..ONE I DID NOT LOVE.

[kourtwrites]

[sofiasani-blog]

MIRA. 

“Sof, sorry to break to you, but you’re in denial.” Contrary to what some might be lead to believe by the way she gave the woman a hard time, Mira truly admired her friend. She knew how much Sofia cared about the work she did, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t stop and reminding her to slow down every once in a while. If it came down to the point of her being what stood between the hospital and her friend’s sanity, she’d pick that fight. “Isn’t there some study out there about doctors performing better when they’re rested? You people do tests on everyone and their cats, I refuse to believe you don’t run them for yourselves.”

       “I’m so not in denial,” Sofia whines, digging into that wine glass of hers a little further. She most definitely was, and if anyone was to catch her out on it, it’d be Mira. Amusement settled upon her features; Mira was nothing if not determined, and she loved that about her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she counters, feigning confusion. “Besides, try telling that to the entire medical industry and overworked nurses.. anyway, c’mon. Enough about me. How are you doing? I feel like I haven’t had enough time to catch up with you and since I’m off the clock, for however long, I want to know all about you.”

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TANER.

“Oh, right, right. I kind of remember you saying something about that. Although — you, a Bentley?” He teased easily, smirk casting itself onto his features as he stopped just short of his sister, leaning his hip against one of the workstations, arms crossing over his chest. “You need more nights off,” he advised with a tilt of his head, eyeing her carefully. He knew what her job entailed, and he knew the stress that it likely put on her. “Because you’re just as delicate as a flower,” he teased with a chuckle, pushing himself from the table to retrieve the sketchpad he had abandoned not long ago. Flipping through the pages until he’d reached what he was looking for, he held it out to her, “It’s a set of flowers, all loved and native to Turkey. That middle one, it’s a Lenten Rose. Beautiful, but poisonous. Those little ones are Crocus, apparently the most loved back home.”

        “Oh, go away,” Sofia swats him before folding her arms across her chest. If one thing was for sure, it was Taner’s talent as an artist and his creative mind, both of which left Sofia in awe more often than not. Especially considering she believed she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. “So they say.. I’ll have nights off when I’m dead.” A scoff left her lips as a chuckle followed. “And that’s how I know you’re lying!” And yet what the brunette didn’t expect was the drawing he offered her. Sure, it was beautifully drawn and she wouldn’t expect any less of Taner, but.. it was beautiful and sentimental enough to make her, even for a fraction of a second, consider it. “Wow, Tan.. Not that that head of yours needs to get any bigger, but it almost makes me want to get one.” 

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CHACE.

      A jubilant grin lit up his features when her glass clinked with his and in one swift motion, Chace threw back the drink but instantly regretted it having forgotten the whole salt and lemon bit. “Fuck!” Choking, he turned to her and laughed trying to be cool but failing miserably - not that he cared - looking like a dork had always been his thing around her ever since High school. “This is just the beginning, Sofia Asani,” he teased in a low whisper before he slapped more cash on the counter and another round appeared before them. 

      “This one,” he began, leaning in to her to whisper over the crowd. “This is for breaking my sixteen-year-old heart,” he admitted, then pulled away from her to give her a playful wink. It was a lifetime ago and it had been a puppy crush so Chace didn’t hold any resentment – she probably hadn’t even known but he thought the admission might distract her from the pager inches from her fingertips.

          Sofia barely so much as flinched as she threw back her shot — and watching Chace, she wondered why that was considering she wasn’t much of a drinker outside a good glass of wine. A grin eased across her features, “You’re such a dork, honestly. Don’t tell me you’re a lightweight, too.” Still, though, her eyes widened at the prospect of more shots. The drink she could handle.. the amount, not so much. And yet there she was, second round of shots in her hand, prepared for whatever would unfold as a result. “Hold on—what are you talking about?"

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ANTHONY.

“Oh, well if you’re going to be here more often, I’ll just have to make this my bar of choice from now on.” his answer came with an easy grin before taking a sip of his beer. He was enjoying his evening, particularly the unexpected company, much more than he had planned to. He watched her put her pager away and immediately raised a brow as he considered her, impressed. “Well done! Now that wasn’t too painful, was it?” he teased, even going so far as to clap once or twice to encourage her behavior. “So you’re the catch-all guy? That means you’re probably a good person to have around in a crisis.” He pushed himself off the bar and extended his hand to her in greeting when she asked his name. “Anthony.” he replied, almost easily. He was still getting used to referring to himself as such. But he was getting better. “And what about the pretty doctor?” he asked.

