Romelle and Lance seemed a lot closer now than they were before. Which was a bit odd since Lance felt like they were plenty close before. With nothing left unsaid between them, their relationship grew and blossomed into something more. More them. More beautiful.

"We should go out. We've been studying all day and I'm going to lose my mind if I have to read one more sentence." Romelle said suddenly. They were in her apartment sitting in something close to silence. The air was filled with a mixture that smelled nice and he turned the page in his textbook and was about to start the next section. Romelle took off her reading glasses and looked at him expectantly.

"I don't know," Lance began. "Last time we went out you puked in front of a whole bar of people and I was rejected by my longtime crush." Some part of him wanted to stay in and make some tea that Allura had recommended but another part of him wanted to be surrounded by people. She gave him puppy dog eyes and the younger male sighed. "Fuck it. Let's go." Romelle squealed with joy. He stood and looked down at his outfit to see what he was actually wearing. Black jeans and a T-shirt. His jean jacket was in Romelle's car and he could use that to dress up his outfit. It would just have to do for the time being. He glanced over at Romelle who was just in sweatpants and she laughed as she looked over herself. Lance helped her up and took her to where her bedroom was. He flopped down onto her bed unceremoniously as she went directly to her closet.

Romelle pushed the curtain aside and thoughtfully looked at her clothes. Lance propped himself on one of his elbows. Head resting in his hand, he was surprised that he could still smell the diffuser all the way back into her room.

Romelle organized her closet by color. It was sort of cute to see all of her clothing separated by their hue. "You should wear pink," Lance said glancing at the pastel clothing. He thought she always looked nice in pink. Romelle nodded and picked up a few items. She showed them to her friend who either nodded or shook his head. She settled on a pink silk-like top and a pair of black jeans. Lance let her put concealer on him since he hadn't been sleeping that great lately.

"I'll drive there and let you drive back." She smiled and Lance knew that she wanted him to stay somewhat sober. Romelle was the one who wanted to go out so he was alright with being the designated driver. Lance braided her hair the way his sister taught him, it felt nostalgic and comforting. Maybe he would FaceTime Veronica when they were both free. That would probably never happen plus he felt like an annoyance when missing her became too much and he begged to even just talk to her. His sister was very busy and he hated to interrupt.

Romelle convinced him to go to the doctor bar even though every fiber of his being was against the idea. He loved his best friend too much to let her go alone. He bit his tongue and sucked it up. The drive allowed him to prepare himself for the worst of it. Lance knew there would definitely be some stares and it didn't help that he also remembered that he was the bar baby. Part of him wondered that if every time he walked into that bar he would be the bar baby or if it depended on certain factors. Lance shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. Dwelling on things never led him to anything good anyway.

They stepped inside the bar and were greeted with a slight cheer from the bartender. "Didn't think you guys would ever come back." He said jokingly, wiping down the countertops as more people settled into the empty spaces. Lance flushed red at the comment. Now everyone was looking at them. It was even more crowded than it was the first night they went. Romelle was just as comfortable as she was when she was at home. She pushed through the small crowd and ordered them a drink. The bartender began making them as Lance struggled to make himself look like he belonged.

"Are you hungry?" Romelle asked. She was looking at the menu that they offered. How could he say that lately he hadn't been able to eat? That whenever he forced himself the food sat in his stomach like a stone. Lance found himself nodding. He reminded himself that he did feel better when they were together. The doctor to be ordered a basket of french fries and got a round of shots.

Romelle pointed at him with the fry in her hand. "What did you name your cactus?" She took a bite of the food as Lance shoveled a handful of it into his mouth. They were good and he didn't feel all that bad either. "I meant to ask you last time we were both in the chatroom but I got distracted." She said sheepishly.

"You mean Matt distracted you." Lance swallowed his fries before taking a shot of whatever Romelle has ordered. The alcohol created a warm feeling in his chest.

"Details." Romelle shrugged and glanced around the bar. "How many people do you think are on our shift but we just don't see them." The blonde woman pondered for a moment. "Probably a lot." She concluded and grabbed for another two fries. He nodded with her.

"Looking for a thing?" Lance nodded to her and she laughed.

"By thing, I hope you mean relationship." She sighed out contently. "I'm twenty-five. I'm not getting any younger or prettier so I better start at least looking for someone." Romelle stuck her tongue out at him.

"Shut up." He practically groaned. "You're beautiful. I mean that. Even now you're still beautiful to me." Romelle looked taken back like she was surprised that he still thought of her the same even after she spilled her biggest secret. She turned so he couldn't see her eyes fill with tears. The doctor to be stuffed his face in the silence, leaving the last few fries for her.

"Next time we should go clubbing," Lance said to break the odd quiet. "I think dancing would be fun. Maybe we can get Shiro to come with us." Suddenly old Romelle was back in place of the somber woman. She grinned.

"That would be something! I don't think Shiro would ever be caught dead in a club." Her fingers traced down the glass of her drink. They were chipped in some spots from usual wear and constant hand washing. "I think we could do it though." Romelle said finally.

"I think so too." Lance grinned at her. "With enough peer pressure, it's definitely doable." He took a sip of the water that he ordered with the food and let the conversation from around the place wash over them. Maybe he needed this.

"You never told me your plant's name!" Romelle subtly gasped. "Sorry I got distracted." She said a bit quieter and almost shyly.

"I named him Jeremy." Lance laughed and Romelle giggled. "It's just felt right you know? He looked like a Jeremy. Do you want more fries?" He was ready to bring out his wallet to get her more but she shook her head with a smile.

