Those summer nights chapter 2
Thinking of Luke as a nurse didn't just turn Reid on. It also made him think about the hospital, about his job, his co-workers and his patients. It made him restless and he felt trapped inside the house no matter how beautiful it was. Of course, he didn't have to stay inside, but for him there was little appeal in taking the same walk over and over again.
He tried to fill his days with reading, books and medical journals alike, watching some television and looking out over the beach, enjoying the view with a beer.
But as fine as the view was, Reid felt a little creepy for watching the same people everyday. He didn't think they'd really notice, but he never felt quite comfortable.
Reid decided to get head start on the research he had planned to do when he returned. He got his laptop, went outside and created a workspace for himself using the couch and coffee table. Soon he was completely engrossed in the material.
"You're not working, are you? On your vacation?" Reid's head shot up, he hadn't heard anyone approaching. Luke.
Luke who he'd thought about more than he was willing to admit. Luke, who he wanted to fuck into the mattress from the moment he saw him, but who also made something unfamiliar stir in Reid's chest when he looked at him even though he firmly stomped that down. Luke, who made Reid's gaydar ping off the charts and who he was pretty sure about that he was at least attracted to Reid.
Reid sat up and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm going stir crazy doing nothing, so yes, I am working."
Luke put his hands in the pockets of his short and leaned forward a bit. "And what are you working on?" He asked, curiosity obvious in his voice.
"Research." Reid answered, knowing very well that this meant absolutely nothing.
"That doesn't tell me anything." Luke laughed. "Research on what?"
"Cerebral vasospasm." Reid said with a face that gave away nothing.
Luke's laugh disappeared from his face and a frown appeared instead.
"Cerebral vasospasm?" He repeated.
"Yes. You're a nurse right? You know what that is." Reid said.
Luke nodded. "Yes, I know what it is. But why do you know what that is? Are you a doctor?"
"Neurosurgeon actually." Reid leaned back into the cushions, waiting for Luke's reaction.
"Really? You're a neurosurgeon?" Luke eyes went wide and he sunk down on the chair across from Reid.
"Yes, I am. One of the best, if not the best in the country." Reid didn't know if he should feel flattered or insulted by Luke's surprise. "Why are you so suprised?"
Luke's cheeks turned pink and he didn't meet Reid's eyes. "I'm not surprised!" He denied. "I just didn't know." He slowly lifted his eyes to meet Reid's. "So, the best in the country, huh?"
Reid crossed his arms. "Yes." He agreed.
"How old are you then? Because you don't seem old enough for the kind of experience you need to get to the top of the field."
"How old do think I am?" Reid smirked. He knew he looked younger than he actually was, especially without his doctor's coat, but he was curious to hear what Luke came up with.
But Luke wasn't playing along. "I am not guessing your age, man. I'm terrible at that. I could just as easily flatter or insult you."
"Fine. I'm 35." He really didn't care if people knew his age. "What about you?"
Luke lifted his arms and linked his fingers together behind his neck, resting them there. He looked at Reid with a glint in his eyes.
"What do you think?"
A quick calculation of Luke's years in school and taking in his appearance , gave Reid the confidence to give Luke a straightforward answer.
"24".
Luke's mouth dropped open first, then it closed again, his lips forming a pout. "Most people think I'm younger than that." But he looked at Reid through his eyelashes and smiled.
Reid laughed. "Sorry. You're not offended are you?"
Luke shook his head. "No, of course not. I'm still a lot younger than you." He grinned.
And with a quick look over his shoulder, he stood up. "Listen, I've got to go."
Reid nodded, trying not to feel disappointed. "Okay."
Luke hesitated, turning around and then back to Reid again. "You should come to the beach sometime. Go for a swim?"
Reid had absolutely no plans to do such a thing, but when he looked up at Luke, standing there, with the sun behind him, looking absolutely beautiful, for some reason he found himself saying, "Maybe I will."
Luke grinned. "Alright, I'll see you there then." With that he quickly walked away to join his friends at the tower. He looked back once to find Reid still watching and waved.
Reid didn't wave back, he felt a little embarrassed that he'd been found out watching, so he just lifted his chin a little in acknowledgement and then turned back to his laptop.
A few hours later, Reid decided it was time for a break. But just as he was standing up and head inside to fix himself something to eat, screaming voices coming the beach, making him stop in his tracks and search for where they came from.
He spotted a few surfers in the water, waving and screaming. When he looked closer, he saw a man in the water holding up another man who was clearly unconscious and bleeding from his head. When he saw Luke and another lifeguard sprint towards the water, he didn't even think before his feet were moving too and he was running towards the lifeguards who were now carrying the man out of the water and laying him down onto the sand.
