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eleanorbloom · 5 years ago

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[OH] When You’re Ready Ch. 05

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f! MC (Eleanor Bloom) x Ethan Ramsey.

Word Count: 4.7k

Warning: Adult language and fluff.

Summary: Bryce has decided to let go Eleanor because she’s in love with Ethan Ramsey. But a turn in her relationship with the attending might change Bryce's plans.

Taglist: @utterlyinevitable @binny1985 @laiba-the-person @choicesficwriterscreations @shanzay44 @starrystarrytrouble

Let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist!

A/N: First of all I wanna thank Donny for give me permission to use his photo for this chapter. Since I had this chapter in mind, I always wanted to post a photo with the Fenway Atrium Court at night, and it happened Donny was the only person who had photos of what I had exactly in mind, so thank you so much again!!

To my readers, I invite you all to visit his Instagram account. His work is impressive.

Thank you all for your kind words and support. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 5: Something About Us.

It might not be the right time

I might not be the right one

But there’s something about us I want to say

Cause there’s something between us anyway

After the night out at Improv Atrium, Bryce and Eleanor continued to hang out as much as their shifts allowed. Sometimes to try new music, new bars or simply to go to find some new adventures just as they used to before.

Eleanor, so committed to getting her life back, accepted all the invitations he made her. She soon noticed that she was feeling in a better mood when she was around him and her daily mood had improved significantly.

That led Eleanor to start seeing him like she used to before. In fact, not like before, but completely different. She didn’t think of him as someone to have a casual fling with, a friend to have fun with and that was all. She was beginning to see him as the man she was attracted to and comfortable with. A man who no longer brightened her days by his humor, his flirtatious smile, or his self-confidence, but by the care, the time, and the good moments he was giving to her.

At first, she didn’t realize the changes in her, she thought she was just so happy to hang out with him like they used to, that she was glad their adventurous friendship was back; but one day, she found herself wishing she could see him and talk to him. Wishing she could see his smile and hear his voice.

One day, Eleanor was walking into the hospital with Jackie when someone caught and hugged them by the shoulders.

“How are two of my favorite medical interns?”

“I’ll be better if you take your ken doll arm off my shoulders, thank you.”

“Always so nice, Varma.”

“Of course, Lahela—Jackie winked at him, a smirk in her mouth—You should be thankful that I didn’t punch you in the face”

“What happened to you? Did you use stones instead of sugar with your coffee this morning, Jackie?”

“Sugar is for wimps; I drink my coffee black”

“That explains how psychopath you are sometimes”

“And you, why so happy, uh?”

“I’m always happy, Elle.”

“Yeah, but you’re annoyingly happier than other days."—Jackie insisted

“Actually, you have a minute, Elle?”

“Sure”

Jackie raised an eyebrow, looking at them suspiciously.

“I catch you later, Jackie”—Eleanor added, without noticing her cheeks had turned a little rosy.

"Take your time."—She joked as she continued walking towards the locker room.

“What is it?”

“Have any plans today?”

“Maybe go to have some drinks at Donahue’s, has been a rough week.”

“I’ve got something better”

“Like what?”

“A surprise. You up for a surprise?”

“Um, yeah? I guess so”

“I need some confidence, Elle!”

“Yes, I’m up for a surprise with Bryce Lahela!”

“That’s the spirit!”

They continued their way towards the locker room, lost in the conversation.

“Can you give me a clue about this surprise? Like, it’s music, it’s food, it’s some new game?”

“Well, maybe it’s the three of them.”

“You’re not helping, Bryce!”

“It’s a surprise, and I’ll keep my mouth shut until we are there.”

“Okay, I get it”—Eleanor answered, rolling her eyes—So, we meet at the atrium as usual?”

“Yes, as usual.”

“Okay”

Surprisingly, Bryce cupped her cheeks with both hands and gave her a short but loud kiss on the cheek.

“Have a nice day, beautiful, see ya.”

