“We’ve become the clingy couple that you used to complain about.” ethan and isla
Her eyes glanced up to the clock for the fifth time in the same amount of minutes. Her fingers tapped on the beer pump she had been wiping down. Yet another sigh left her lips as Rob, her boss sat on one of the stools before her, glanced up from the paperwork he was filling out.
“It’s a bit dead in here Issie,” he said sending her a smile and taking note of the fact that she hadn’t immediately scowled at his use of her most disliked nickname “Why don’t you head off early?”
A wide smile came to her face as she clapped her hands together “Really?” she squeaked out before she realised she possibly sounded a little too eager “I mean, uhm,” she said shrugging her shoulders and clearing her throat “As long as you don’t mind, as long as you can spare me?”
He chuckled as he tapped the end of his pen on the order form he’d been casting a glance over “Well I dunno, we’re pretty rushed off our feet,” he said gesturing to the empty seats at the empty tables around them “And your shift is over in a whole half hour you think it’s a little early?”
Isla’s eyes rolled as she hopped up onto her tiptoes and glanced over whatever he was scribbling down “How about I tell you that we need fifty - five-oh - more of the peanuts not five hundred - five-oh-oh - like you’ve put in exchange for my freedom?”
Rob narrowed his eyes as he glanced back up to her “Just leave.”
“Thanks boss!” she called as she disappeared in the back, appearing once again she sent him a sparkling grin as she was pulling her jacket on and slinging her back onto her shoulder “You’re the best,” she said blowing him a kiss before she headed out of the door.
There was a spring to Isla’s step as she crossed the road over to the hospital she found herself staring out of the pub window too on a regular basis.
Pausing at the door she pursed her lips together for a few seconds before she found herself digging through her bag for her lipstick and her mirror. Glancing around to make sure Cal wasn’t around to jump out and rip her for what she was about to do she ruffled at her flat looking hair a few times before she gave up and settled for just reapplying her lipstick.
“Ah Isla.”
“Hi Noel,” she grinned as she leaned over the reception “Busy day?”
“Not so far,” he answered with a shrug before he raised a suspicious eyebrow in her direction “What’s he forgot today then?”
She frowned in confusion as he slapped her hand away from where she had been playing with the cord of the phone lying on his desk “What?”
“Ethan,” Noel confirmed “Yesterday it was his drink, the day before his lunch, last week his earphones…though I’m not sure why he so desperately needed them during his shift in the ED.”
“He likes to listen to music to and from work I couldn’t have him travelling home in silence,” Isla said, though as she heard the words emerging from her mouth she realised her defence was pretty weak “Shut up Noel.”
He laughed as he raised his hands innocently “I’m just saying it because I think it’s cute!” he said taking a step away from her as her eyes narrowed “Queenie your shift in the shop doesn’t start for a whole two hours!”
Isla scowled as she pushed away from where she was leaning “Why can’t just one person call me by my actual name??”
“Isla?”
Her arms, that she had been flailing out in some kind of overdramatic shrug, fell to her sides at the sound of his voice “Hey!” she said bounding over to where Ethan had been wandering down the stairs into the reception area.
“I…you…you’re here again,” he stuttered out as he pushed his glasses further up his nose “Way before your shift.”
“I am,” she smiled back hoping the warmth she could feel on her cheekbones wasn’t showing in a blush “That’s okay right? I’m not bothering-”
“No, no,” he rushed with a shake of his head “No I…I’ve…nevermind.”
A smirk came to Isla’s lips as she glanced up to him from beneath her eyelashes “Are you trying to tell me you’ve missed me Dr Hardy?” she asked as her head tilted to the right and her heart skipped when she spotted the rosey pink colour come to his skin “Noel thinks we’re cute.”
“I, wh-he does?” Ethan asked as he reached for her right hand with his left, his fingers gently bumping against hers a couple of times before he laced them together “Do you, maybe, want to head to the break room? I’m due one, a break I mean, and I’ll…I can make you a cup of tea?”
“Oh my god.”
Ethan glanced to her in confusion as she stopped before he could lead her to the break room “It’s just tea?”
“It’s not that,” she said with a roll of her eyes as she caught Robyn, Cal, Iain and Max looking at them with knowing grins from around the corner “You know what’s happening here right?”
His brow furrowed as his hand squeezed hers almost nervously “You’re…spending your free time before your next shift with me because you’re now my girlfriend?” he asked in a nervy manner as he looked to her in the hope that he was right.
“Well of course,” she said with a shrug, smiling to herself when she spotted the small sigh of relief moving his shoulders “But, as well as that, we’ve done it…We’ve become the clingy couple that you used to complain about.”
“I didn’t-!”
Isla arched her eyebrows as she took a step back, swinging their hands between them.
“Okay maybe I did,” Ethan said with a sigh, a shrug and a smile “But I don’t care,” he continued as he stepped toward her and tentatively reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“Even if Caleb takes the mickey out of us?”
“Caleb doesn’t have a leg to stand on,” Ethan said with a smile as he bent slightly to bump his nose gently against hers “Him and Bex were the clingy couple I used to moan about,” he whispered with a smirk before he placed a quick peck on her lips “Now, how about that tea?”
Ignoring the wolf whistles coming from where she had seen Cal spying on them Isla smiled as she reached up to run her fingers through Ethan’s hair a couple of times “Sounds amazing.”
