New York Christmas (2)
part 2
Once he was in his hotel room, he threw his bag on the bed and went straight for his laptop.
He typed in 'Dr .Reid Oliver' in the google search bar and immediately got results. A lot of results. It turned out that Dr. Reid Oliver wasn't just any neurosurgeon, he was at the top of his field, even at his age, which was 34, Luke found out. Only 9 years between them, Luke thought.
After reading all the information he found valuable, he skipped all the medical stuff, he closed his laptop and laid down on his bed.
He went over their meeting again and he was sure that Reid was going to ask for his number of give him his number, when Noah came between them, acting like Luke's boyfriend.
Luke couldn't blame Reid for his reaction, he probably would have acted to same way if it had happened the other way around. He groaned when he thought about what Reid would think now. Luke had tried to flirt a little with Reid, even if he wasn't very good at it, and now Reid probably thought he had boyfriend. How was he going to make this right?
*
It turned out, he couldn't. He'd tried to call the hospital, but they wouldn't put him through. Which he found logical, but was annoyed by anyway. Then he's searched for an email address, but he couldn’t find anything. The search for anything personal about Dr. Oliver, didn't give him any results either. The doctor didn't participate in any social media; he had no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account. After a month had passed and Luke still hadn't succeeded in contacting Reid Oliver, he stopped trying. Yes, Luke had taken an immediate liking to him and Reid was still a very active part of his masturbation fantasies, but apparently some things weren't meant to be. And besides, it wasn't like Reid couldn't contact Luke, because unlike Reid, Luke did like social media and was very active on it.
He'd documented his move to his new apartment quite thoroughly, his excitement to live on his own obvious through the pictures.
He still visited the coffeehouse frequently, always hoping to run into Reid, but it never happened. It was also a way to keep in touch with Noah, who, to Luke's shock, was falling for a girl.
"Luke, you know I'm bi, why is this such a shock to you?" Noah had asked, his eyes wide in confusion.
No, Luke hadn't known that Noah was bi, thank you very much. He'd thought that Noah was gay, since they were in a committed relationship. He couldn't really explain why, but it left a sour taste in Luke's mouth, one that he was eager to lose. So he'd tried his hand on dating to up his self-esteem, but after 3 dates that turned to be boring, weird and awkward, Luke gave up on that road. In the back of his mind, a certain doctor kept popping up and Luke found himself comparing everybody to him. Which was crazy because he'd only seen Reid twice and talked to him once, for like 5 minutes.
So, after a few months, Luke had come to terms with Noah having a girlfriend and concentrated on his writing. He had an amazing office in his new apartment, with a great view on the city and he didn't know it that was the cause for his burst of inspiration, but he was grateful that he was able to write again.
Now that he lived on his own, he'd spent a lot of money on his apartment, indulging a little bit. Noah had always been opposed to it, which Luke understood to a certain extent.
But now, Luke bought himself a great apartment, spent hours and hours designing the interior and now that is was ready, it really was his home.
As the months went by, Luke settled in to his new life, single and for the first time living on his own. He never saw Reid again and thoughts about him became less and less.
Until one afternoon in mid-August, Luke was walking towards the coffee shop and he saw Reid at the other side of the street. Luke stopped and stared, not believing it really was Reid.
He was about to shout his name, when he saw Reid stop walking, yank his beeper from his belt and with a massive eye roll, turn on his heels and take off running back where he came from. All Luke could do was stare after him for just a few seconds until he disappeared into the crowd.
There was no way Reid would hear him if he called out and he was too far away to run after.
It left Luke no other choice than to walk into the coffee shop. He ordered a coffee, waved to Noah who was standing in the back and slumped down on a seat near the window.
Noah turned out to be a much better friend than boyfriend, because it didn't even take him a minute to sit down next to Luke, after squeezing his shoulder in greeting.
"What's up, man? You look pissed." Noah asked, setting down a blueberry muffin in front of Luke.
"I am pissed." Luke grumbled, taking the muffin and biting into it.
Noah just looked at him questioningly.
"I was just starting to forget about him and now, just 2 minutes ago, I saw him again. But before I could say anything, he was gone already." Luke said around a piece of muffin in his mouth.
"Oh shit." Noah looked empathically. "Reid? He was here?"
Luke swallowed. "No, he was on his way apparently, but his pager went off by the looks of it so he took off again." Luke combed a hand through his hair. "Fuck." He cursed. Then he looked at Noah.
"He hasn't been in here since December? You haven't seen him?" He asked. "Because what are the odds that I would run into him again?" He shook his head. "Not even run into him, just stand there and gawk like an idiot." He slapped a hand over his eyes.
"No, really. I haven't seen him. You know I would tell you if I had, you know that." Noah said, gently rubbing Luke's shoulder.
Then Luke sat up and straightened his back. "Okay, enough of this. Either I stop thinking about him or I'm going on a mission to find him." Then he slumped back in his chair again.
"What if I find him and he's not even interested? What if all my trouble is for nothing?" He groaned. "Oh god, I don't even want to think about that."
"Well, at least you'll know." Noah said cheerfully.
Luke shot him a dirty look. "You're not helping. At all."
"Sorry". Noah smiled. "I've got to get back to work, okay? Are you staying or going?"
"I'm leaving." Luke stood up, gave Noah a quick hug and turned to leave. "I've got some thinking to do."
It turned out Luke didn't need to do much thinking, because he had already decided in his heart that he was going to try and get in touch with Reid. If just a few seconds of seeing him again could spike Luke's heart rate, he owed it to himself to find out if this man could really be his man.