And then he went directly to his locker, but not before giving her the most charming smile she had ever seen on him. Eleanor stood in the doorway, flushed and astonished.

Jackie glanced towards her, still looking mischievous.

“What are you, fifteen?”

Eleanor ignored Jackie and went to her locker, her cheeks still reddened. She put on her scrubs, tied her hair into a braid, and with Jackie by her side headed to the Nurses’ Station to do the first morning rounds.

Although she was fully focused on her work, Eleanor couldn’t help but feel a little anxious about the end of her shift. The kiss Bryce gave her in the locker room attacked her from time to time, making her cheeks return to a rosy hue. In a way, she knew that was connected to the surprise Bryce had, because he never, in all these weeks, had been this affectionate to her. But she didn’t want to get any ideas or illusions about anything.

"So…"—Jackie said to her, both taking a break in the Nurse Station. "Are you going to tell me what the meathead wanted with you or not? You’ve been acting weird since this morning.”

“Um … Nothing, just inviting me out, as usual.”

“Oh sure. As usual. What is gonna be today? Jazz? Trash punk? You’ll make yourself quite the music critic, uh?”

“Actually, I don’t know, he didn’t tell me.”

“A surprise date, damn. He’s getting serious.”

“Shut up, Jackie.”

“Oh, Eleanor, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”

She blushed.

“I have.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Please, Eleanor, he has been stupid for you since day one, and the stupidest since he started to take you out once Ramsey left. Do you like him?”

“Um, I don’t know.”

“You cannot not know, it’s simple, yes or no. You have to know before it gets more serious.”

“I don’t know, Jackie. Maybe. It's… it’s not that I do NOT like him. But I don’t know if I like him… or like him enough. I’m confused.”

“Mmm well, I think that’s a start.”

“You think so?”

“Well, yeah. Of what I recall, he was never a possibility before. Just a hookup. And now…you don’t deny it.”

“I know, it’s just… I still have feelings for Ethan.”

“Yeah, I know, but you can’t close the door, Eleanor. Maybe he’s your way out.”

“But I don’t wanna use him. Not him that has always been too good with me.”

“I’m not saying you should use him. I’m just saying, give him a chance. If you don’t feel it, it’s okay, but you should give both a chance. To you, to… feel something good in your life after all the crap Ramsey put you though, and Lahela… because of all the effort he has put on you. Just a chance.”

“Well … I guess you’re right.”

“I’m always right Eleanor.”

“Thank you, Jackie. I never thought you would be so good at pep talk.”

“I’m not, but I’m tired of seeing Lahela cheering you like a fucking clown and you don’t seem to notice.”

“I have notice… I’m not that dumb… It’s just, just today I realized where this is really going. Or where he wants to go.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ, you’re so clueless sometimes.”

Eleanor gave her a shy smile.

“Eleanor, just … don’t close yourself to the possibility. If you realize later that he isn’t for you, that’s fine, but you can’t miss a chance because of someone who is thousands of miles away and hasn’t shown any concern for you since he left.”

She nodded and then saw her friend grab the charts from the table to start a new round with her patients; then took a breath and decided to do the same.

Eleanor spent the last three hours of her shift thinking about the last few weeks. She did have realized that Bryce was trying to cheer her up and get her out of her misery. But she had never realized that he had other intentions with her because he never suggested anything. Bryce was direct, flirtatious, and always went for what he wanted, without hesitation. Therefore, if Bryce had been flirting with her, Eleanor would’ve noticed. Instead, all she remembered was Bryce asking her out, going to concerts, talking about life, etc. When Eleanor was suddenly feeling a little bad, Bryce would persuade her into talking about her feelings and would guide her toward a way out or would just make her laugh to ease the demons inside her head.