       A sly smile crossed her lips, features alight with amusement as she peered over at him. Most definitely charming and confident. “Oh so this isn’t your bar of choice already?” It felt good, truly, to put work behind her and to invest her time in socialising with the man before her. There was an intriguing air about him, and still, as she watched him, she couldn’t help but shake the sense of familiarity about him. And knowing Sofia, she’d surely get to the bottom of her curiousity. “No, actually, it was quite satisfying. How ever could I thank you for encouraging me? —Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Her deep umber hues scanned him as he offered her his hand, taking it after a moment’s hesitation — Anthony didn’t feel familiar at all. Why didn’t it ring a bell? Why was it that he didn’t look like an Anthony? “Sofia, pleasure,” she smiles, noting the slight roughness of his hands. How long had he been a mechanic? “Are you from Southport?” 

[jamiedornaniseverything]

[sofiasani-blog]

@tanerasani

[sofiasani-blog]

IVAN.

Ivan would’ve been entirely grateful for the posed question coming from mutual company at the counter, although seeing that he’d instantly recognized who’d asked, he glanced both ways to ensure Sofia wasn’t speaking to anyone else. It hadn’t been the easiest time for him upon hearing his long-lost friend had recently returned back home. Not like they’d had the time to speak. Why leave climbing the hospital ladders where she was after all? “Never thought you’d even have that possibility…” Ivan still found himself muttering nonetheless in response, despite being unsure how to even greet her at present. 

       Sofia had asked the gods of fate for a distraction from work, and she certainly got one. Ivan Cassim, her old friend — old considering they hadn’t spoken in eight odd years. She’d spotted him a few times around Southport since her return but, he always seemed to be avoiding her. “Neither did I,” she says gently, a half amused smile crossing her features. Well, if this wasn’t the most awkward encounter. She could make one or two guesses as to why it was that way, knowing she’d just up and left without a single word. Never did the brunette anticipate, however, what disappointment she’d leave in her wake. “How are you going, Ivan?” 

[sofiasani-blog]

TANER.

@sofiasani

“You finally gonna let me tattoo you, abla?” He almost immediately questioned upon seeing his eldest sister walk through the front door of his shop. Setting down the sketchpad he’d been scribbling in, Taner rose to his feet before he moved closer to her. The shop was closed for the day, but that didn’t stop him from spending damn near every minute in it. The establishment was the one place that he could truly unwind, allowing himself to brush off all the shit that had been piling up. Drawing himself closer to Sofia, he smirked easily, “I think I have the perfect flower design, just for you.”

         “How many times do I have to tell you, kardeş? You don’t put a sticker on a Bentley,” she states amusedly, dropping her bag on the counter and leaning against it as he approached her. “No, I’m here to visit my little brother considering it’s my night off and I missed him. —Besides, why would you think I’d be into a flower design?” Folding her arms across her chest, the elder sister couldn’t help but smirk and shake her head as she glanced at his sketchpad. “What does it look like?” 

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SHAY.

“I literally hope for that every day of my life and they still keep puttin’ me on the roster, so I feel it. Really I do.” She spoke candidly to the woman at her side, always a tad too friendly for her own good. “You’re at a bar though, queen. What you need to relax is a shot… Wine’s cool and all, but it won’t do the trick. I mean, clearly, since you’re still lookin’ at that thing like it’s gonna bite ya.”

        “Oh yeah? What do you do for work?” Sofia asks the brunette before her, deciding to let go of all worry as she slips her pager inside her purse. When was the last time she did shots?! The girl was right. She was already at the bar, it was high time she enjoyed herself. “Wine tends to calm me down usually.. but maybe you’re right. Maybe I need a shot. What would you recommend?” 

[sofiasani-blog]

CHACE.

       The male had just finished a long shift himself and in typical fashion, the first place he stopped was the local sinkhole to wet tired and aching bones. The dusty old bar had become known for its crowd of regulars – the police force and hospital staff. Chace didn’t mind that fact, it meant no trouble as the rest of the town avoided the place for fear of trouble and to him, it meant a quiet drink and Chace was all about that. He’d spent enough of his shift talking crap to drunks and crackheads. The question pulled him from his silent peace, dragging tired eyes from the golden liquid within his glass to the woman who had spoken. “Fuck no – I come home from every shift hoping the same thing,” Chace admitted with a lazy smile. “You and I know that if we get a call off duty, then it’s never going to be good fucking news, Sof… I fully support that hope and in fact,” Chace waved the barman over and ordered two shots of tequila. “To a peaceful night,” he said with a wink, holding the small glass out to hers.