But after some time, Thanksgiving had already come and passed, it seemed to Luke that the universe was working against him. Nothing he tried worked. And finally after spending 90 minutes in the hospital where Reid worked, wandering around the halls, looking and asking around for him, he told himself to stop this. It obviously wasn't meant to be if it was this hard to find him. It seemed like Reid was hiding himself from Luke which of course was ridiculous, he didn't even know Luke was looking for him.
With Christmas approaching again, Luke decided to put his quest for Reid away and dedicate his upcoming time to Christmas shopping. He still had about 2 weeks, but he had a lot of people to shop for.
He agreed to meet Noah at the mall and shop for Luke's family together.
It took them 3 hours of wandering in and out of stores, to purchase the gifts for Luke's siblings. Both of them tired and a little cranky, they decided to take a break and sit down for coffee.
From where they sat, they had a good view on some guy dressed as Santa Claus, taking pictures with little children and passing out gifts.
They both stared at him, sipping their coffee.
"Maybe you should ask Santa Claus to give you your most desired present." Noah grinned.
"And what would that be?" Luke decided to play dumb.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe meeting Reid again?" Noah replied with his eyebrows raised.
Luke laughed. "Yeah, maybe I should. Nothing else seems to work."
"Well, go on then." Noah gestured. "He's not very busy now."
Luke just stared at Noah. "You've got to be kidding right? Are you actually suggesting that I go up to Santa and ask for a boyfriend?"
"Why not? What have you got to lose?" Noah asked.
"That's not... I don't... "Luke sputtered. "Santa is for kids, Noah. And I stopped believing in Santa Claus about 20 years ago." He shook his head. "You shouldn't make fun of this, Noah. Because I am certainly not amused." He pushed back his chair and stood up.
"Let's get the rest of the presents and get out of here." Luke grabbed the bags with presents and started to make his way through the tables and chairs.
"Luke, wait!?" Noah said, also standing up hurriedly, grabbing his bags. "Luke!" One of his bags hooked behind the leg of a chair and Noah was jerked back. "Luke, wait!" He called out once more, but Luke didn't stop, he kept walking. It wasn't until he felt a hand of his shoulder that he stopped moving. He startled when he saw a friendly, bearded face, with twinkling eyes behind wire-framed glassed and a red hat atop his head.
"Is there anything you want to ask me?" The man said, a friendly smile on his face.
"Seriously?" Luke asked, getting angry. He crossed his arms before his chest and narrowed his eyes. "Did Noah put you up to this?"
The guy, Luke refused to call him Santa, shook his head. "I just want to know what you want most for Christmas."
"Okay, this officially isn't funny anymore. Shouldn't you be taking pictures with children who, I don't know, actually believe in you?"
"You're never too old to believe in Santa." 'Santa' said gently. "What's the harm in telling me your wish?"
"I'm not making a fool out of myself here." Luke said. He wanted to turn and walk away, but the look in the friendly blue eyes, made him stay.
The man didn't say anything, but just kept looking at Luke with a questioning expression on his face.
Luke uncrossed his arms and huffed. "Fine, do you want to know what I want? I want Dr. Reid Oliver. Can you make that happen? No? That's what I thought."
And with his cheeks red, he turned quickly and walked away. And if he felt a gust of wind blow around his head, he didn't pay attention to it.
After a minute or so, Noah caught up with him. "Hey, I saw you talking to that Santa-guy. What was that about?"
"Nothing." Luke mumbled, still embarrassed. "Let's just finish shopping, okay?"
*
The next week, Luke hurried into the coffee shop. It was snowing and he was freezing cold. He stopped just inside the door to stomp and get the snow of his boots. He looked for Noah but couldn't see him anywhere.
He made his way to the counter and ordered his coffee. He clutched it in his hands to warm them up and saw a spot opening up by the window. He sat down and stared at the people walking by.
Suddenly he felt someone poking him. He looked up to find the woman sitting next him, nodding towards the counter. He looked at her in confusion.
"What?"
"Someone is trying to get your attention." She said with a shrug and turned her attention back to her friend.
Luke turned around and saw Noah standing behind the counter, gesturing frantically. Luke shook his head, not understanding what Noah was trying to say. Then Noah waved him over, urgently. So Luke stood up and moved through the tables towards Noah.
"What's wrong? You look like an idiot." Luke said with a laugh.
“Well, you better be thankful to this idiot, because look to your right. At the window." Noah said.
Luke furrowed his brow and turned his head. And right there, after almost a year, he saw a familiar doctor, dressed in scrubs, sitting at a table, browsing through a magazine.
"Oh my god." Luke let out and almost without thinking about what he was doing, he made his way over to him. He stopped at the table and just stared. He couldn't believe it, there he was, the man Luke had been mooning over for almost a year and a week after he told a fake Santa he wanted Dr. Reid Oliver.
"If you're just going to stand there, could you please move? You're blocking my light." The smooth voice was exactly how Luke remembered it.
He suddenly came to his senses and laughed. "No, I'm not."
Now, the doctor slowly raised his head until his eyes met Luke's. And judging by the shock that was evident in his eyes, he remembered Luke very well.
After a few moments of silence, "Mr. Snyder.", he said, with a nod of his head. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Dr. Oliver." Luke replied, nodding his head, but unable to hide his smile.
They stared at each other, both not knowing what to say. Luke couldn't sit down, because there was no seat available for him. So he just stood there, looking down.