“Eleanor, you’re doing it great.”—He would say when she was feeling down in the middle of the night—“Just look at you now! We are in the middle of a jazz music concert, surrounded by people who in a million years we would think we meet. You’re not in your room, crying, thinking about Ramsey, or eating ice cream, or drowning yourself with work. You have come a long way. Just look at your face! Even your face it’s different!”

“Well, yeah..”

“Enjoy your life, Elle, meet new people, live new experiences, find meaning in simple things like music, or a random night out in Boston. That’s what really matters.”

Eleanor was moved to realize how, once again, Bryce noticed things that not even herself noticed. Her progress in pain, her mood, etc. And that was because Bryce took the time to listen to her, to pay attention to her. Her friends did that too. Sienna and Elijah mostly, had been actively supporting and caring for her all this time. They had given her their space, but they also pushed her to share her feelings with them and they used to call her out when she was sinking again.

But with Bryce… it was different.

Fifteen minutes to the end of her shift, Eleanor finished her rounds. Before another new case could be handed over to her, she went straight to the locker room to take a shower and change her clothes. Ever since their first night out with Bryce, Eleanor started to bring some nice clothes to get change in case he would invite her to another adventure. Fortunately, that day she was bringing a pretty cute outfit.

She dressed in dark blue jeans, a white collared sleeveless blouse, and an emerald green jacket. Unlikely other nights out, that night she paid attention to her appearance. She fixed her hair and applied the basic makeup she had found in her backpack: A cupper tone eyeshadow that highlighted her brown eyes in a golden tone, a mascara that made her eyes look bigger, and a pink lipstick that gave her a jovial appearance.

As soon as she was ready, she went to the atrium to wait for Bryce. She sat down on a chair near the entry and started scrolling on her phone, looking for memes that made her laugh to ease her anxiety.

“Hey, sorry for the delay I had to talk to…"—Eleanor looked up and Bryce choked with his own his words.—A post-op… Woow”

“What?”

“You look incredible, Elle.”.

Eleanor blushed and smiled at him

“Thank you. You look great too. This color suits you.”—She replied gripping the collar of his pale pink silky shirt that made his skin look like sweet caramel.

“Shall we?”

“Absolutely”

“Are you going to tell me where are we going?”

“No, but I’ll tell you it’s a little different from where we usually go. I think you’ll like it. There, that’s our uber ride.”

He pointed out a car parked a few feet from the entrance.

“Good night. Bryce?”—The driver greeted.

"The very same.”—He replied while both got in the car and greeted the driver.

“Do you have an alternative route?”

“No, use the one that the application gives you”

“Okay.”

After about ten minutes, the car stopped. As the got out of the car, they sauntered toward a square building, made of glass, beautifully lit and surrounded by green grass and trees. Eleanor searched for a name that would reveal where they were until she found it in the building next to the first one, which revealed: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

“A Museum? Wow, I never thought you were a Museum guy.”

“Well, I am. I mean, I’m not the type of guy who goes to museums weekly, but from time to time I like to go when I feel the adventure’s waiting for me there.”

“And you’re feeling the adventure is waiting for us in there?”

“Well, adventure is not what I have in mind for tonight, but I’m open to anything”

Eleanor couldn’t help but blush a little. Then, they made their way into the building.

“Is it common for museums to be open at this time of day?”

“No, just this museum, on this specific day.”

“What do you mean?”

“The third Thursday of the month, the Museum opens at night and people play music and put shows until late. They usually close at 9 pm, but for some reason, it will be open till 12 pm today.”

“Really? I had no idea. How exciting!!—She said clapping her hands, smiling like a little girl.—I like this already!

“I’m glad you liked it.”

Bryce showed his cellphone when they made it to the ticket booth.

“Wow, you had planned this with anticipation, uh?”

“A couple of days, yes. I’m not just spontaneity, you know?”

After their entrance was allowed, they continued their way towards the Fenway Court Palace, the museum itself. The Palace was the house of Isabella Stewart Gardner, an art collector whose Museum was called after her, and that was built to emulate a 15th Venetian Palace.

