He was supposed to go to work, today. He was dressed for work but he found himself driving in the opposite direction, the direction of the mall.

"I'm just going to pick up that laptop," he told himself. "I forgot to get it last time and my current computer is going to give out very soon."

He had just received his new laptop as a Christmas present from his mother last December but it needed to be changed. He was going to buy the updated version even if he was never going to use.

"It's for emergencies," he continued as he sped pass a truck.

He arrived at the mall in record time, lucky there was no cops in the streets. He entered a little gift shop, determined to convince himself that he was looking for something instead of someone. He ended up buying some small bracelets for his little sisters and a cheap decorative plate for his mother.

He snorted as he looked through his purchase. That plate is going straight in the trash like all the other decorative gifts he gave his mother. She never said it but she wished he would stop buying home decors. It just wasn't his forte.

He stared at the Apple store, wanting to delay his goal. He hadn't thought of anything to say to her.

Ughh, there went his pretense.

The store beckoned to him. The door was wide open, inviting him to come do what he came here to do in the first place.

"I'm here to buy a new laptop," he repeated. "That's it."

When he finally mustered enough courage to walk through the door, he was stopped by the small crowd of shoppers. There was at least one person checking out every single device. He almost backed out.

Only almost.

In the far back corner, he saw her smiling at a customer. Her hair was different today. Instead of long dark braids, a large afro was framing her face. Her eyebrows were scrunched up and her eyes were focused on an empty space behind the customer as she explained something to him.

She wasn't doing quite an excellent job at hiding her annoyance and exhaustion. There were more teeth than lips in her smile, her body was turned on the side as she awaited the perfect moment to escape.

He knew when she was finally aware of him only because his eyes were focused on her face. She made no attempt at coming to him. Her eyes were the only part of her which took noticed of him. She remained unmoved and uninterested.

"Can I help you, sir?" A young man approached him.

Hector briefly glanced at him before returning his attention to the woman who was trying to hide her tight fists behind her back.

He smirked. He could be her knight in shining armor.

"Sir?" The man asked again, a little irritated for being ignored.

"No, I'm good," Hector answered. "I don't think that tablet will be, though," he said when his eyes caught two little kids with a soda can in front of one of the tablets. Their mother was in a heated argument with another clerk behind the counter.

"Oh shit, no," the guy shouted as he ran to them.

The store instantly went into a minor chaos as clerks ran towards the kids. Some pulled them away as others attempted to grab either the soda or the tablet.

"What are you doing?" The mother screamed. "Get your paws off my kids."

Hector shook his head as he moved away from the scenes. If it had been him in their place, his mother would have made sure he never got to see the light of day ever again.

The noise went down a bit as security moved the screaming mother and her kids out of the store. A couple of clerks stood in front of the tablet, wiping the screen vigorously with multiple paper towels. Their brows all bunched up as their eyes begged the tablet to be alright.

Anita was leaning on the back door when Hector turned to face her. She briefly glanced at him with a small smile to her lips. He sent her a smile of his own, earning him an exasperated eye roll.

He felt his phone vibrating in his pockets. Don't answer, don't answer.

He willed himself to stay in the moment as he made his way to her. There were other highly competent surgeons currently on duty, he told himself. Nobody was going to die because he took a couple of minutes for himself.

He had to live his life at some point. And this beautiful woman was the first step towards a little fun in his uptight life. Confident was building inside himself as he approached her until he noticed the frown. Her eyes were no longer calm and amusing. They were shooting daggers at him, daring him to continue.

If he wasn't already so close, he would have gone back and pretended he never saw her. He couldn't do that now. Not when he could feel the heat of her body.

"Hi," he said when he reached her.

Her eyes had not softened. They narrowed at him.

She looked up and down at his body before crossing her arms. "Sorry, I'm on my lunch break."

"At 8 AM?" His eyebrows shoot up. "Sounds like quite the layback job you have, you mind sending me the application?"

"Sounds like quite the questions you have, you mind bothering someone else with them?" She bit back.

"You're funny."

"I'm hilarious," she corrected. "I still need you to step away from me."

Hector's confidence had diminished but he refused to back down. She was a challenge and he knew how to conquer challenges. He had been doing it all his life.

"I know you remember me," he teased. "I saw you smiling at me earlier."

"I'm being paid to smile at you," she said.

He put his hands over his heart, hurt by her words. "I don't remember you being so mean last time."

"It was my day off. Everybody is more amiable on their day off."

Slightly moving his body, he leaned over her shoulders. His lips were almost touching her ear. He inhaled her smell.

That was so creepy, Hector. Never mind, just move along already.

"When is your next day off?" He whispered. "We can always spend it together."

"Or," her hand settled on his chest and pushed him a few steps back, "you can get the hell away from me before I call security."

"You'd call security on me? I thought we were getting to know each other," he smirked.

She laughed. Her voice resonated deep inside him, waking up parts of him he forgot existed.

"I already did," she said once she regained her seriousness.

Hector cocked his head, confused. "Did wha..."

"Everything's okay here?" Someone demanded from behind him.

Hector turned around to find the two men, who were escorting the screaming lady, now were staring down at him.

He thought he was tall but, having to crane his neck up to see the two men's face, made him feel like a dwarf.

He gulped but stood up straight. "Yes, we're fine."

The guard stared at him, his face tight. The bulldog tattooed on his bald head was more inviting than the entire rest of his face. "Why don't you move closer to the products and away from the lady?"

"I had a question," Hector explained. "Are all customers threatened for asking questions?"

No muscle moved in either of the two faces staring at him.

"There are no products back here, sir." The other finally spoke. His voice was graver than his partner's. "You can always ask customer service upfront. Unless you'd like for us to escort you outside where you can find another store to shop?"

Hector contemplated informing him about his rights as a customer but he figured that wouldn't make the impression he wanted. The store was obviously not the right place to make any advances to a woman. He knew that before he walked in but he wasn't thinking straight.

Consequences of not having been laid in a while.

His phone chose that moment to vibrate once again. Instantly, he was reminded of the hospital, his job, and his patients.

"This is not goodbye," he told Anita as he kissed her hand.

Her lips thinned as she pulled her hand away from him.

"Excuse me, fellas." He slipped between them and headed for the door.

He threw one last look in the back corner. She was shaking her head but there was no mistaking the smile she was wearing.

"I knew I still had it," Hector patted himself in the back as he made his way through the parking lot. He rushed to the hospital and arrived before in a matter of minutes.

He didn't bother checking the cases he had waiting for him. The staff will fill him in as he prepared himself.

His name was being shouted over the intercom as soon as he clocked in.

"Dr. Barrero is needed in the ER. Dr. Barrero is needed in the ER."

Nurse Jane threw a folder at him before he could open his mouth. "Car accident. The other people have barely a scrap to share but this one..." she shook her head and took the folder away from him.

Hector barely saw the name of the patient. That was how it usually worked. There was never any time to chat in the ER. It was always a matter of life or death.

He pulled out his stethoscope as the other nurses held on to the patient and the bed. Blood covered the man's swollen face, bones were sticking out of his jaw and his arms. His skin had turned into a mix of red and purple. There was no resemblance of a human being.

"One more thing," Nurse Jane said as they pulled him on the operating table, "he signed a DNR."

"Let's make sure his heart doesn't stop then." He wasn't about to lose anybody today.

He focused on the task at end and momentarily forgot about Anita. All that mattered now was this life, this man who was counting on him so he could see another day.