting her off, tilting his head to one side and watching her sigh.
"No."
She whispered.
"Thought not."
He breathed and kicked the heel of his shoe against the ground.
"Max..."
She reached out to him, taking him by surprise, but no sooner had she done it than she had retracted her hand, suddenly aware of what she was doing.
"You have to understand that this isn't easy for me? I have to put the hospital first..."
"And your own personal satisfaction second?"
He asked, interrupting her again.
"What?"
She asked, frowning.
"Nothing..."
He whispered, shaking his head, smiling again as he looked away, looked to the people that milled about in the car park.
"I can't cope with the rumours Max, with people pointing and talking about me behind my back. I just want to do my job, OK?"
She lowered her voice as Dr Ashford walked by, his head bowed into the wind, and Max couldn't help but realise how much his head looked like a bowling ball, glinting in the sunshine and he remembered when he and Zoe used to laugh together over similar observations.
"So just to clarify? This has nothing to do with me as a person...more to do with me as a porter?"
He asked, gesturing with his hand as he spoke. Zoe pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, looking at him , silently pleading with him not to ask.
She exhaled.
"No, no...that's fine."
He raised a hand and inspected the fingernail on his index finger.
Zoe stepped back off the curb slowly and began to turn away from him.
"Number three."
He said suddenly, and she glanced back, frowning against the sunlight.
"What?"
She asked.
"I quit."
He said.
More soon! xxx