C21 Ordinary Days

Sierra arrived at work that morning with a cup of coffee in one hand and her bag hanging from her shoulder.

The hospital was already busy. A nurse hurried past her with a file, someone was speaking to a patient near the reception area, and two doctors stood beside the noticeboard discussing their schedules.

She greeted the receptionist on her way in before heading to her department.

Nothing unusual happened during the first few hours. She checked the documents she needed for the day, attended to her responsibilities, and exchanged a few words with her colleagues whenever their paths crossed.

At one point, she spent nearly ten minutes looking for a file that turned out to be sitting on the desk behind her.

She stared at it when she finally found it.

"Don't say anything," she warned the colleague who had watched the entire search.

He raised both hands. "I haven't said a word."

"Your face is saying enough."

He laughed. "Maybe you should take a break."

"Maybe you should mind your business."

She picked up the file and walked away, leaving him laughing behind her.

By lunchtime, she had settled into the familiar rhythm of the day. She was reviewing some notes when Emily appeared beside her.

"You're working very hard today."

Sierra didn't look up. "That's generally what happens at work."

"I know. I just thought I'd admire your dedication."

"How kind of you."

Emily leaned against the desk, watching her for a moment.

"So, what are your plans after work?"

Sierra paused briefly before continuing with her notes.

"Nothing much."

"Nothing much?"

"Why are you repeating everything I say?"

"I'm trying to understand you."

"That's a waste of time."

Emily laughed.

"Fine. I'll ask something else. Are you free this evening?"

Sierra finally looked at her. "Why?"

"No reason."

"Emily."

"What?"

"You're doing that thing again."

"What thing?"

"The thing where you pretend you aren't about to ask me something ridiculous."

Emily pressed a hand to her chest.

"You're making me sound like a terrible person."

"Am I wrong?"

Emily considered it. "Not entirely."

Sierra shook her head, returning to her work.

After a moment, Emily spoke again.

"So, are you going out with Miles or not?"

Sierra's pen stopped moving.

She looked up slowly.

"How did we get here?"

"Quite easily, actually."

"Emily."

"Yes, Sierra?"

"Go and do your job."

Emily burst out laughing.

"All right, all right. I'll leave you alone."

She took a few steps away before turning back.

"But if you are going out with him, I hope you have a lovely evening."

Sierra gave her a suspicious look.

"That sounded almost sincere."

"It was sincere."

"Should I be worried?"

"Very."

Emily laughed again and finally left.

Sierra watched her go, shaking her head with a small smile.

She hadn't told Emily much about her plans with Miles, and she certainly hadn't announced anything to the rest of the hospital. As far as she was concerned, there was no reason to make a big deal out of one evening.

Besides, she hadn't even decided what she thought about it yet.

She returned to her work, and the rest of the afternoon passed much as the morning had. There were documents to review, questions to answer, and enough small tasks to keep her occupied until the end of her shift.

When she finally left, she was more interested in getting home and resting than thinking about anyone's teasing.

Emily, unfortunately, wasn't finished.

They were walking towards the exit when Emily slipped her arm through Sierra's.

"You know, you could tell me if something interesting happens."

"Nothing interesting has happened."

"Yet."

Sierra glanced at her.

"You're very invested in this."

"I'm invested in your happiness."

"You're invested in gossip."

"Those two things can coexist."

Sierra laughed despite herself.

Emily gave her a satisfied look. "There. That's better."

"What's better?"

"You laughing instead of threatening to send me away."

"I can still do that."

"I know. It's one of your many charming qualities."

Sierra rolled her eyes, and they parted outside the building.

For the rest of the journey home, Sierra barely thought about the conversation. Emily was always like that whenever she found something to tease her about. In a few days, she would probably have moved on to something else.

At least, Sierra hoped so.

---

The library was quieter than Joan had expected.

A few students sat at the long tables, some with their laptops open and others bent over their books. The air-conditioning hummed softly overhead, occasionally interrupted by the sound of pages turning or chairs scraping against the floor.

Joan sat opposite Sam, reading through her notes while Sam worked on an assignment.

They had been there for almost an hour.

"How much more do you have to do?" Joan asked, glancing at Sam's notebook.

"Enough to make me regret choosing this course."

"You say that every week."

"And every week, I discover a new reason to be right."

Joan smiled and returned to her notes.

For a while, they worked in silence. Sam occasionally stopped to check something on her laptop, while Joan highlighted a few lines in her textbook.

