Chapter Text
Brown walls, illuminated only by artificial lights and disrupted by doors and the occasional generic painting, line the corridor. Lifeless and stretching far beyond what the eye can see, over curves and edges and different floors, they loom over everyone who’s passing through.
For people in the unknown, the hospital hallways are like an unconquerable maze, every nook and cranny looking the same.
Two weeks ago, Casey too felt – and, multiple times, got – lost.
Now, however, little clues and differences – a discoloration on the wall here, a corridor being noisier there – help her navigate the endless halls. And when all fails, a quick look on one of the maps hanging on the walls usually helps.
Having a tour guide, therefore, seems superfluous.
“You are aware that I’m capable of finding the way to the cafeteria, right?” She asks, her initial confusion at the offer long replaced by amusement.
Walking beside her and grinning charmingly, Bryce cards his fingers through his hair, a movement she has already come to associate with him. “Can’t take any chances,” he replies as he lowers his toned arm and a strand of his hair falls softly against the cheek furthest away from her. “Besides. I thought you would be thrilled to be in my company for a minute longer.”
The comment drags her eyes towards his again and her eyebrow upwards. “What gave you that idea?”
Apart from a handful of short interactions – a greeting in passing, a cheers! at Donahues, a quick conversation in the locker room – they haven’t spent time together since that first day of residency when he saw her cry and she stole two kisses from him.
In fact, she is a little surprised she still remembers his name after weeks of constantly meeting new people.
“For one: I’m delightful.”
“Delightful?” Then again, it is difficult to forget someone who possesses such confidence and uses it in a playful way. Still… “Really?”
The last question – she hears it herself – does leave her lips slightly shaky, the teasing bite to it gone as if she herself already knows not only his answer but also the truth to the statement. Maybe, too, a hint of hope has weaved itself into the short word.
The thought makes her frown. But instead of dissecting it further, she quickly blames any wobbliness on the activities happening in the corridor, a colleague speeding past and making her stumble to the side, closer to Bryce.
Arms touching, she looks back at him only to realize that the distance between them shrunk so that she can clearly see his eyes. Blinding and beckoning, they shine like the sun’s reflection on the ocean and invite her to observe the spectacle.
If she were to follow the trail of the sun towards the treasure it illuminates, would it lead to herself or—?
“Awesome company, fun to be around, great on the eyes. The list goes on,” Bryce says, the movement of his lips tearing her back into reality and her eyes upwards. His seem to shine almost uncomfortably bright.
Hastily, she looks away and around before taking a step to the side, the distance between them bringing a wave of relief with it.
“And two,” he adds, apparently not impacted at all by… whatever that moment or daydream just was. Instead, he leans closer and lowers his voice as if he is about to reveal a secret, his expression softening slightly. “You’ve been smiling ever since you saw me. No need to pretend otherwise.”