Every step they walked into the building felt like they were entering another world. There was no trace of Boston there. It was all Europe, China, and some America too, but the style and most of the art were foreign.

They spent about two hours wandering around the four-floor construction, while the bands were playing, the exhibitions were showing, the tours being guided and the attendants were having a drink. A real party in an outstanding place.

Once the finished the third floor, Bryce decided to take her to the main floor so they could see the Fenway Atrium Court up close. The Courtyard was famous for the Mosaic of Medusa, which had been created in Rome before Christ, and was surrounded by an impressive array of shrubs, flowers, and botanical spices that made them forget, once again, they were in the middle of Boston. The tranquility and beauty of nature in those square feet transported them to another dimension, much more with the stars that covered the spring night.*

“Oh my god, this is … absolutely wonderful. It seems like it was taken from a fairy tale.”

Eleanor turned to him, a big smile on her face. But he had been looking at her all this time. The Fenway Courtyard was indeed beautiful, but her smile would always be the winner for him.

“May I have this dance, miss?”

In the distance, a jazz ballad was playing, coming from a band on the other side of the courtyard. They began to dance close together, cheek to cheek. Eleanor wrapped her arms around his neck while his were at her back; both with their eyes closed, feeling the music, the tranquility in the air, the laughter of the people. (A/N: I highly recommend you to hear this version of the song, since I wrote the scene with that one on my mind).

“When I fall in love it will be forever

Or I’ll never fall in love

In a restless world like this is

Love is ended before it’s begun

And too many moonlight kisses

Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun”

Eleanor hadn’t felt so calm in a long time. Her anxiety had dissipated and had been replaced by a feeling of amusement, peace and joy. There were no worries, fear, anguish. And it was all because of him.

“When I give my heart it will be completely

Or I’ll never give my heart

And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too

Is when I fall in love with you”

Suddenly, Eleanor slid her arms through his chest and wrapped them around Bryce’s back, hugging him. Bryce reacted a few moments later, a bit astonished, but returned the embrace with delight. He placed his hands to her waist and tightened the grip. For a brief moment, Eleanor wanted to cry for how beautiful that moment felt. She pulled away from him, her heart beating fast, and looked him straight in the eye. And at that moment, both were aware of how much desire was in them. But a pure desire. A longing he had never seen in Bryce. A longing Bryce had never seen in Eleanor toward him.

Bryce was an open book and Eleanor always knew when he wanted her. But now his longing was completely different. It was in a tender, protective, and amazed way, all at once, like he was discovering a treasure in front of him. And for Eleanor, it felt like she was seeing him for the first time, seeing how he really was, with all the feeling he had tried to hide in these past weeks. She was discovering a treasure too.

Her legs began to tremble, so she brought her hands to his cheeks, in the hopes of finding balance and the courage she needed for the next move. The touch of his skin was enough to find it.

She leaned to him, and after observing each other mouths for a few moments, their lips fused. Hers brushed his delicately, carefully, feeling the warmth and sweetness little by little. Bryce encircled her more firmly around the waist, leaving her body completely flushed to his. Then he brought a hand to the back of his neck to tilt her head and deepened the kiss without losing the delicacy or sweetness of that moment. Their hearts were beating fast, eyes were seeing stars, their skin was melting as they opened their mouths to explore more of themselves; until they finally, after a long dance of lips and tongues, they returned to a slow, soft kiss, just to finish with a chaste kiss in their lips.

"Elle"—He sighed, pressing his forehead into hers, not hiding any astonishment in his voice.

An electric shock waved through her spine. She had always loved the fact that he was the only person in the world that called her Elle. That nickname felt unique for her.

Then he pulled away from her, his amber eyes looking into hers, creating electricity the moment they met. It seemed like he was looking right through her soul and made her feel an exquisite warmth and calmness inside her.

