St Matthew's Passion: A Medical Romance by Sam Archer Page A

raucous. Professor Penney had closed the tab by then and so Melissa went to the bar to buy a round of drinks for the group of people she was sitting with. While the barman prepared the order Melissa leaned on the bar, and became aware of Emma sliding on to the stool next to her.
    ‘ Fin not here yet, then.’
    Emma was a little tipsy, her speech a fraction slower than normal. Melissa shrugged, as if she hadn’t thought about it.
    ‘He’s probably finishing up at the office.’
    Emma slung an arm across Melissa’s shoulders. Leaning close, she half-whispered: ‘It’s okay to show that you’re disappointed, you know.’
    ‘Disappointed?’ Melissa’s laugh sounded forced to her own ears. ‘Why would I be? The company here’s pretty good as it is.’
    Emma laid a forefinger alongside her own nose. ‘You can be open with me, girl.’
    Melissa sighed, turned on the stool to face Emma. ‘What are you on about?’
    ‘ You and Fin.’
    As with Deborah, Melissa felt a stab of indignation. ‘There’s nothing going on –’
    Emma held up both palms in a placatory gesture. ‘Whoah, whoah. I’m not saying there is.’ She winked. ‘But it’s obvious you fancy each other like mad.’
    ‘ Come on –’ But Melissa suddenly, desperately wanted Emma to continue. She’d said not you fancy him but you fancy each other…
    ‘ Listen. All the girls look at Fin. I look at Fin. Can’t help it. He’s rather easy on the eye. Ah, forget that; he’s drop-dead gorgeous. A heart throb. And all the blokes look at you. No, let me say my piece before I lose the power of speech,’ Emma said, holding up a finger. ‘But the two of you, you and Fin… it’s not just looking at each other. Sparks fly when you’re in the same room. There’s a chemistry there, a connection. Neither of you can help it, though why would you want to?’ She leaned in again. ‘And for the record, I know you haven’t… done anything. That’s exactly why the electricity’s there. The tension.’ She sat back again, stifling a hiccup. ‘Think I’d better switch to water.’
    Melissa stared at Emma, her friend’s words playing over and over in her mind. Emma beamed.
    ‘The question is, what are you going to do about it?’
    Emma helped Melissa carry the glasses back to the table, then wandered off to the ladies’ room. Melissa sat, letting the conversation swirl and eddy around her once more.
    Was Emma right? If so, Melissa herself had been right all along too. Fin did have feelings for her, and powerful ones. And perhaps he was conflicted; perhaps he did have someone else and he was torn between her and Melissa. Was that why he hadn’t come tonight? Couldn’t he face a whole evening of being with someone in a social situation whom he desired yet couldn’t acknowledge his feelings for?
    A sudden thought hit Melissa almost audibly, like a coin dropping into an empty vending machine. She nearly slapped her forehead.
    Had Fin bought the necklace for her?
    She stood up abruptly, one word repeating itself over and over in her head.
    Stupid, stupid, stupid.
    ‘ I’m going to head off,’ Melissa announced to the table.
    ‘ Home so early?’ someone asked. Emma had just arrived back from the bathroom and gazed at Melissa.
    Melissa said, ‘No, I think I’ll pop back to the office for a bit.’
    ‘The office, eh?’ Emma gave her an amused, knowing look. ‘Don’t work too hard, darling.’
    Melissa said her goodbyes throughout the pub, trying not to seem too hasty. Emma had asked what she was going to do about the situation, and it was a fair question. Well, if Fin wasn’t going to come to Melissa, she was going to go to him.
    She hoped only that he hadn’t gone home yet.
     
    ***
     
    Melissa’s fears were unfounded. She saw a light from under the door of Fin’s office as she approached down the dark corridor.
    The pub was a ten-minute walk from St Matthew’s and she was glad of this. Any longer and she might have got cold feet, found any