Then Reid cleared his throat and looked away. Luke shuffled his feet and tried to think of something to say. He felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment, but this wasn't the time to chicken out.
"Listen, Reid," he started to say, but Reid quickly drank his coffee and stood up.
"Reid, wait." Luke wanted to stop Reid from walking away again, but there was no need, because Reid had no intention of leaving.
Instead he tugged on Luke's arm, making him follow Reid to a corner of the establishment.
"I can't talk when I'm sitting down and you're standing up." He said with a little crooked smile.
Luke automatically smiled back. "Yeah, you're right." He bit his lip.
"So, last time we spoke... "Luke started, but was unsure what he was going to say.
"Your boyfriend came to say hello." Reid interrupted.
Luke cocked his head. "I thought you'd think that. But he's not my boyfriend. Not now and not then."
"He's not?" Reid narrowed his eyes. "Does he realize that, because he sure acts like your boyfriend."
"Well, to be honest, we'd just broken up the week before. So there might have been a force of habit there." Luke watched Reid, who still eyed him suspiciously.
"What, you don't believe me?" Luke asked.
"I didn't say that." Reid said defensively. "So, he's your ex?"
"Yes, I've been single for more than a year now." Luke admitted, a small blush crept up on his face. If that wasn't an invitation, Luke didn't know what was.
"Okay. Yeah. Alright then." Reid nodded.
Luke shoved his hands in his pockets and rolled back and forth on his feet.
"So..., how about dinner?" He asked, looking at Reid through his eyelashes.
"I'm off at seven. Come by the hospital at seven thirty." Reid didn't miss a beat.
"What, tonight?" Luke asked a little confused.
"Uhm, yes?" Reid looked unsure all of a sudden. "If you can't, it's no big deal. We can do it some other time."
"No, no, tonight's fine. I just wasn't expecting it." Luke quickly explained. "I'll pick you up at the hospital, then." He smiled brightly.
"Speaking of which," Reid glanced at his watch, "I've got to get going. I have a patient waiting for me to dig into his skull."
Luke made a face. "That's one lovely image."
Reid laughed. "I know, can't wait." He placed his hand on Luke's forearm for a moment and squeezed gently. "I'll see you tonight."
"Okay, tonight." Luke breathed. Reid hesitated a moment, but then quickly nodded, turned and walked away.
Luke stared after him, a smile lingering onhis lips.
A slap on his shoulder made him wince.
"And?" Noah's asked, stepping in front of him.
"I have a date tonight." A big dopey smile spread over Luke's face. "He remembered me too."
"Tonight? That's .... quick." Noah said, looking at the clock on the wall. "What are you going to do? You don't have much time to plan something."
"I don't know and I don't care." Luke said. "As long as we're spending time together, everything is fine with me."
Noah studied Luke's face for a moment. "I'm glad you're happy. But Luke..."
Luke held up his hand. "No. Don't spoil this for me. I know you think tonight could turn out to be a disaster, but Noah, I know it won't. I can't tell you why, but there's something about him that's so right and familiar, even though we've only met a couple of times." He gave Noah a quick hug and turned to leave.
"I'll let you know how it went, okay? Just be happy for me."
*
With a few minutes to spare, Reid was freshly showered, dressed and ready to go. He smiled to himself, thinking about how one year ago things were totally different.
Last year
After dealing with the emergency that had called him away from his meeting with Luke, he had returned to his office.
He plopped down on his chair and turned to stare out the window. He thought back to his conversation with Luke. He was pretty sure Luke was interested in him, he even made a small attempt at flirting, which Reid had found cute. But then the bulky barista turned out to be the boyfriend. So Reid had left immediately, calling himself stupid for being interested in someone who was obviously taken.
Luke Snyder. The name had a nice ring to it. Reid sat up straight and turned to his computer. He quickly typed in the name in the google search bar and waited on the results. Within a few seconds, the page was filled with information. The next hour Reid was completely engrossed in Luke's life. Luke was from a place called Oakdale and he was now 25 years old. 25, only 9 years younger than him, Reid thought. But apparently a lot happened to him in his young life. And when Reid read an article about Luke being kidnapped with his boyfriend by some crazy twins, there was also a photo of the two of them next to the article. And sure enough, Luke's boyfriend was the barista that had kissed Luke's cheek.
"Fuck." Reid muttered. He quickly closed the browser and scolded himself. Was he really interested in Luke or was he just lusting after him? Because Luke was very attractive, with his short, brown hair, sideburns and one day stubble. Not to mentioned his big, brown eyes that displayed his emotions openly.
His waist was slim, but his shoulders were broad. He was beautiful, Reid thought.
But apparently also taken. So Reid resolutely pushed any thoughts of Luke and his easy smile out of his head and focused on his job, like he always did. And if he avoided the coffee shop from now on, well, no one needed to know, right?
But now, now he knew that there was no boyfriend at all. There was only Luke, Luke with his mesmerizing smile and eyes that seemed to see and know so much. Luke, who he hadn't been able to get out of his head since they met in that small bookstore, despite the fact that Reid thought he was in a relationship.
Reid wasn't someone who had many relationships, romantic or otherwise. He focused on his job, working hard to be at the top of his field and stay there. It took up a lot of his time and energy. He didn't have time for other people, he rarely had time to himself. And if he had some time off he spent it researching or reading medical journals.
But even since he met Luke, he found himself thinking about evenings together on the couch, watching a movie, going out to dinner or spending lazy Sundays in bed. But he never seriously considered going into a relationship, mainly because he thought Luke had a boyfriend. So he'd spent the last year avoiding the places he might run into Luke.