It was Sam who eventually broke the silence.

"Are you going to finish that before we leave?"

Joan looked at the pages in front of her.

"Probably."

"That doesn't sound convincing."

"I'm trying to be optimistic."

"Try harder."

Joan laughed quietly, earning a brief glance from someone at the next table.

She lowered her voice. "You're becoming a distraction."

"You invited me here."

"I didn't know what I was getting myself into."

Sam grinned and went back to her assignment.

A few minutes later, Joan closed her textbook.

"Can I ask you something?"

Sam continued typing. "You just did."

Joan waited.

Sam looked up, caught her expression, and sighed.

"Sorry. Go ahead."

Joan hesitated briefly before speaking.

"About that evening at your house."

Sam's fingers stilled above her keyboard.

She knew immediately what Joan meant.

"What about it?"

Joan leaned back in her chair.

"I've been thinking about how you and Alex reacted when you saw each other."

Sam looked down at her notebook, pretending to search for something.

"There isn't much to say."

"Really?"

"Really."

Joan gave her a doubtful look.

"Sam, I've known you for a little more than a year now. You don't look at someone like that unless there's a reason."

Sam let out a quiet breath.

"Well, there was a reason."

Joan waited, but Sam didn't continue.

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

Sam glanced around the library before lowering her voice.

"Alex and Sierra knew each other a long time ago."

Joan frowned slightly.

"I figured that much."

"They were close. Or at least, they were getting close before things went wrong."

"How wrong?"

Sam hesitated.

"Alex rejected her."

Joan's expression changed.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

She looked down at the table, remembering the way Sierra had described it. Even after all that time, the memory still seemed to carry more weight than Sierra liked to admit.

Joan was quiet for a moment.

Sam nodded.

"But why did you look so surprised when you saw him?"

Sam gave her a small, humourless smile.

"Because I wasn't expecting to see him standing outside our house. And because I knew what happened between them, even though I didn't know Alex was your brother."

Joan slowly nodded.

"I didn't know he knew Sierra either."

"Neither of us did."

They exchanged a brief look.

Joan turned her pen between her fingers.

"Did he say anything about her?"

"No. Not really."

"Did you ask?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Sam considered the question.

"Because I didn't think it was my place to ask him about something that happened years ago."

Joan seemed to accept that.

She looked down at her hands for a moment before speaking again.

"I've never heard him talk about her."

Sam's attention returned to her.

"Really?"

Joan shook her head.

"No. I didn't even know there was someone he had been close to like that."

Sam didn't know what to make of the information. She had known Sierra's side of the story for years, but Alex had always remained something of a mystery to her.

She had seen him only briefly at the house. There hadn't been enough time to understand what he was thinking, and she hadn't wanted to assume too much from a single encounter.

Still, the way he'd looked at Sierra's name—or perhaps the memory of her—had stayed with Sam.

She wondered whether Joan had noticed something similar.

"So much for 'love at first sight' "

Sam huffed.

Joan fell silent.

There were things about Alex that she understood better than most people did, but that didn't mean she understood everything he chose to keep to himself. He could be frustratingly private, even with her.

She had learned not to force him to talk before he was ready.

But this was different. It involved someone who had clearly mattered to him, and someone who still seemed affected by his presence.

"Do you think he still cares about her?" Joan asked.

Sam looked at her for a long moment.

"Honestly, I don't think it matters now, she has a date"

"Oh"

It was the most honest answer she could give.

She remembered the look on Alex's face when he saw her, the way his expression had changed when his eyes landed on the house, and how quickly he had gone quiet.

But she couldn't say what any of it meant.

"Maybe," Sam added. "But whatever he feels, it doesn't change what happened between them."

Joan nodded slowly.

"No. I suppose it doesn't."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Sam closed her laptop.

"Can we please go back to studying now? I came here to finish an assignment, not investigate your brother's personal life."

Joan laughed under her breath.

"You brought it up."

"You asked questions."

"Because you weren't answering them."

"Exactly. And now I'm done."

Joan shook her head, smiling, and reopened her textbook.

"Fine. I'll leave it alone."

"Thank you."

They returned to their work, the conversation gradually fading beneath the quiet sounds of the library.

But although Sam had managed to put the subject aside, she couldn't help wondering what would happen if Sierra and Alex ever found themselves in the same room again.

And whether either of them was truly prepared for it.