FYI -- No Sex In This Chapter.
*Toby*
It is Thursday morning, I didn't get much sleep last night, it is so weird now sleeping by myself, we returned from the retreat last night and the Doc had to drive Janice home. I was hoping that he would come over but he didn't. I did get a goodnight text from him, what are we teenagers? I would have called him, but I know he had to be in this morning too. But if I would have called I am sure we would have been like teenagers and stayed on too long.
My guards were laughing at me all day. They kept telling me it was supposed to be a relaxing retreat and that I shouldn't look like death warmed over. I just told them to do their job, that I just couldn't sleep last night. I did take a walk through the halls mid-morning but didn't run into Jake; he was in one of the ER rooms, I couldn't just hang around to talk to him.
Well, I decided what my first courting idea would be. I called a florist after I did my walk through and had flowers delivered to him, I was able to watch it on the monitors. It was cute seeing his face when he was called to the nurses' station and the delivery person had him sign for them. Janice was smiling, so I knew she knew who they were from. I had the florist sign the card, 'Can't wait for Saturday, and I hope these brighten your day. T.' He looked right at the security monitors and smiled, he must have known I would be watching.
The day went by quick and of course when I was packing up to head home, hoping to follow the Doc out, I got a phone call from administration. They wanted to make sure that I was getting my proposal together for them. The board only meets once a month and they wanted to make sure it was in in time. By time I got off the phone it was thirty minutes after the Doc left.
*******
*Jake*
When I was paged to the nurses' station this afternoon, Janice followed me, we walked up and there was a flower delivery guy standing there. He asked if I was Dr. Jake Thomas, I nodded and he pushed a small clipboard at me to sign, I did and he handed me a box. Janice was standing to my right and was smiling up a storm. I opened the box and there was a dozen of coral roses, I picked up the card and read it. I looked up at the camera in the hallway and smiled, I hope he was watching.
"Coral roses, MMMmmm, do you know what coral roses mean?" Janice said as we were walking towards the changing room so I could put them in my locker.
"No Janice, I don't know what coral roses mean."
She laughed, "You did tell him to woo you, and he is wooing you alright."
"What do they mean?"
"Ask him tonight, you should stop by his condo and thank him for them." She laughed and walked down the hall as I stopped at the changing room.
"You are evil Janice, you could just tell me." All I could hear was her laughter as she turned the corner.
I didn't get time to think about anything else because we had a multicar accident coming in, so I was busy nonstop until it was my time to leave. I went to the changing room and changed back into my slacks and button long-sleeved shirt and headed home. I was half expecting Toby to be behind Janice and I but he wasn't, don't know where he is. I still had my flowers so I will have to get them home and put them in a vase.
When I arrived home, I was pacing back and forth to the window to see if he had pulled up yet, I was hoping I would catch sight of his car before he pulled into his garage but if I don't hear from him before seven, I will walk over and thank him in person. I just happened to catch the door of his garage going down so now I know he is home. Should I wait for him to call me or just go over there? Maybe I should give him some time, I know a lot of people like to unwind a little bit when they first come home.
When seven came around I couldn't handle it any longer, he had been home for thirty minutes, why hasn't he called to ask if I liked the flowers? I left my condo and walked across the way to his door and rang, I had to ring again and then finally I hear the locks turn and he opens the door. Oh my god, he stood there smiling at me, in just a towel, I know my mouth had dropped open.
"Doc, you're staring again. Do you want to come in?"
"Yeah... yeah... I'm sorry." He stands back to let me in and closes the door. "I'm sorry, I didn't give you enough time when you came home, I can come back."
"Doc, its ok, let me just grab some clothes. I will be right back out, make yourself comfortable." Toby said as he walked up the stairs to his bedroom.
I wish I could have said he didn't need to put any clothes on but I told him that we needed to take this slow. God why was I stupid about that? I could have had him in my bed or his bed or shit at the beach any of the week. I asked him to court me, shit what was I thinking? Toby came back down in jeans and a t-shirt, he wasn't wearing shoes or socks, and he sat next to me on the couch.
"Hi." As he sat sideways on the couch so he could look at me.
"Hi, thank you for the flowers." I turned sideways so I could leaned in to kiss him. "What does the color mean?"
"You didn't look it up?" I shook my head. "Doc you will have to look it up to find out."
"What were you talking with Janice, she told me to ask you?" He laughed, so I reached in my pocket to take my phone out and he grabbed it from me. "Give me my phone back, I would like to look it up."
"Nope, tell me before you look it up, what you think coral roses mean." He smiled at me, all I wanted to do was jump on him.
"I only know red and white, red is love and white is innocence."
"Yes that is true, some colors mean, I love you or I am falling in love with you, but coral does not, it means." Toby handed my phone back to me.
I take it from him, seeing that he was keeping his mouth shut for a reason, I looked up meaning of coral roses and the webpage said desire. "Desire?"
*******
*Toby*
"Yes, Doc, desire." God if he only knew how bad I desire him. I leaned in again to kiss him, "I missed cuddling with you last night." I laughed, I sound stupid. "I couldn't sleep well, it is weird we only were in the same bed for a week and now I can't sleep well without you." Yeah I am stupid I sound like an idiot.
"I didn't sleep well either last night." Again I leaned in and kissed him, he didn't sleep well either. Now I was smiling like an idiot.
"Did you eat Doc? I could order pizza or I could see if I have something to whip up." Knowing I had to go shopping since I had been gone for a week, I just grabbed a few items from the quickie mart.
"Pizza sounds good, so does just snuggling here on the couch." Jake said.
Oh God, I wish he would let me take him to my bed, but I will be good. I walked over to the kitchen, pulled out the pizza flyer and asked if there was anything he didn't like on his pizza, he told me he likes everything. I ordered then I grabbed two bottles of beer and walked back to the couch and sat next to him. After giving him a bottle I slid my free arm around his neck and pulled him towards me, I wanted to kiss his lovely lips.
"Mmmmm, that is nice." He melted into me as we sat there, he turned and had his back pressed to my side and his feet up on the couch, I happily held him as we drank our beer.
"Doc, what you doing tomorrow evening?"
"Hoping for some more of this, I like being held by you."
Oh god, he is killing me here, he likes being held by me, I had to smile on that one because I love holding him. I truly love holding him. I never liked holding Jack this much, he was always distant and acted like he didn't want to be touched. Maybe all those years really weren't love after all. "We can do as much of this as you would like, you could stay. I promise like on the retreat I won't do anything but snuggle with you."
"Or maybe you can come and stay the night with me, my cat wasn't too happy with me for leaving for that week, even though I had someone checking in on her."