"I'm good." She squeezed his arm and turned back to her drink. Lance looked around the bar to see if he recognized any of the doctors or his classmates but couldn't place a single one. He was alone with Romelle, suddenly he didn't feel as welcome as before. The woman with the red fingernails and fake concern was there but she was focused on someone else and he was relieved. There was something about her that screamed wrong and bad. Lance looked away for no more than two minutes and Romelle was in trouble.

"Hey!" Her voice sounded panicked and uncomfortable. She was off her chair, her hands balled into fists. "Don't touch me!" At Romelle's words, the bartender whipped around. Lance stood up to put himself in the situation and to put some space between Romelle and whoever it was that disturbed her. An intoxicated looking man with glazed eyes looked angry that Lance had interrupted his view of the beautiful woman. Romelle was gripping onto the back of his jacket as a silent thank you.

"Hey dude," Lance said slowly. "She obviously didn't like whatever you did so let's just walk away." His voice was shaking. The man only seemed to get angrier with Lance's words. He moved towards the younger male but the bartender stuck his arm over the bar as a flimsy barrier.

"You've had a lot to drink. Why don't I call you a cab before you do something you regret." The older man's smile was kind and his voice was even. Lance prayed that it would work.

"It's not my fault. Do you see the way she's dressed?" He slurred. Lance was uncomfortable for Romelle. Her shirt wasn't revealing. It was long sleeved and flowy. Romelle raised her arms to cover herself despite being shielded by Lance's body. He shrugged off his jacket and quickly draped it over her shoulders and held the front closed with his own hands as she slipped her arms through the sleeves. Her arms crossed in front of her to make sure none of the pink showed.

The young doctor turned back around to face the man. "Fixed it. Go home. Please just leave us alone." Lance said simply. The man stumbled and leaned on the counter and Lance thought that was the end of it. He let his guard down.

"You leave us alone." He raised his fist and Lance was too slow to block. The drunk man punched Lance. Romelle yelped and pushed in front of him to protect him from more harm. He stumbled back clutching at his face as he felt a gush of blood come pouring from his face. The bartender jumped over the counter and tackled the man to the ground. Romelle fretted over her friend.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! You're bleeding, let me see." She said but he held up his hand to stop her from apologizing and because he didn't want to show the bar his nose if the guy had broken it. It was embarrassing and now the second incident at the same bar. Maybe he just had terrible luck. "I'm going to find you some ice. I'll be right back!" The blonde woman said before hurrying off. Leaving him clutching his face and alone. Suddenly someone came up from behind him and replaced his hands with a wad of napkins.

"Just lean forward." A gentle guiding hand pushed on the back of his head while the hand holding the napkins applied a steady pressure. "Are you feeling dizzy?" The smooth voice asked.

"No." Lance puffed. His voice sounded weird and he almost laughed at that. "My nose is throbbing though." The man laughed and it was a nice sound. Lance perked up because of it.

"I can imagine but sticking up for your girlfriend is an honorable cause." The man said teasingly. It was a bit awkward as his head was being cradled by a practical stranger. Lance tried to look at the man past the plethora of napkins. His breath caught in his throat. The stranger was beautiful.

"Actually she's my best friend." Lance said though it sounded muffled from the napkins.

"That's even better." Lance's blue eyes narrowed on the stranger's face. He didn't understand how that was any better. "Better for me." The stranger clarified. "It's just my luck that I get to treat such a pretty stranger. Shall I push my luck and ask for his number?" Lance felt his heart stop in his chest. Words failed him so he just nodded. The other man smiled. Romelle was by his side again holding a dish towel and ice for the stranger to take. With practiced hands, he removed the bloodied napkins and replaced it with the makeshift ice bag. "Good news your nose isn't broken."

"Are you sure?" Lance asked. Romelle nodded and gripped his jacket in her hands. She was still nervous.

"I can assure you, I'm a doctor." The stranger smiled. "Dr. James Griffin at your service." He winked and Lance felt his face heat up. "You're still bleeding but that's expected. I'm going to keep pressure on it for a few more minutes and then check again." James cradled Lance's head in one of his hands while the other remained firmly pressed against his nose.

Romelle came back over with two beers. Lance hadn't even noticed she left. "The bartender gave us these for free. He says he's sorry that something bad always happens while we're here." She smiled sheepishly.

James turned his head at her remark. "Wait you guys are puke girl and bar baby?" His eyes were wide. The pair winced at their nicknames. "I was starting to think you guys weren't real." He chuckled softly and turned his grayish eyes back on Lance. They seemed to cover Lance in ice. He shivered.

"We're real," Romelle said with a sigh. "Definitely real and a whole lot of embarrassed." Lance had to agree.

"I think it's pretty interesting. Like you guys have main character auras around you. Even us interns were talking about you." He laughed. "I can't believe I got to meet the genuine people."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Believe it." Romelle stifled a giggle. "Sorry for bleeding on you." Lance added shyly. He tried taking the ice bag from James but the older male just kept holding the ice pack.

"Don't be, " James grinned. "I think it will make one hell of a first date story."

++++
Romelle's essential oil mix for focus:
2 drops of lemongrass essential oil
1 drop of peppermint essential oil

IMPORTANT: As you can see this chapter is extremely late. I no longer have any backlogged chapters which mean updates have switched from every Friday to just on Fridays. Sorry for the inconvenience!