“Bryce…”—She whispered, her eyes sparkled with joy—"Don’t think I haven’t noticed everything you’ve done for me in this time."—She continued softly while caressing his cheek with the tip of her thumb, holding her eyes in his.

“What do you mean?”—He replied, feigning ignorance.

She shook her head

“I know you’ve been particularly focused on cheering me up, making me feel good…”

“Well yeah, it’s the least I would do to keep you from looking sad, Elle.”

“I know, but it has been much more than trying to get me out of my misery for a while. Although our nights out always have a friendly motive and you have never insinuated anything all this time, your eyes and your heart have spoken for themselves.

“And what have they said?”

“Well, in all this time, everything has been about me. How I feel, what I wanna do. You don’t flatter yourself when we are together, you don’t encourage any conversation that ends up bringing the focus to you. And it feels natural, it doesn’t feel… cynical or condescending of you. That’s a very great show of interest. I know that deep down it has been with ulterior motives.”

Bryce bit his lip, holding the gaze, implicitly accepting the accusations she was making. She smiled.

“Thanks, Bryce. This date has been beautiful.”

“Date?”

“You don’t have to pretend with me anymore. I know that when you talked about going out or hanging out, deep down in your mind you planned it as an undercover date.”

Bryce laughed.

“Wow. Not for nothing you were selected as Junior Fellow on the Diagnostics Team, were you? Very good observations.”

Bryce stroked her cheek.

“I hate to see you sad, Eleanor. That’s why I’ve been trying to make you feel good, to show you how you deserve to feel, how you deserve to be treated, because you don’t deserve anything that happened to you.”

"Bryce…"—Eleanor had never seen him so serious as now. He was genuinely reflecting how much he had been worried about her, how much her situation had pissed him off.

“Eleanor, you are a person with incredible kindness, devoted to your patients, colleagues, friends … You shouldn’t be treated they way Ramsey has done to you or left you wondering what you did wrong. Not even the excuse that your career is most important is justified, because there are much kinder and considered ways to put distance between you and without hurting you that much.”

“I know.”

“You know, when you told me we had to end what we had, I was okay with it, because I truly believed that Ramsey was gonna fight for you, because, God, in his place, I’d do everything to make you happy, I’d give you everything”—Bryce sighed, looked up at the sky and then to her, resolution in his eyes.—"But I can’t anymore, Eleanor, I can’t keep seeing you suffering because of someone who doesn’t value you, someone who isn’t even capable of sending you a fucking email to tell you that he’s okay.”

Eleanor looked away, hurt, sad, embarrassed. Hearing the reality from his mouth was a much-needed bucket of cold water.

“It’s true, it was a miserable attitude of him. But Bryce, listen to me. I appreciate everything you have done for me and …”

She couldn’t go on. She had to be careful with her words to not feel any regrets later. But actually, there was nothing else to think about, that moment was the confirmation of all the doubts that had been around her mind during the day, and, honestly, also for several days, since she sensed something was different with Bryce. The doubts weren’t really doubts. It was fear. Fear of making the same mistakes as with Ethan. Afraid of doing to Bryce what Ethan was doing to her. But Eleanor was no longer afraid.

“I feel things for you, Bryce"—She confessed—"Even more than I felt before we broke up, but I still have Ethan in here” –She pointed to her heart—"And I don’t want to give you any false hopes. The last thing I want is to hurt you, and I don’t think I’d ever forgiven myself if I did.”

“I know, Eleanor, I know it’s not something that happens overnight, but I want you to know that I’m here for you, and I wanna show you what you deserve because I care about you, Elle"—Bryce suddenly shook his head, denying. —"More than that, I’ll do it because I love you.”

Eleanor was agape. She’d managed to conclude that Bryce liked her, and well, everyone knew that. Sienna, Elijah, Jackie had noticed what Bryce was doing with her that last few weeks, but she never expected to hear those three words from Bryce. But they were sincere. His gaze, all his past behavior echoed what he had said. And that amazed her more. Although it also increased her fear of hurting him in all this path that they seemed to be starting together.