The man was still bleeding from the wound on the side his head and from another cut on his stomach. When he reached them, Luke was already on his knees, examining the wounds.
Reid dropped to his knees on the other side of the man.
"What happened?" He asked Luke.
Luke looked up, startled by Reid's presence or his question, or possible both, but he answered quickly and to the point.
"He got hit by another surfboard, first on the head, then his stomach got cut, probably by one of the fins."
"Okay. You take the stomach, I'll take the head." Reid instructed. Luke didn't want to lose any time by questioning Reid's presence or orders, but did as Reid told him to do.
They both worked quickly and thoroughly, using whatever was available to patch the man up as best as they could. He wasn't in immediate danger, but a blow to the head could injure the brain in ways that were not immediately visible.
Reid’s hands became sandy very quickly and he cursed under his breath. "Fucking sand is everywhere."
Luke didn't even look up, but kept working on the man. "It's the beach, what did you expect?"
Just as their victim was regaining consciousness, the ambulance, notified by the other lifeguard, turned onto the beach.
Together with the ambulance crew they quickly transfered the man into the ambulance, while Reid updated them on the man’s condition. The paramedic assured Reid for the third time it wasn't necessary that he ride with them and finally Reid accepted it and stepped back, hands on his hips.
He felt Luke coming to stand beside him and they watched the ambulance drive away.
"Thanks." Luke said, nudging him with his elbow. "We make a pretty good team." He smiled.
Reid looked at him and smirked. "Yes, we do. You take instructions very well."
Luke blushed, but also laughed. "You don't know the halfof it." He teased. Then he winked at Reid and started to walk away backwards, keeping eye contact with Reid.
Reid found himself smiling back and unable to resist the urge to follow Luke.
"Well, maybe you can tell me all about it over dinner sometime." He said.
Luke stopped walking abruptly. His eyes searched Reid's face as if he was looking for something.
"Are you... do you mean..." Luke hesitated, "like a date?"
"Yes, exactly like a date." Reid nodded. "Say... Friday?"
Luke looked at Reid for a few moments, but then he grinned. "Okay then. Friday."
Reid held out his hand and waggled his fingers. "Give me your phone."
Luke patted his shorts, then held out his hands apologetically. "I don't have my phone here."
"Oh well, then here," Reid reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, "give me your number and I'll text you. Then you'll have mine. We can work out the details about Friday later."
Luke accepted Reid's phone and quickly punched in his number. He gave Reid back his phone and thumbed over his shoulder. "I should get back."
"Yeah, okay." Reid pocketed his phone again.
"I'll see you Friday then?"
"Yes, Friday."
"Okay." With one last smile, Luke turned and jogged back to the tower, giving Reid a good view of his moving body.
Reid walked back to the house, trying to brush the sand off of his fingers, but to no avail. He grumbled and decided to take a shower immediately. Then he needed to think about his date with Luke on Friday. He really wanted that tan, muscled body naked in his bed. So how was he going to achieve that?
When Friday rolled around, Reid still had no idea what he was going to do with Luke on their date that night.
Dinner? A romantic stroll along the beach? Problem was that Reid wasn't a romantic person at all, he could care less about moonlight or candles or cheesy music.
Through a few texts, Reid learned that Luke was very much up for dinner. Reid had suggested to have something decent delivered to his house and eat out on the deck. After all, he had a magnificent view on the ocean. And it was more likely that things would end up the way Reid wanted them to.
Usually when Reid had dates, his goal was to get them into bed, have amazing sex and, if they were really nice, maybe make 'em breakfast in the morning before sending them on their way. It rarely happened that he slept with the same person more than once. That would just lead to expectations Reid didn't want to fullfil. His job was his life and every now and then he wanted a warm body to lose himself into for a few hours.
Now Reid had no problem admitting to himself that he found Luke very attractive and that he hoped that maybe he could see Luke for the duration of his stay at the beach house. A few weeks of fun and then back to his life, where there was no room for anything else than his job.
During the day, Reid sat out on the deck, reading and researching . Every now and then, he looked out over the beach, trying to find Luke between the hordes of people on the beach.
He spotted him a few times, but because it was too crowded to really see anything, he turned his attention to his laptop and book.
Before he knew it, it was close to six o'clock and the sun was starting to go down. The beach was much less crowded now and he could see Luke talking to one of his colleagues.
Reid watched him talk, gesturing with his hand and smiling.
After a few minutes, Luke obviously said goodbye and he made his way up to the house.
Reid leaned back and waited for him to come up.
"Hey Reid." Luke smiled.
Reid nodded. "Luke."
"So, I'm going to go home and shower and change and all that and then I'll be back here at seven thirty or so?" Luke asked, making gestures towards the house and somewhere in the distance.