But today, there something was pulling him towards the coffee shop. He hadn't even made the conscious decision to spend his break there. He didn't question why after a year of not going there that today he suddenly went. He was just glad that he did. Because now he was going out with Luke. And glancing at his watch, he saw it was almost seven.
Reid locked his office and walked through the halls, towards the entrance.
Luke already stood there waiting, looking delicious is a dark grey winter coat, light grey scarf and a woolen beanie on his head.
When Reid reached him, he couldn’t help but placing a hand on Luke’s cheek and leaning in to kiss him on the other cheek.
It startled Luke, he clearly wasn’t expecting that, but he smiled widely and his eyes shone.
“Hey.” Reid said. “You look amazing.”
“Really?” Luke said, looking down at his coat. Then he grinned. “Wait ‘till you see what’s under this.”
Reid lifted one eyebrow and fought a grin. “Is that so?”
“Oh no, no, no… I didn’t mean it like that.” Luke’s face turned red and he buried his head in his hands. “God,” he groaned. “I just meant, I bought a shirt and…” he peeked through his fingers to find Reid laughing.
“Okay, you can stop laughing now.” He said, but laughed a little himself.
“You’re cute.” Reid said, still smiling. Then he took Luke’s hand and pulled him with him.
“So, where are we going?”
“I don’t know.” Luke confessed. “But you asked me out, don’t you have anything planned?”
“No.” Reid was a little embarrassed to say. “It was kind of a spur of the moment thing.”
He looked at Luke. “Did you eat already?”
When Luke shook his head, Reid smiled. “Great, I know great place we can go.
*
The restaurant was amazing. The food, the atmosphere, the company, everything seemed perfect. Reid and Luke talked for hours.They were the last ones to leave, Reid pleasantly buzzed from the wine he’d been drinking and Luke laughing at the sarcastic jokes Reid told.
“Where do you live?” Luke asked, holding on to Reid’s hand again.
“Close. Why?” Reid asked.
“Because I want to make sure you get home safely.” Luke laughed again.
“I’m not drunk, you know.” Reid said. “I would never do that on a first date.”
“I know, I know. But I just want to walk you home, alright?”
Reid looked at him for a moment, then swung both their hands back and forth. “Alright. Let’s go then.”
Only 5 minutes later, they had reached Reid’s apartment. They came to a halt in front of the door and were just standing, not really knowing how to say goodbye.
Finally, Reid broke the silence. “So… do you want to come up, maybe?”
Luke looked him right in the eye and answered, this time without smiling, but very serious, “Yes.” His intention was very clear.
Reid swallowed. He turned to open the door, then turned back around to look at Luke. "Are you sure?"
Luke nodded. "I'm sure."
They rode the elevator upstairs in silence, just watching each other. The air was thick with anticipation and the moment the door opened on their floor, their hands reached for each other and their fingers linked together immediately.
Reid opened the door and let Luke go first. He closed the door behind him and took off his coat. He motioned for Luke to do the same. He then stepped around Luke towards the kitchen, asking him if he wanted to drink something.
But Luke followed him into the kitchen, saying, "No, I don't want anything to drink. I want something else though." When Reid turned to him, Luke put his hands on either side of Reid's face. "I really really want to kiss you right now. Is that okay?"
Reid's eyes widened a little, he wasn't expecting Luke to be so upfront. But he wanted to same thing, he really really wanted Luke to kiss him right now. So he murmured, "Yeah." And not one second later, Luke's lips were on his, warm and a little dry. But as soon as he opened his mouth and started exploring Reid's mouth with his tongue, everything turned warm and wet.
Reid's put his arms around Luke's waist, pulling him closer and let his hands slide up and down Luke's back to have them come to a rest on Luke's ass. Luke made a sound in the back of his throat and damn if it didn't turn Reid on.
He pulled back and began to slowly push Luke in the direction of his bedroom. Once there, they peeled away the layers of clothing on their bodies and started a journey to discover everything there was to know about the other.
Afterwards, when they lay in each other's arms, still breathing hard, Reid with his head on Luke's chest and Luke drawing circles on Reid's back, Luke smiled.
"You know, it's so weird."
"What?" Reid asked through a yawn.
"I feel like I've know you for a really long time. But we didn't really meet until yesterday. It just feel so familiar with you, like we've done this a hundred times already. If it hadn't, I would never have come up with you. I've never in my life slept with someone on the first date."
Reid looked up. "That's because you've only been on one first date before me. And then it took you two years to sleep with someone.' He smirked.
Luke closed his eyes. "I can't believe I told you that."
Reid laughed, but then turned more serious. "But I know what you mean. I don't know why or how, but is seems like we fit." Reid moved his hand down and stroked Luke's bare thigh. "We are compatible, at least between the sheets. And we've got to see about everything else, but I have a good feeling about this."
For a moment Luke's hand on Reid's back stilled, then he pushed at Reid's shoulder and flipped them over, so he was now on top of Reid. "You do?" He asked, his eyes shining.
When Reid nodded, Luke leaned down and kissed Reid deep and forceful. "Good." He breathed against Reid's lips. "Because I really don't want to leave here anytime soon."
And when Reid locked his arms around Luke, pulling him down for another kiss, he murmured, "and I don't want you to."
This time when Luke felt the gust of wind around his head, he did pay attention to it. He looked out the window, to the stars visible between the clouds. Then he looked back at Reid and he smiled.
"It's a Christmas miracle."