       “Ah, even the selfless need time off, huh?” She never thought she’d feel that way in a million years. But her return to Southport caused her to have time to think, and time to think made her realise things she might be missing out on. Like, enjoying her life outside of work for starters. “It’s like I’m glued to my pager and if I don’t have my pager in sight, I’ve got anxiety.” Sofia’s eyes widened as Chace presented her with a tequila shot, shaking her head as laughter escaped her lips. “You can’t be serious.. tequila?! Last time I had one of these, you do not want to know where I ended up..” And despite her best vocal efforts to deny that shot of alcohol, her perfectly manicured fingertips took hold of the glass, clinking it with his own without hesitation. “You’re a terrible influence, Chace Matthews.”

[sofiasani-blog]

NORA.

Nora dragged her feet out of her car and into the familiar bar before sliding herself on a stool next to her best friend. “Not at all, I’m kind of hoping the same thing doesn’t happen to me.” she complained before gesturing the bartender over. She wasn’t a big drinker, but with her career choice, it was difficult to not end some days with a glass of wine or two. “I just came back from an eighteen hour shift. Four hours over time because of a MET call.” Nora continued, burying her face in the palm of her hands before turning to her, a small smile cracking at the corners of her lips. “Wanna swap pagers?” she joked.

      “Ugh, we’re horrible people,” Sofia whined, taking another sip of wine at that fact before throwing an amused smile over at her best friend. "Finally catch something of a break and yet all we feel is guilt. Terrible, horrible people!” Their lives were the hospital, and though Sofia wouldn’t have it any other way, sometimes she just wished for time to herself. She hadn’t had that in many years, after all. “Hell yeah I do. Try thirty eight hours, on call, sleeping in those foul hospital beds because it’s too much of a risk to head home.. I mean, do you think it’d be such a bad idea if I relocated my bed from home to the hospital? At least I’d get a good amount of sleep.” Sofia shook her head, trying to will away the tiredness that had become her. “What can I get my favourite neurosurgeon to drink?” 

[sofiasani-blog]

ANTHONY.

His lips pulled upwards as he caught sight of her smile. Funny how she could pull off a smirk and a smile so easily. It left him wondering just where he stood with the brunette. But so long as she wasn’t chasing him away, he wasn’t about to ask. He was enjoying trying to figure out how to read her. He let out a practiced wince at her observation that he clearly knew the bar they were in pretty well. “Guilty, although I try not to be.” he answered truthfully. He was about to launch into his usual, vague explanation of what he did for a living, when he remembered he wasn’t that person anymore. Anthony had long ago come up with a clever way of telling people what he did without actually telling them what he did. When talking to beautiful females, it made him sound a little dangerous and pretty impressive. Now, he couldn’t do that anymore. He was pretending to be someone else, and what someone else did was pretty boring. “I’m just your average, humble mechanic.” he replied, quickly directing the conversation back to her. “So, you’re a doctor? What field of medicine do you practice?” he asked, intrigued. 

       “Well, I, for one, am jealous,” she replies, thanking the bartender for her freshly poured glass of merlot, ensuring to thank the man before her, too, before taking a lengthy sip. “I’m not used to having a regular place to wind down. Although, this bar might just be one I’ll consider becoming a regular at, now that I know the company isn’t so bad.” Another smirk crosses her features, her gaze inadvertently glancing towards the pager, a frustrated sigh escaping her as she finally decides to put the thing away in her purse. For the first time in a long time, Sofia decided to well and truly enjoy her night off, along with the company that had presented itself. Why not?! The brunette nodded, though she was unable to help but notice the subtle way he redirected the conversation back to her, as though he didn’t wish to speak about himself. “Oh, well.. I dabble in a bit of everything, I guess. Wherever they need me.” Another sip of her wine, brown eyes narrowed slightly in curiousity as she gives him a once over. Why did she have the slightest feeling of familiarity whenever she looked at him? “So, has my wine saviour got a name?” 

[sofiasani-blog]

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SOFIASANI  sister act. 👯 @leylaasani

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[sofiasani-blog]

ANTHONY.

