The sunlight streaming in through the window jabs me in the eyes.

Why the hell are the curtains open? I usually pull them shut before I go to sleep, so my bedroom is always pitch-black in the morning.

I draw my eyebrows together into a frown.

What time is it?

I reach one hand underneath my pillow, where I usually put my phone before I go to sleep.

It’s not there.

Okay, sometimes it migrates during the night.

I slide my hand over my bed, hoping to touch my phone at some point.

It’s not on the bed either.

Defeated, I peel my eyelids open and squint, letting my eyes slowly adjust to just how bright everything is.

Oh, my phone’s on the nightstand.

Cool. I don’t remember putting it there, but whatever.

9:14!

I’m supposed to be at the hospital in sixteen minutes!

I sit bolt upright in my bed.

I’m not going to make it in time.

Some things are poking into my head.

There’s no time to worry about that, though. I need to get ready.

There’s no time to shower, obviously, so I’ll just… I don’t know, put on my scrubs and hope I look presentable. Definitely no time for make-up.

I flip the blanket open and…

What am I wearing?

Why did I wear a dress into bed? And this dress, too. This dress is way too special to wear to sleep. What if it gets stained or torn before I even get to see Gabe?

Wait a minute…

I stare absently across my bedroom. All my brainpower goes into trying to remember…

Gabe.

Oh, shit.

I check my phone for messages, and find just one from Karen.

Hey, I just dropped you off. You totally passed out! Hope you’ll feel better in the morning.

Gabe.

There’s nothing from Gabe.

But of course! I didn’t give him my phone number.

I didn’t give him my phone number because… I was supposed to see him again right away.

Then I went to see Karen… and that’s all I remember.

Shit!

I was about to see Gabe in his room and I passed out?

I have the worst luck in the world.

I must’ve passed out after I saw Karen.

I guess I can’t complain too much. At least I didn’t puke on Gabe or something.

But damn it, how could it have gone so unexpectedly right, and then so unexpectedly wrong?

I don’t have time to dwell on this. I already wasted about thirty seconds reading Karen’s text.

I grab the door of my wardrobe open and take the scrubs at the top of the pile.

I’ve had so many 16-hour shifts that I don’t remember the days anymore. They’re all blurred together in my mind—except for last night.

Last night stood out because I knew I was going to see Gabe.

On the first day of my internship, I asked to have last night off. That was before I knew I could attend the event. I didn’t even know Karen at that point.

But I knew I was going to see Gabe, ticket or no ticket. Worst case scenario, I could hang around outside the building and wait for the party to end so I could “bump into” Gabe as he’s walking out.

But I totally didn’t expect him to not even recognize me.

As I close the wardrobe door, a silver flashlight catches the sunlight on its reflective surface, momentarily blinding me.

I almost forgot that thing’s still in here. When I was a little girl, I used to hide inside my wardrobe and read a book under the flashlight. I found the enclosed space comforting, and Ray never looked for me in there.

With lightning speed, I take off my dress and underwear, then put on my scrubs.

I check my reflection in the mirror. Of course I didn’t remove my make-up either. I take off the hairpins poking me in the head and run a finger under my eyes to remove the black mascara that has smudged there.

Done. Ready for work.

I run downstairs.

“Oh, look who’s decided to join us for breakfast,” Ray says.

“I’m not having breakfast. What are you doing up so early?”

“What, I’m not allowed to wake up in the morning now? Maybe I just want to see how you deal with your first hangover.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t have a hangover.” I check the hallway table, where the keys are supposed to be stored.

Nope. Not there. Of course they’re not there.

“You look like you’re in a rush, honey. Do you want Ray to drive you to work?” Mom asks as she appears from the kitchen with a stack of pancakes.

What is with my family today? Why are they being so nice and helpful?

Is this opposite day? Am I still dreaming? Is this just how vivid dreams are when I’m drunk?

“No, thanks, Mom. I’ll be fine. Besides, I don’t think Ray wants to leave his pancakes.”

“Damn right I don’t,” he says.

I can always depend on Ray to be selfish.

I don’t need either of these two to show up at the hospital and see Gabe’s dad.

They’d get out of control like they always do and embarrass me. Worse still, they’d give me shit for working there and Ray would finally have an excuse to try to drag me down with him.

“You know, Mom, Jackie came home wasted last night. About time, don’t you think?” Ray asks.

“Oh, don’t bother her, Ray. She went out with Dr. Brown’s daughter to that award event. Did you meet any nice guys, sweetie?”

I roll my eyes. Of course Mom would judge how worthwhile my activities are based on how many wealthy men I meet in the process.

This time, though, the answer is actually yes. Yes, I did meet a very nice guy, Mom. But you wouldn’t like him.

I ignore Mom’s question, and Ray does too.

“She’s already twenty-four,” Ray says, pausing to chew his food, “and I expected her to start binging at twenty-one, at the latest. And even that’s late for our family. You have a lot of catching up to do, little sister.”

Mom stays quiet, and I can’t see her expression because I’m crawling around the entryway, but I finally find the keys.

I grab the damn things and bolt out the door.

I walk down the street to where Mom and Ray can’t see me and call a cab. It comes in no time. We live in a pretty central location, so it’s also going to be a short ride to the hospital, but I’m still going to be late.

In the cab, I think about the events of last night, replaying as much as I can remember in my head.

I remember going outside and asking for a cigarette because I needed an excuse to talk to him. Then, he told me not to smoke and invited me up to his room instead.

My face heats up as I remember all the dirty things he said.

I had no idea Gabe had such a filthy mouth. I didn’t expect him to be that dominant either.

I mean, he was always a gruff loner, but he was a sensitive soul inside.

But I like the rude, arrogant Gabe. He’s hot as hell. My panties were completely drenched last night, and I desperately wanted him to pop my cherry.

God, why didn’t I go to his room last night? It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Now he’s probably going back to Africa soon, and I’m never going to see him again.

Okay, maybe “never” is an exaggeration. I’m sure there’s something I can do to figure out his schedule. Or I don’t know, he’s bound to come back again someday, right?

All things considered, I guess things worked out okay last night…?

Up until last night, Gabe had never seen me as anything other than his friend’s little sister.

To be fair, I was only sixteen when It happened and Gabe left. He was the same age I am now. And from my current point of view, sixteen-year-olds are immature brats.

Now that we were both grown-ups, I was hoping he’d see me as a woman. And he did.

It was just a shame the moment didn’t last as long as I hoped it would.

As the cab pulls up in front of the hospital, I grab a $20 bill and hand it to the driver as soon as we come to a stop. “Keep the change.”

I walk briskly—I can’t run because that would attract too much attention—toward the spot where we’re supposed to meet this morning, a nurses’ station on the third floor.

I find the group easily. Trying to blend with the crowd of medical interns, I start at the back and slowly sidle up to Karen.

As soon as she sees me, she widens her eyes and whispers, “Where were you? I told your brother to set an alarm for you before I left.”

Damn it. Ray deliberately didn’t set an alarm for me even though he knew what time I’d have to get up. Jerk.

I give Karen a smile and a shrug. It would take too long to explain why I didn’t wake up on time, because I’d have to go through everything that’s wrong with my family.

Besides, I don’t want the stern residency director, Dr. Crenshaw, to notice me. I’m already late, so I probably should shut up and listen to him.

I take out my pen and notebook to jot down my tasks for the day, copying a few lines from Karen’s notes. When I’m done, I look up, only to see a tall, dark, and gorgeous man beside Dr. Crenshaw.

Gabe.

He’s staring at me with an angry flame in his bright green eyes and a smirk on his lips.