The End.
Once he was in his hotel room, he threw his bag on the bed and went straight for his laptop.
He typed in 'Dr .Reid Oliver' in the google search bar and immediately got results. A lot of results. It turned out that Dr. Reid Oliver wasn't just any neurosurgeon, he was at the top of his field, even at his age, which was 34, Luke found out. Only 9 years between them, Luke thought.
After reading all the information he found valuable, he skipped all the medical stuff, he closed his laptop and laid down on his bed.
He went over their meeting again and he was sure that Reid was going to ask for his number of give him his number, when Noah came between them, acting like Luke's boyfriend.
Luke couldn't blame Reid for his reaction, he probably would have acted to same way if it had happened the other way around. He groaned when he thought about what Reid would think now. Luke had tried to flirt a little with Reid, even if he wasn't very good at it, and now Reid probably thought he had boyfriend. How was he going to make this right?
*
It turned out, he couldn't. He'd tried to call the hospital, but they wouldn't put him through. Which he found logical, but was annoyed by anyway. Then he's searched for an email address, but he couldn’t find anything. The search for anything personal about Dr. Oliver, didn't give him any results either. The doctor didn't participate in any social media; he had no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account. After a month had passed and Luke still hadn't succeeded in contacting Reid Oliver, he stopped trying. Yes, Luke had taken an immediate liking to him and Reid was still a very active part of his masturbation fantasies, but apparently some things weren't meant to be. And besides, it wasn't like Reid couldn't contact Luke, because unlike Reid, Luke did like social media and was very active on it.
He'd documented his move to his new apartment quite thoroughly, his excitement to live on his own obvious through the pictures.
He still visited the coffeehouse frequently, always hoping to run into Reid, but it never happened. It was also a way to keep in touch with Noah, who, to Luke's shock, was falling for a girl.
"Luke, you know I'm bi, why is this such a shock to you?" Noah had asked, his eyes wide in confusion.
No, Luke hadn't known that Noah was bi, thank you very much. He'd thought that Noah was gay, since they were in a committed relationship. He couldn't really explain why, but it left a sour taste in Luke's mouth, one that he was eager to lose. So he'd tried his hand on dating to up his self-esteem, but after 3 dates that turned to be boring, weird and awkward, Luke gave up on that road. In the back of his mind, a certain doctor kept popping up and Luke found himself comparing everybody to him. Which was crazy because he'd only seen Reid twice and talked to him once, for like 5 minutes.
So, after a few months, Luke had come to terms with Noah having a girlfriend and concentrated on his writing. He had an amazing office in his new apartment, with a great view on the city and he didn't know it that was the cause for his burst of inspiration, but he was grateful that he was able to write again.
Now that he lived on his own, he'd spent a lot of money on his apartment, indulging a little bit. Noah had always been opposed to it, which Luke understood to a certain extent.
But now, Luke bought himself a great apartment, spent hours and hours designing the interior and now that is was ready, it really was his home.
As the months went by, Luke settled in to his new life, single and for the first time living on his own. He never saw Reid again and thoughts about him became less and less.
Until one afternoon in mid-August, Luke was walking towards the coffee shop and he saw Reid at the other side of the street. Luke stopped and stared, not believing it really was Reid.
He was about to shout his name, when he saw Reid stop walking, yank his beeper from his belt and with a massive eye roll, turn on his heels and take off running back where he came from. All Luke could do was stare after him for just a few seconds until he disappeared into the crowd.
There was no way Reid would hear him if he called out and he was too far away to run after.
It left Luke no other choice than to walk into the coffee shop. He ordered a coffee, waved to Noah who was standing in the back and slumped down on a seat near the window.
Noah turned out to be a much better friend than boyfriend, because it didn't even take him a minute to sit down next to Luke, after squeezing his shoulder in greeting.
"What's up, man? You look pissed." Noah asked, setting down a blueberry muffin in front of Luke.
"I am pissed." Luke grumbled, taking the muffin and biting into it.
Noah just looked at him questioningly.
"I was just starting to forget about him and now, just 2 minutes ago, I saw him again. But before I could say anything, he was gone already." Luke said around a piece of muffin in his mouth.
"Oh shit." Noah looked empathically. "Reid? He was here?"
Luke swallowed. "No, he was on his way apparently, but his pager went off by the looks of it so he took off again." Luke combed a hand through his hair. "Fuck." He cursed. Then he looked at Noah.
"He hasn't been in here since December? You haven't seen him?" He asked. "Because what are the odds that I would run into him again?" He shook his head. "Not even run into him, just stand there and gawk like an idiot." He slapped a hand over his eyes.
"No, really. I haven't seen him. You know I would tell you if I had, you know that." Noah said, gently rubbing Luke's shoulder.
Then Luke sat up and straightened his back. "Okay, enough of this. Either I stop thinking about him or I'm going on a mission to find him." Then he slumped back in his chair again.
"What if I find him and he's not even interested? What if all my trouble is for nothing?" He groaned. "Oh god, I don't even want to think about that."
"Well, at least you'll know." Noah said cheerfully.
Luke shot him a dirty look. "You're not helping. At all."
"Sorry". Noah smiled. "I've got to get back to work, okay? Are you staying or going?"
"I'm leaving." Luke stood up, gave Noah a quick hug and turned to leave. "I've got some thinking to do."
It turned out Luke didn't need to do much thinking, because he had already decided in his heart that he was going to try and get in touch with Reid. If just a few seconds of seeing him again could spike Luke's heart rate, he owed it to himself to find out if this man could really be his man.