"Yeah, sure." Reid replied. And when Luke turned around smiling, Reid said with a wink, "I'll be waiting."
He tried to fill his days with reading, books and medical journals alike, watching some television and looking out over the beach, enjoying the view with a beer.
But as fine as the view was, Reid felt a little creepy for watching the same people everyday. He didn't think they'd really notice, but he never felt quite comfortable.
Reid decided to get head start on the research he had planned to do when he returned. He got his laptop, went outside and created a workspace for himself using the couch and coffee table. Soon he was completely engrossed in the material.
"You're not working, are you? On your vacation?" Reid's head shot up, he hadn't heard anyone approaching. Luke.
Luke who he'd thought about more than he was willing to admit. Luke, who he wanted to fuck into the mattress from the moment he saw him, but who also made something unfamiliar stir in Reid's chest when he looked at him even though he firmly stomped that down. Luke, who made Reid's gaydar ping off the charts and who he was pretty sure about that he was at least attracted to Reid.
Reid sat up and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm going stir crazy doing nothing, so yes, I am working."
Luke put his hands in the pockets of his short and leaned forward a bit. "And what are you working on?" He asked, curiosity obvious in his voice.
"Research." Reid answered, knowing very well that this meant absolutely nothing.
"That doesn't tell me anything." Luke laughed. "Research on what?"
"Cerebral vasospasm." Reid said with a face that gave away nothing.
Luke's laugh disappeared from his face and a frown appeared instead.
"Cerebral vasospasm?" He repeated.
"Yes. You're a nurse right? You know what that is." Reid said.
Luke nodded. "Yes, I know what it is. But why do you know what that is? Are you a doctor?"
"Neurosurgeon actually." Reid leaned back into the cushions, waiting for Luke's reaction.
"Really? You're a neurosurgeon?" Luke eyes went wide and he sunk down on the chair across from Reid.
"Yes, I am. One of the best, if not the best in the country." Reid didn't know if he should feel flattered or insulted by Luke's surprise. "Why are you so suprised?"
Luke's cheeks turned pink and he didn't meet Reid's eyes. "I'm not surprised!" He denied. "I just didn't know." He slowly lifted his eyes to meet Reid's. "So, the best in the country, huh?"
Reid crossed his arms. "Yes." He agreed.
"How old are you then? Because you don't seem old enough for the kind of experience you need to get to the top of the field."
"How old do think I am?" Reid smirked. He knew he looked younger than he actually was, especially without his doctor's coat, but he was curious to hear what Luke came up with.
But Luke wasn't playing along. "I am not guessing your age, man. I'm terrible at that. I could just as easily flatter or insult you."
"Fine. I'm 35." He really didn't care if people knew his age. "What about you?"
Luke lifted his arms and linked his fingers together behind his neck, resting them there. He looked at Reid with a glint in his eyes.
"What do you think?"
A quick calculation of Luke's years in school and taking in his appearance , gave Reid the confidence to give Luke a straightforward answer.
"24".
Luke's mouth dropped open first, then it closed again, his lips forming a pout. "Most people think I'm younger than that." But he looked at Reid through his eyelashes and smiled.
Reid laughed. "Sorry. You're not offended are you?"
Luke shook his head. "No, of course not. I'm still a lot younger than you." He grinned.
And with a quick look over his shoulder, he stood up. "Listen, I've got to go."
Reid nodded, trying not to feel disappointed. "Okay."
Luke hesitated, turning around and then back to Reid again. "You should come to the beach sometime. Go for a swim?"
Reid had absolutely no plans to do such a thing, but when he looked up at Luke, standing there, with the sun behind him, looking absolutely beautiful, for some reason he found himself saying, "Maybe I will."
Luke grinned. "Alright, I'll see you there then." With that he quickly walked away to join his friends at the tower. He looked back once to find Reid still watching and waved.
Reid didn't wave back, he felt a little embarrassed that he'd been found out watching, so he just lifted his chin a little in acknowledgement and then turned back to his laptop.
A few hours later, Reid decided it was time for a break. But just as he was standing up and head inside to fix himself something to eat, screaming voices coming the beach, making him stop in his tracks and search for where they came from.
He spotted a few surfers in the water, waving and screaming. When he looked closer, he saw a man in the water holding up another man who was clearly unconscious and bleeding from his head. When he saw Luke and another lifeguard sprint towards the water, he didn't even think before his feet were moving too and he was running towards the lifeguards who were now carrying the man out of the water and laying him down onto the sand.
The man was still bleeding from the wound on the side his head and from another cut on his stomach. When he reached them, Luke was already on his knees, examining the wounds.
Reid dropped to his knees on the other side of the man.
