I’m tired. So tired that I’m no longer sleepy. It feels like I’m in a lucid dream, where colors are hazy and nothing feels quite real. I walk across the asphalt toward Sloane’s black sedan. My parents are back from their trip, meaning I’m car-less again. I’ve been taking the bus most of the time, but Sloane insisted I drive her car today, claiming she didn’t need it until this afternoon. I need to go see if the MINI I looked at is still available.

I wave goodbye to Rose, who’s yawning as she walks toward her own car. I wonder if anyone has ever left a shift at the hospital, only to crash into traffic and return in an ambulance.

Witnessing death can make your thoughts take a turn toward the morbid, I guess.

I’m exhausted, both mentally and emotionally drained. But there’s still something I want more than sleep.

I drive to Gray’s apartment under the muted light of a new day. This has become routine, though it won’t be for much longer. I park in the garage, take the elevator to his floor, and let myself into the loft, using the key under the mat. My steps are silent as I tiptoe through the living room and past Emmett’s bedroom door. The hinges swing without a single creak. I slip into the bedroom and slide off the scrubs I was too lazy to change out of. Gray stirs as I climb into his bed.

Sleepy green eyes meet mine. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

He reaches for me, letting out an appreciative hum when he realizes I’m already naked. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming over. You never texted me back.”

“I know. I got a page, and then a patient crashed, and it—” I blow out a breath. “It was just a long night.”

“Did they—”

I shake my head. “No. They didn’t make it.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

I lean over and kiss him, sliding one hand down his chest and stroking the length of his hardening cock. His groan vibrates on my tongue.

I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve had sex. Every time feels different. This time, there’s a fresh desperation. There are a lot of things I’m trying to forget right now. Being with Gray like this erases everything else from my mind—even when his upcoming departure is one of the weights.

I roll over and sit up so that I’m straddling him. His hands rest on my hips, gripping me tight enough to keep me in place.

“You’re upset. We don’t have to do—”

“What else would we do, Gray? We fuck, right? That’s it.”

His jaw tenses. I have the perfect view of the straight line.

“Evie.”