But after some time, Thanksgiving had already come and passed, it seemed to Luke that the universe was working against him. Nothing he tried worked. And finally after spending 90 minutes in the hospital where Reid worked, wandering around the halls, looking and asking around for him, he told himself to stop this. It obviously wasn't meant to be if it was this hard to find him. It seemed like Reid was hiding himself from Luke which of course was ridiculous, he didn't even know Luke was looking for him.
With Christmas approaching again, Luke decided to put his quest for Reid away and dedicate his upcoming time to Christmas shopping. He still had about 2 weeks, but he had a lot of people to shop for.
He agreed to meet Noah at the mall and shop for Luke's family together.
It took them 3 hours of wandering in and out of stores, to purchase the gifts for Luke's siblings. Both of them tired and a little cranky, they decided to take a break and sit down for coffee.
From where they sat, they had a good view on some guy dressed as Santa Claus, taking pictures with little children and passing out gifts.
They both stared at him, sipping their coffee.
"Maybe you should ask Santa Claus to give you your most desired present." Noah grinned.
"And what would that be?" Luke decided to play dumb.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe meeting Reid again?" Noah replied with his eyebrows raised.
Luke laughed. "Yeah, maybe I should. Nothing else seems to work."
"Well, go on then." Noah gestured. "He's not very busy now."
Luke just stared at Noah. "You've got to be kidding right? Are you actually suggesting that I go up to Santa and ask for a boyfriend?"
"Why not? What have you got to lose?" Noah asked.
"That's not... I don't... "Luke sputtered. "Santa is for kids, Noah. And I stopped believing in Santa Claus about 20 years ago." He shook his head. "You shouldn't make fun of this, Noah. Because I am certainly not amused." He pushed back his chair and stood up.
"Let's get the rest of the presents and get out of here." Luke grabbed the bags with presents and started to make his way through the tables and chairs.
"Luke, wait!?" Noah said, also standing up hurriedly, grabbing his bags. "Luke!" One of his bags hooked behind the leg of a chair and Noah was jerked back. "Luke, wait!" He called out once more, but Luke didn't stop, he kept walking. It wasn't until he felt a hand of his shoulder that he stopped moving. He startled when he saw a friendly, bearded face, with twinkling eyes behind wire-framed glassed and a red hat atop his head.
"Is there anything you want to ask me?" The man said, a friendly smile on his face.
"Seriously?" Luke asked, getting angry. He crossed his arms before his chest and narrowed his eyes. "Did Noah put you up to this?"
The guy, Luke refused to call him Santa, shook his head. "I just want to know what you want most for Christmas."
"Okay, this officially isn't funny anymore. Shouldn't you be taking pictures with children who, I don't know, actually believe in you?"
"You're never too old to believe in Santa." 'Santa' said gently. "What's the harm in telling me your wish?"
"I'm not making a fool out of myself here." Luke said. He wanted to turn and walk away, but the look in the friendly blue eyes, made him stay.
The man didn't say anything, but just kept looking at Luke with a questioning expression on his face.
Luke uncrossed his arms and huffed. "Fine, do you want to know what I want? I want Dr. Reid Oliver. Can you make that happen? No? That's what I thought."
And with his cheeks red, he turned quickly and walked away. And if he felt a gust of wind blow around his head, he didn't pay attention to it.
After a minute or so, Noah caught up with him. "Hey, I saw you talking to that Santa-guy. What was that about?"
"Nothing." Luke mumbled, still embarrassed. "Let's just finish shopping, okay?"
*
The next week, Luke hurried into the coffee shop. It was snowing and he was freezing cold. He stopped just inside the door to stomp and get the snow of his boots. He looked for Noah but couldn't see him anywhere.
He made his way to the counter and ordered his coffee. He clutched it in his hands to warm them up and saw a spot opening up by the window. He sat down and stared at the people walking by.
Suddenly he felt someone poking him. He looked up to find the woman sitting next him, nodding towards the counter. He looked at her in confusion.
"What?"
"Someone is trying to get your attention." She said with a shrug and turned her attention back to her friend.
Luke turned around and saw Noah standing behind the counter, gesturing frantically. Luke shook his head, not understanding what Noah was trying to say. Then Noah waved him over, urgently. So Luke stood up and moved through the tables towards Noah.
"What's wrong? You look like an idiot." Luke said with a laugh.
“Well, you better be thankful to this idiot, because look to your right. At the window." Noah said.
Luke furrowed his brow and turned his head. And right there, after almost a year, he saw a familiar doctor, dressed in scrubs, sitting at a table, browsing through a magazine.
"Oh my god." Luke let out and almost without thinking about what he was doing, he made his way over to him. He stopped at the table and just stared. He couldn't believe it, there he was, the man Luke had been mooning over for almost a year and a week after he told a fake Santa he wanted Dr. Reid Oliver.
"If you're just going to stand there, could you please move? You're blocking my light." The smooth voice was exactly how Luke remembered it.
He suddenly came to his senses and laughed. "No, I'm not."
Now, the doctor slowly raised his head until his eyes met Luke's. And judging by the shock that was evident in his eyes, he remembered Luke very well.
After a few moments of silence, "Mr. Snyder.", he said, with a nod of his head. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Dr. Oliver." Luke replied, nodding his head, but unable to hide his smile.
They stared at each other, both not knowing what to say. Luke couldn't sit down, because there was no seat available for him. So he just stood there, looking down.
