Sam gave Rae a shy smile as the two nurses escorted her carefully to the lobby. Once they settled Rae into a seat and left, Rae turned and dug her face into a pillow. "I wouldn't have recommended this if I knew you were going to pass out," Sam offered sheepishly.

Rae groaned into the pillow. "That was so embarrassing." She sat up, her cheeks tinged with pink.

Sam handed her a blue Powerade. "Drink up. It's free." Rae accepted the gift. Sam nodded to her bag. "I also took, like, eight bags of pretzels and a billion apples." She lowered her voice. "Pretty sneaky, huh?"

Rae ignored her roommate and sipped her drink.

Sam huffed and pulled out her phone. "If you keep ignoring me, I'll have to call the nurses back and say you're unresponsive." Rae glared. "Fine, just enjoy your drink."

Rae stared at the bottle. "Is my dignity worth so little?"

Sam finished her Powerade before grabbing another. "That depends on how many you grab." She snagged another apple and slid it into her backpack.

"Thief."

Sam smiled and posed sideways as if in a police lineup. "Arrest me." Her phone dinged and she squealed in delight. She turned the phone to Rae. "Seventy-five big ones. Easy money."

Rae rolled her eyes. "Remind me to download that app tonight." She pulled up her own phone and nearly dropped it. "It's almost half past one."

"Oh, I have to get to class." Sam grabbed her backpack.

Rae jumped up. "Paul's going to kill me. I was supposed to be back at work twenty minutes ago."

"Chill, chica. Just tell him you had a bad reaction to donating blood."

"I've got to get back. I can't lose this job."

Rae beelined toward the door before Sam could stop her. As Rae reached for the door, it swung open, and she ran into the metal frame. Sam caught her before she tumbled to the ground, but nurses swarmed her, scolding her for leaving so early. Before Sam could rescue her, the team of phlebotomists ushered Rae back to the lobby and settle her back in a seat.

Rae's cheeks turned pink again, but eventually they left her alone. She checked over her shoulder to see Sam in tears, laughing. Rae stuck out her tongue and Sam waved goodbye, successfully exiting the plasma center with her bag of contraband pretzels and apples.

Rae pulled the pillow up to her face, breathing deeply as embarrassment washed over her again. Her chest tightened in panic as she remembered she needed to get to work.

"Trying to smother yourself?"

Rae quickly lowered the pillow to see a man staring at her with a smirk. Her face burned—surely the pink had turned into bright red.

"No, please," he said, leaning back into his chair. "Don't let me stop you."

Rae resisted the urge to throw the pillow at the stranger. She glanced up at the clock—the red digital numbers mocked her from the wall. The nurses had firmly charged her with staying for another twenty minutes. She set a timer on her phone for twelve. Close enough. When she glanced up, the man was still watching her.

"So, are you not trying to smother yourself?"

"No. Of course not." Then, it clicked. "You're the one who opened the door."

He smirked. "Is that a crime?"

Before Rae could shoot back a snarky response, a phlebotomist walked over. His hands shook. "Mr. Rossi? I'm so sorry. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow. We can bring you back now."

The man waved him away. "I'm not ready yet. Give me another...eleven minutes." Rae glanced down at her timer. Eleven minutes. Mr. Rossi lifted an eyebrow turning back to Rae. "So. A crime?"

Rae tried to think back to what he was talking about. The door. "Yeah. A crime." She glanced back at the clock. "Attempted battery."

He raised an eyebrow. "You ran into the door."

"No. The door ran into me." She glanced down from the clock, trying to take deep, steady breaths. How quickly could she escape? "You could have been trying to murder me."

The man paused. "It's an opaque door. I couldn't see you."

"It's an opaque door with glass windows around it," she argued absentmindedly. "It's interesting you note the opaque door. It seems you've been casing the joint, covering your bases in case your plan failed."

"My murder plan?"

Finally, Rae glanced down at the man. "So you admit it?"

He sat back, amused. "What's your name?"

"Reserved for friends and family."

He nodded. "You know my name. Does that make us friends?"

Rae shook her head. "Friends are..." her eyes landed on the snacks, "people who know your favorite food."

He laughed and then caught himself, as if surprised. "You don't want to know my favorite."

Rae frowned. "You're right. That would make us friends." She stood, glancing down at her phone. Her timer had eight minutes left. She had to get to work. Any more time would guarantee she lost her job. She nodded goodbye to her would-be door-wielding murderer and headed to the door.

Almost immediately, a phlebotomist caught her escape and started hollering. Rae froze, biting her lip. She glanced at the clock. Almost half an hour late.

"It's fine."

Rae turned to see her would-be murderer waving the phlebotomist off.

"Let her go. She'll be fine."

The phlebotomist shook his head but turned back to his patient, releasing Rae to leave. Rae glanced back at the man. He smiled, and Rae took in his dark brown curly hair and piercingly black eyes. "Thanks, Mr. Rossi."

He smiled, his teeth a brilliant white that clashed with his dark suit, hair, and eyes. "Peanuts?" he guessed.

Rae shook her head. "Better luck next time."

&&&

Dominic watched as the girl left the building, checking her phone every few seconds as she raced up the stairs to the CTA train.

"Mr. Rossi? Are you ready now?"

He turned to follow the nurse down a long hallway and down a set of stairs. They entered a sterile white room, empty except for a single chair. A young woman paced the length of the room, smiling nervously as Dominic entered. He grabbed the nurse's shoulder before he left. "Send someone to follow that girl."

"The girl?"

Dominic took a deep breath. "I want to know her favorite food."