Maddie

The following week, my boss was able to get me a meeting with one of the hospitals near Cameron's apartment. We still haven't had the opportunity to go house shopping with him being busy with football, but if I get this job, we'll have a general area to begin our search.

This hospital is one of the most prestigious in not only California but the entire country. The large building in front of me is daunting as I stop on the pavement to scale the sides, attempting to calculate how many stories it reaches. Ambulance sirens wail nearby, and doctors and nurses are either coming or going from their shifts, everyone seeming to hold a cup of coffee in their hands. It's so different from Germany. The past year has given me a culture shock from how busy Los Angeles is.

With a nervous exhale, I clutch my briefcase closer to my side. and stride for the automatic doors. I've never done an internship with a hospital before. My previous internship was held at a doctor's office, and it was nothing like this.

When was the last time I had an interview? I'm racking my brain as I approach the guest services desk, but nothing comes to mind. I mean, I had to do an interview for my internship abroad, but I don't count that. It wasn't a job. I wasn't getting paid for that. This is my first big-girl adult interview.

God, am I dressed okay?

Glancing down at the fitted black pants and pink satin blouse tucked into the waistband, I feel as much of a businesswoman as possible. This is my dream career, and this internship is all I've ever wanted. If I can get in here, I'll have a better shot at conducting my residency here next year. And for whatever reason, knowing that makes me all the more nervous.

The woman at the front desk instructs me to take the elevator to the fifth floor, where the offices are located. I'm to check in with them, and they'll let the interviewer know I've arrived.

I'm thirty minutes early, mainly because I had a fear I wouldn't be able to find parking, so I decide to wait ten minutes or so in the cafeteria before I head up to the offices.

Before I can sit down, my phone vibrates.

Cam: Good luck today, baby. You've got this! I believe in you.

The message has warmth bubbling in my chest, and a newfound confidence seems to seep into my veins. His words make it easier to breathe, and my palms aren't as sweaty as I text out a reply to him.

Me: I love you. How's Iz?

Cam: Currently eating mac and cheese, happier than ever. Stop worrying. We're fine :)

Cam: Oh, and I love you too.

I felt bad asking him to watch her. It's his first day off after eight days of work, and I know he's got to be exhausted. If he wasn't training, he was in meetings. If he wasn't in meetings, he was practicing. I've hardly seen him other than a few hours in the morning for breakfast. By the time he gets home, Izzy and I are already asleep.

But he ushered me out the door without a complaint. He said he needed a daddy-daughter day with Iz, so I didn't push him. I know being away from her because of work affects him more than he lets on.

"Maddie?"

Glancing up from my phone, my body stills as I take in the man in front of me. I haven't seen him in years, and for the life of me, I'm trying to figure out what exactly he's doing here in Los Angeles. In scrubs.

"Tre?" I'm still dumbfounded, staring up at his height and wincing from the reflection of the fluorescent lights. I haven't seen him since I broke things off between us. Last I knew, he was a bartender in Phoenix. Certainly not working at a hospital in Los Angeles.

He takes a step closer, motioning to the empty chair across from me. "Can I sit?"

"Um, sure." I move the briefcase on the table and place it in my lap, forming my lips into a thin line in an attempt to stop myself from asking so many questions. All of them are spewing up my throat like word vomit, but I force them back down and wait for him to speak first. He approached me after all.

Tre hasn't changed much from when I last saw him. He's still tall, dark, and handsome. The kind of handsome that screams danger. I'm quickly reminded of the words he spoke to me on our triple date with Cameron and my brother. Flashbacks of Cameron pinning him against the wall have me wincing again, and I can hardly look at Tre in those honey-brown eyes of his without remembering how worthless he made me feel in those moments.

"I didn't realize you worked here," he says, eyeing the briefcase.

That is the first thing he chooses to say to me? Granted, we ended things amicably when we parted, but still.

"Isn't that something I should be asking you? When did you move to Los Angeles? And why are you in scrubs?"

His eyes soften as he scans my face, settling more into his chair before he says, "After things ended between us, I meant what I said about seeking help. I started going to therapy, and after a lot of contemplation, I realized bartending wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. It seemed like I was following in my father's footsteps, and I needed a career change to just..." He sighs, running a hand over his buzzed hair. "I wanted to help others. You know, kids like me who are abused come into places like these with parents trying to throw out every excuse in the book for their injuries. I recognize the signs, so I decided to turn my pain into something meaningful."

Despite the words exchanged between us, Tre had a horrible upbringing with an abusive father, and I can't ignore that his past definitely had an impact on who he was when I met him. I meant when I said he was nothing like his father. I knew if he tried hard enough, he'd be able to make it to the other side, and knowing he's doing this for a living now? Helping others in need? I'm so happy for him. Genuinely happy.

"I don't live here permanently. I'm a travel nurse, and a job position opened up here. I'm only in contract for six more months before I head back to Phoenix."

"Tre..." For whatever reason, I'm blinking away tears. "I can't explain how proud I am of you. Choosing to switch career paths was a huge decision, and obviously, it's working well for you."

He smiles, seeming reluctant to take the compliment. "I don't deserve any of your praise, Maddie. Not after the way I treated you. When we ran into each other at the supermarket last year, I wanted to tell you, but I... I was still processing everything. I didn't know if I'd be good at this, and I was still in school, but now I feel confident enough to say that I'm more mentally stable than I've ever been."

"And that makes me so happy to hear, Tre," I reply, giving him a warm smile. "Just because things didn't work out between us doesn't mean I won't root and want the best for you."

He rolls his eyes. "Still the same old Maddie. Giving people way more credit than what they're due. Do you work here now?"

I glance down at my outfit, realizing it's been almost ten minutes. Scooting back my chair, I quickly rise to my feet and send him a sympathetic grin. "No, but I'm hoping to. I'm here for an interview, actually. For an internship at the pediatric unit. I have to get going, though, or I'll be late."

"Right. Of course." Tre rises from the table with me, clutching an orange in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. "When you get the job, because you're too smart not to, it'll be nice seeing a familiar face every day."

Almost instantly, the blood drains from my face. "You'll be working in the same unit?" Realizing how wrong that sounded, I add, "N-Not that it would be a bad thing, I just..."

I'm not sure how Cameron will feel about me working with my ex...lover? Boyfriend? Tre doesn't feel like any of those things. He was there for me when I was at my lowest. Yes, we slept together, but no feelings ever transpired between us. At least not on my end.

"It'll be awkward," he finishes. "I get it. It's a big unit, so we may pass by each other every now and then, but the odds of us working together are slim."

But there's a chance. If there's a chance, I have to tell Cameron. We don't keep secrets anymore from each other.

Plus, I actually have to get the job first before I start freaking the hell out about everything. For all I know, the interviewer will take one look at me and ask for the next candidate.

"It'll be fine," I say. "If I don't get the job and don't see you again, I wish you the best with everything, Tre. Truly."

His hand flexes as if he wants to touch me, but he thinks better of it and keeps it at his side. "Thanks, Maddie. Good luck with your interview."