Then Reid cleared his throat and looked away. Luke shuffled his feet and tried to think of something to say. He felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment, but this wasn't the time to chicken out.
"Listen, Reid," he started to say, but Reid quickly drank his coffee and stood up.
"Reid, wait." Luke wanted to stop Reid from walking away again, but there was no need, because Reid had no intention of leaving.
Instead he tugged on Luke's arm, making him follow Reid to a corner of the establishment.
"I can't talk when I'm sitting down and you're standing up." He said with a little crooked smile.
Luke automatically smiled back. "Yeah, you're right." He bit his lip.
"So, last time we spoke... "Luke started, but was unsure what he was going to say.
"Your boyfriend came to say hello." Reid interrupted.
Luke cocked his head. "I thought you'd think that. But he's not my boyfriend. Not now and not then."
"He's not?" Reid narrowed his eyes. "Does he realize that, because he sure acts like your boyfriend."
"Well, to be honest, we'd just broken up the week before. So there might have been a force of habit there." Luke watched Reid, who still eyed him suspiciously.
"What, you don't believe me?" Luke asked.
"I didn't say that." Reid said defensively. "So, he's your ex?"
"Yes, I've been single for more than a year now." Luke admitted, a small blush crept up on his face. If that wasn't an invitation, Luke didn't know what was.
"Okay. Yeah. Alright then." Reid nodded.
Luke shoved his hands in his pockets and rolled back and forth on his feet.
"So..., how about dinner?" He asked, looking at Reid through his eyelashes.
"I'm off at seven. Come by the hospital at seven thirty." Reid didn't miss a beat.
"What, tonight?" Luke asked a little confused.
"Uhm, yes?" Reid looked unsure all of a sudden. "If you can't, it's no big deal. We can do it some other time."
"No, no, tonight's fine. I just wasn't expecting it." Luke quickly explained. "I'll pick you up at the hospital, then." He smiled brightly.
"Speaking of which," Reid glanced at his watch, "I've got to get going. I have a patient waiting for me to dig into his skull."
Luke made a face. "That's one lovely image."
Reid laughed. "I know, can't wait." He placed his hand on Luke's forearm for a moment and squeezed gently. "I'll see you tonight."
"Okay, tonight." Luke breathed. Reid hesitated a moment, but then quickly nodded, turned and walked away.
Luke stared after him, a smile lingering onhis lips.
A slap on his shoulder made him wince.
"And?" Noah's asked, stepping in front of him.
"I have a date tonight." A big dopey smile spread over Luke's face. "He remembered me too."
"Tonight? That's .... quick." Noah said, looking at the clock on the wall. "What are you going to do? You don't have much time to plan something."
"I don't know and I don't care." Luke said. "As long as we're spending time together, everything is fine with me."
Noah studied Luke's face for a moment. "I'm glad you're happy. But Luke..."
Luke held up his hand. "No. Don't spoil this for me. I know you think tonight could turn out to be a disaster, but Noah, I know it won't. I can't tell you why, but there's something about him that's so right and familiar, even though we've only met a couple of times." He gave Noah a quick hug and turned to leave.
"I'll let you know how it went, okay? Just be happy for me."
*
With a few minutes to spare, Reid was freshly showered, dressed and ready to go. He smiled to himself, thinking about how one year ago things were totally different.
Last year
After dealing with the emergency that had called him away from his meeting with Luke, he had returned to his office.
He plopped down on his chair and turned to stare out the window. He thought back to his conversation with Luke. He was pretty sure Luke was interested in him, he even made a small attempt at flirting, which Reid had found cute. But then the bulky barista turned out to be the boyfriend. So Reid had left immediately, calling himself stupid for being interested in someone who was obviously taken.
Luke Snyder. The name had a nice ring to it. Reid sat up straight and turned to his computer. He quickly typed in the name in the google search bar and waited on the results. Within a few seconds, the page was filled with information. The next hour Reid was completely engrossed in Luke's life. Luke was from a place called Oakdale and he was now 25 years old. 25, only 9 years younger than him, Reid thought. But apparently a lot happened to him in his young life. And when Reid read an article about Luke being kidnapped with his boyfriend by some crazy twins, there was also a photo of the two of them next to the article. And sure enough, Luke's boyfriend was the barista that had kissed Luke's cheek.
"Fuck." Reid muttered. He quickly closed the browser and scolded himself. Was he really interested in Luke or was he just lusting after him? Because Luke was very attractive, with his short, brown hair, sideburns and one day stubble. Not to mentioned his big, brown eyes that displayed his emotions openly.
His waist was slim, but his shoulders were broad. He was beautiful, Reid thought.
But apparently also taken. So Reid resolutely pushed any thoughts of Luke and his easy smile out of his head and focused on his job, like he always did. And if he avoided the coffee shop from now on, well, no one needed to know, right?
But now, now he knew that there was no boyfriend at all. There was only Luke, Luke with his mesmerizing smile and eyes that seemed to see and know so much. Luke, who he hadn't been able to get out of his head since they met in that small bookstore, despite the fact that Reid thought he was in a relationship.
Reid wasn't someone who had many relationships, romantic or otherwise. He focused on his job, working hard to be at the top of his field and stay there. It took up a lot of his time and energy. He didn't have time for other people, he rarely had time to himself. And if he had some time off he spent it researching or reading medical journals.
But even since he met Luke, he found himself thinking about evenings together on the couch, watching a movie, going out to dinner or spending lazy Sundays in bed. But he never seriously considered going into a relationship, mainly because he thought Luke had a boyfriend. So he'd spent the last year avoiding the places he might run into Luke.