“I won’t pretend that I don’t feel what I actually feel. Would be contradictory of me to shut up something like that when I want to give you everything, and that starts from being honest with my feelings… And please, don’t feel scared. I’m not saying this to manipulate you. I just want you to know how I feel about you, but don’t feel forced to anything, okay?”

“Bryce, I …”

“Elle, I know you don’t feel the same, I know you’re in love with Ramsey, but I want you to give me the opportunity to show you everything you deserve. The love, care, support, and happiness… So when the day comes, you stop accepting crumbs from anybody and go for what you really want and deserve. It may not be with me, but with someone you love and that loves you back the same way. Even with Ramsey, if he wakes up.”

Eleanor was astounded. Bryce Lahela. The cocky, brilliant, and handsome surgical intern. The most self-confident person she knew. The man whose art of flirtation came so naturally to him, as if he carried it in his veins. That Bryce Lahela was playing all his cards even knowing that he might not be the winner, but someone else, including Ethan.

"Bryce… Are you serious?”

“I am, Eleanor. You have to figure it out for yourself. I don’t do it just to make you choose me, but to make you happy. And well, if it turns out that it’s me, obviously I’ll be the happiest man on this planet. But what I really want is you to figure this out.”

“Oh my God Bryce, I’d never have expected this.”

“I must admit that neither do I. I spent a long time trying to forget you, you know? But when I realized that I couldn’t… And that you were so sad, I decided to give myself a chance, give us a chance to be happy, to look for possibilities. And I believe together we may find a lot of happiness along the way, Elle. Also pain, but if we are together I think it will be easier to face what may come.”

Eleanor stared at him in the eyes, reading the sincerity in his expression. There were no hidden intentions, no jealousy, no insecurity, no manipulation. Only the genuine wish that she would experience in her own flesh what she deserved in a relationship.

“I’m speechless”—She murmured, stroking his silky hair softly.

Bryce grinned, caressing her cheek.

“You’re truly wonderful, Bryce.—She finally said—Among all the prejudices I had about you, one of them was that you had zero emotional intelligence. Even when you have been very understanding all this time. But this is different. This is so open-minded, so selfless. Is on another level.”

“That’s how love works, Elle. It’s selfless. And if I’m honest with you, I only found out this because of you. Before you, I never felt this way. I want you more than anyone in my life, but what really matters to me is you to be happy, and I hope it’s with me.”

“I think I’m being happy with you right now… And I have been happy these past weeks too”—She replied, her cheeks flushed.

“I’m glad you feel this way—Suddenly, he chuckled—God, you’re so cute when you blush”

Her cheeks went crimson

“Ahh stop it!”

“Just look at you, so lovely”

They both laugh.

Eleanor then caressed his cheek, looking at him so tenderly. She couldn’t understand since when it was that easy to look at him this way, but she liked it. She kissed him again.

“I don’t want to play with you, Bryce, but for some reason, I don’t want to leave your side, and … Maybe a part of me wants this to go on and grow until… Well, until you’re the one.”

His heart stopped. He’d have never expected that. Well, he didn’t even think this date would go that well, but he never expected Eleanor would be so open to the possibility to be together. It seemed like he was doing a good job after all.

“You really mean that?”

“I really do, Bryce.”

“Me too.”—He replied, stroking her hair.—But you have to know that if you feel things are changing, for better or for worse, you must tell me. If Ramsey returns and promises you heaven and earth and you want to try with him, just tell me. And if instead … Your love turns to me, well, of course, I want to know!”

“I will.”

There was still music in the air. Another jazz ballad. Bryce wrapped her in his arms and kissed his forehead.

“I love this, Bryce.—She whispered while melting in his embrace—“You really outdid yourself. This is perfect.”

“Just like you, Elle.

______

Chapter 6.

#Bryce Lahela #Bryce x MC #Choices Stories You Play #Open Heart

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