“Ah, so you’re the workaholic type, huh?” he questioned with a small chuckle. Anthony was very familiar with that lifestyle, where your life revolved around your work and you were literally on call 24/7. His entire life had been tangled up in the mafia work his father prided himself over. It was his family, literally. He never got a break from it. That is, until now… “Oh, I’d say, definitely deserved.” he agreed, nodding his head appreciatively as she finishes her wine. “Hey, Joey, help the beautiful lady out with another round, ok?” he calls to the bartender, before turning his attention back to the brunette. “So, what is it you do, if I may ask?” he questions, interested in what takes up so much time of the gorgeous woman in front of him. 

       “The workaholic type.. I guess so,” though she despised the term and thought of her career as more of a lifestyle, she wasn’t about to embark on that argument with a total stranger. Let alone one kind enough to offer her company and an ear. Though, Sofia was well aware of that fact and the knowledge that nothing ever came for free; she was an intelligent girl. A full blown smile crossed her features, however brief, as the guy ordered her another round with mention of her beauty. Men were so typical, even the admittedly cute one before her. “I take it you’re a regular, then? —And, isn’t it obvious..?” Sofia questions, glancing down at her pager pointedly before lifting her gaze. “My life belongs to the local hospital. How about you?” 

[sofiasani-blog]

ANTHONY.

In the six months that Anthony had been in Southport, he’d gotten to know the local bars pretty well. After all, even though the FBI agent he had been assigned since moving here said there was no way he would be found and he should go about life as normal, Anthony wasn’t about to take a chance. He made sure he took different routes to work every day, never went to the same bar two nights in a row, all that kind of stuff, to keep anyone from tracking him down. But when you lived in a town like Northport, after six months of trying different bars, and considering how much Anthony drank, you eventually had to start repeating. 

Despite his best efforts, he now knew the bouncer and bartender at this particular bar. And was making conversation with the bartender when he noticed a beautiful brunette seated a little ways down the bar from him. With a nod in her direction, he was in the process of asking the bartender about her, when she actually spoke. And apparently, to him. With a wink sent in the direction of the chuckling bartender, Anthony closed the gap between him and the beautiful stranger, moving to stand next to her. He leaned his elbows against the bar and turned to look at her, a tiny spark of familiarity coursing through him once he got a better look at her. But he shrugged it off. He didn’t know anybody in Southport. 

“‘For once’ sounds like you spend a good amount of time there as it is.” he answered with a shrug. “So I’d say, no, definitely not terrible.” he added, his lips pulling upwards in a teasing smile.

        “Only eighty percent of my time, probably,” the brunette replied with something of a smirk. “I might be generous in saying that.” Far be it for Sofia to talk about anything but work.. she’d allowed it to take over her life in its entirety, accounting for her many failed ‘relationships’ and friendships. And yet, Southport’s hospital offered something unexpected compared to New York hospitals — a chance to breathe. She was still trying to decide whether she liked working back home or not, considering she’d become accustomed to the fast paced, intense atmosphere New York had offered for so many years. There was always an interesting case to come by, always something happening. Whereas, Southport offered her the chance to have free time, a foreign concept to the likes of Sofia Asani. Glancing over at the obviously handsome male, she realised she’d just sparked up conversation out of the blue with a total stranger, mild embarrassment settling in. Not that she’d ever let any outside source be aware of that, her facade all too strong. “And I guess it’s fair to say I deserve another, right?” She questions almost rhetorically after knocking back the rest of her wine. 

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MIRA.

It’d be a fair statement to make that bars weren’t usually her type of place. Not that she didn’t enjoy in the occasional drink, it just so happen that anytime she ended up in one it was more so by way of being led there. She was more of a beer or wine glass as she stared at her latest project for an hour type of drinker. One of the reasons Mira tended to end up in a place like the one she was in? The pretty doctor she’d just found sitting at the bar. “Oh you mean your second home? No. In fact, here’s hoping they leave you alone for the night…and then a few hours into the morning.” 

       “It’s not my second home, Mira.” She could deny it all she wanted. It was true. In fact, it might even be considered her first home, considering she spent almost all of her time at the hospital and barely any time at her actual home. “Honestly, though, for the first time I’m probably going to have to agree with you. I couldn’t imagine anything better than a night out and a sleep-in. Ugh! A sleep in.. I haven’t had one of those in.. god, I don’t even remember.” 

[cerseilainnister]