But today, there something was pulling him towards the coffee shop. He hadn't even made the conscious decision to spend his break there. He didn't question why after a year of not going there that today he suddenly went. He was just glad that he did. Because now he was going out with Luke. And glancing at his watch, he saw it was almost seven.
Reid locked his office and walked through the halls, towards the entrance.
Luke already stood there waiting, looking delicious is a dark grey winter coat, light grey scarf and a woolen beanie on his head.
When Reid reached him, he couldn’t help but placing a hand on Luke’s cheek and leaning in to kiss him on the other cheek.
It startled Luke, he clearly wasn’t expecting that, but he smiled widely and his eyes shone.
“Hey.” Reid said. “You look amazing.”
“Really?” Luke said, looking down at his coat. Then he grinned. “Wait ‘till you see what’s under this.”
Reid lifted one eyebrow and fought a grin. “Is that so?”
“Oh no, no, no… I didn’t mean it like that.” Luke’s face turned red and he buried his head in his hands. “God,” he groaned. “I just meant, I bought a shirt and…” he peeked through his fingers to find Reid laughing.
“Okay, you can stop laughing now.” He said, but laughed a little himself.
“You’re cute.” Reid said, still smiling. Then he took Luke’s hand and pulled him with him.
“So, where are we going?”
“I don’t know.” Luke confessed. “But you asked me out, don’t you have anything planned?”
“No.” Reid was a little embarrassed to say. “It was kind of a spur of the moment thing.”
He looked at Luke. “Did you eat already?”
When Luke shook his head, Reid smiled. “Great, I know great place we can go.
*
The restaurant was amazing. The food, the atmosphere, the company, everything seemed perfect. Reid and Luke talked for hours.They were the last ones to leave, Reid pleasantly buzzed from the wine he’d been drinking and Luke laughing at the sarcastic jokes Reid told.
“Where do you live?” Luke asked, holding on to Reid’s hand again.
“Close. Why?” Reid asked.
“Because I want to make sure you get home safely.” Luke laughed again.
“I’m not drunk, you know.” Reid said. “I would never do that on a first date.”
“I know, I know. But I just want to walk you home, alright?”
Reid looked at him for a moment, then swung both their hands back and forth. “Alright. Let’s go then.”
Only 5 minutes later, they had reached Reid’s apartment. They came to a halt in front of the door and were just standing, not really knowing how to say goodbye.
Finally, Reid broke the silence. “So… do you want to come up, maybe?”
Luke looked him right in the eye and answered, this time without smiling, but very serious, “Yes.” His intention was very clear.
Reid swallowed. He turned to open the door, then turned back around to look at Luke. "Are you sure?"
Luke nodded. "I'm sure."
They rode the elevator upstairs in silence, just watching each other. The air was thick with anticipation and the moment the door opened on their floor, their hands reached for each other and their fingers linked together immediately.
Reid opened the door and let Luke go first. He closed the door behind him and took off his coat. He motioned for Luke to do the same. He then stepped around Luke towards the kitchen, asking him if he wanted to drink something.
But Luke followed him into the kitchen, saying, "No, I don't want anything to drink. I want something else though." When Reid turned to him, Luke put his hands on either side of Reid's face. "I really really want to kiss you right now. Is that okay?"
Reid's eyes widened a little, he wasn't expecting Luke to be so upfront. But he wanted to same thing, he really really wanted Luke to kiss him right now. So he murmured, "Yeah." And not one second later, Luke's lips were on his, warm and a little dry. But as soon as he opened his mouth and started exploring Reid's mouth with his tongue, everything turned warm and wet.
Reid's put his arms around Luke's waist, pulling him closer and let his hands slide up and down Luke's back to have them come to a rest on Luke's ass. Luke made a sound in the back of his throat and damn if it didn't turn Reid on.
He pulled back and began to slowly push Luke in the direction of his bedroom. Once there, they peeled away the layers of clothing on their bodies and started a journey to discover everything there was to know about the other.
Afterwards, when they lay in each other's arms, still breathing hard, Reid with his head on Luke's chest and Luke drawing circles on Reid's back, Luke smiled.
"You know, it's so weird."
"What?" Reid asked through a yawn.
"I feel like I've know you for a really long time. But we didn't really meet until yesterday. It just feel so familiar with you, like we've done this a hundred times already. If it hadn't, I would never have come up with you. I've never in my life slept with someone on the first date."
Reid looked up. "That's because you've only been on one first date before me. And then it took you two years to sleep with someone.' He smirked.
Luke closed his eyes. "I can't believe I told you that."
Reid laughed, but then turned more serious. "But I know what you mean. I don't know why or how, but is seems like we fit." Reid moved his hand down and stroked Luke's bare thigh. "We are compatible, at least between the sheets. And we've got to see about everything else, but I have a good feeling about this."
For a moment Luke's hand on Reid's back stilled, then he pushed at Reid's shoulder and flipped them over, so he was now on top of Reid. "You do?" He asked, his eyes shining.
When Reid nodded, Luke leaned down and kissed Reid deep and forceful. "Good." He breathed against Reid's lips. "Because I really don't want to leave here anytime soon."
And when Reid locked his arms around Luke, pulling him down for another kiss, he murmured, "and I don't want you to."
This time when Luke felt the gust of wind around his head, he did pay attention to it. He looked out the window, to the stars visible between the clouds. Then he looked back at Reid and he smiled.
"It's a Christmas miracle."
The End.