Simon had expected to be treated with little more than polite friendliness. Maybe, at most, they'll show him where the bathroom is, and then they'll let him by himself.

But the clinic he was invited to work at was the best in Manchester for a reason. A doctor came out to him. A real doctor, you, who, as it turned out, works in the same specialty as him – a general practitioner.

Simon followed you around the hospital lobby, examining the gleaming floors and walls, painted in soft blues and yellows, depending on each department. You showed him where the instrument room was, in case the nurse (the newbie) got the tweezers mixed up. You even grinned and mentioned that it's better not to leave chocolate unattended on the table in the doctors' lounge area, because the chief surgeon has a crazy sweet tooth.

Surprisingly, Simon remembered everything, absorbing every word you said, every remark. It was as if he felt like an intern in silicone shoes again, trotting after his mentor and clenching his jaw hard from nerves, because all his classmates could afford a new pair of crocs every month.

Simon came from the area where the doors were locked with at least three locks and the windows were never left open. Throughout his childhood, he heard his father's drunken screams, while covering his younger brother's ears as the two boys hid in the closet, praying that the old man would just pass out on the couch in the living room. He earned his own college by changing oil and repairing tires at an auto repair shop for six months without days off.

And he has earned his place here. He achieved this with his own sweat, with his own hands.

"That's all. Your office is down the hall and to the left. Shift starts in fifteen minutes." You said, stopping in the right aisle.

"Thanks for the tour."

"You're welcome. I was glad to show you the ropes. And don't forget about the chocolate, because..."

"Peterson doesn't know how to keep his hands to himself. Got it. I'll take the ropes ya showed me and tie his hands if he looks at ma candy bar."

You snorted, lowering your head down and hiding a smile. He really made you laugh with his banal pun.

Simon smiled slightly in response. Well, fun fact, but his love language was when people laughed at his jokes.