"What happened?" He asked Luke.
Luke looked up, startled by Reid's presence or his question, or possible both, but he answered quickly and to the point.
"He got hit by another surfboard, first on the head, then his stomach got cut, probably by one of the fins."
"Okay. You take the stomach, I'll take the head." Reid instructed. Luke didn't want to lose any time by questioning Reid's presence or orders, but did as Reid told him to do.
They both worked quickly and thoroughly, using whatever was available to patch the man up as best as they could. He wasn't in immediate danger, but a blow to the head could injure the brain in ways that were not immediately visible.
Reid’s hands became sandy very quickly and he cursed under his breath. "Fucking sand is everywhere."
Luke didn't even look up, but kept working on the man. "It's the beach, what did you expect?"
Just as their victim was regaining consciousness, the ambulance, notified by the other lifeguard, turned onto the beach.
Together with the ambulance crew they quickly transfered the man into the ambulance, while Reid updated them on the man’s condition. The paramedic assured Reid for the third time it wasn't necessary that he ride with them and finally Reid accepted it and stepped back, hands on his hips.
He felt Luke coming to stand beside him and they watched the ambulance drive away.
"Thanks." Luke said, nudging him with his elbow. "We make a pretty good team." He smiled.
Reid looked at him and smirked. "Yes, we do. You take instructions very well."
Luke blushed, but also laughed. "You don't know the halfof it." He teased. Then he winked at Reid and started to walk away backwards, keeping eye contact with Reid.
Reid found himself smiling back and unable to resist the urge to follow Luke.
"Well, maybe you can tell me all about it over dinner sometime." He said.
Luke stopped walking abruptly. His eyes searched Reid's face as if he was looking for something.
"Are you... do you mean..." Luke hesitated, "like a date?"
"Yes, exactly like a date." Reid nodded. "Say... Friday?"
Luke looked at Reid for a few moments, but then he grinned. "Okay then. Friday."
Reid held out his hand and waggled his fingers. "Give me your phone."
Luke patted his shorts, then held out his hands apologetically. "I don't have my phone here."
"Oh well, then here," Reid reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, "give me your number and I'll text you. Then you'll have mine. We can work out the details about Friday later."
Luke accepted Reid's phone and quickly punched in his number. He gave Reid back his phone and thumbed over his shoulder. "I should get back."
"Yeah, okay." Reid pocketed his phone again.
"I'll see you Friday then?"
"Yes, Friday."
"Okay." With one last smile, Luke turned and jogged back to the tower, giving Reid a good view of his moving body.
Reid walked back to the house, trying to brush the sand off of his fingers, but to no avail. He grumbled and decided to take a shower immediately. Then he needed to think about his date with Luke on Friday. He really wanted that tan, muscled body naked in his bed. So how was he going to achieve that?
When Friday rolled around, Reid still had no idea what he was going to do with Luke on their date that night.
Dinner? A romantic stroll along the beach? Problem was that Reid wasn't a romantic person at all, he could care less about moonlight or candles or cheesy music.
Through a few texts, Reid learned that Luke was very much up for dinner. Reid had suggested to have something decent delivered to his house and eat out on the deck. After all, he had a magnificent view on the ocean. And it was more likely that things would end up the way Reid wanted them to.
Usually when Reid had dates, his goal was to get them into bed, have amazing sex and, if they were really nice, maybe make 'em breakfast in the morning before sending them on their way. It rarely happened that he slept with the same person more than once. That would just lead to expectations Reid didn't want to fullfil. His job was his life and every now and then he wanted a warm body to lose himself into for a few hours.
Now Reid had no problem admitting to himself that he found Luke very attractive and that he hoped that maybe he could see Luke for the duration of his stay at the beach house. A few weeks of fun and then back to his life, where there was no room for anything else than his job.
During the day, Reid sat out on the deck, reading and researching . Every now and then, he looked out over the beach, trying to find Luke between the hordes of people on the beach.
He spotted him a few times, but because it was too crowded to really see anything, he turned his attention to his laptop and book.
Before he knew it, it was close to six o'clock and the sun was starting to go down. The beach was much less crowded now and he could see Luke talking to one of his colleagues.
Reid watched him talk, gesturing with his hand and smiling.
After a few minutes, Luke obviously said goodbye and he made his way up to the house.
Reid leaned back and waited for him to come up.
"Hey Reid." Luke smiled.
Reid nodded. "Luke."
"So, I'm going to go home and shower and change and all that and then I'll be back here at seven thirty or so?" Luke asked, making gestures towards the house and somewhere in the distance.
"Yeah, sure." Reid replied. And when Luke turned around smiling, Reid said with a wink, "I'll be waiting."