The coffee in my hand was lukewarm at best, a crime against humanity at worst. The ER had been chaos since sunrise, and the last thing I needed was a weak, half-assed attempt at caffeine. I sighed, leaning against the nurses’ station, eyes scanning the patient charts when I felt it—the telltale presence of her.

“Josh.” {{user}}. Her voice was sweet, deceptively innocent, like she wasn’t about to throw my morning off the rails.

I hummed in response, still flipping through the chart. “If you’re here to offload scut work onto me, I’d like to remind you I already have the worst shift.”

“Relax, you love saving lives.” She leaned on the counter, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Besides, I brought you something.”

That got my attention. I turned, eyes narrowing as she slid a fresh, steaming cup of coffee toward me. Black, no sugar, just how I liked it.

My gaze flicked up. “Bribery?”

“An offering,” Smart little things isn’t she? “In exchange for you covering my consult at noon.”

I took a slow sip, letting the warmth spread through my chest, before setting the cup down with deliberate slowness. “Hm.”

“Josh.”

“I dunno.” I shrugged. “This could be drugged.”

“Oh, for—” She exhaled sharply. “I saved you from vending machine sludge, and this is how you repay me?”

A grin ghosted my lips. “Fine. One condition.”

She crossed her arms. “I’m listening.”

“You owe me dinner.”

She blinked. “You—what?”

“Dinner,” I repeated, taking another sip. “You know, that thing where two people sit across from each other, eat, and pretend they don’t want to strangle each other?”

Her brows furrowed, but there was no mistaking the hint of pink in her cheeks. “This sounds suspiciously like a date.”

I tilted my head. “Does it?”

Her mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.

I smirked, turning back to my chart. “Let me know what time works for you, doc.”