Chapter 11: Back Alley Kiss
The late evening air hung thick with the scent of rain, the concrete still wet from the earlier downpour. The sky above was a dark, velvety blanket, dotted with the occasional star peeking through the city’s haze. Loraine and Conrad had just finished transferring their latest patient into the hospital, a young boy with a broken arm who had been hit by a car. He was stable now, in the care of the emergency room doctors, but the adrenaline from the chaotic scene still coursed through Loraine’s veins.
As they walked out of the hospital’s back entrance, Loraine could feel her heart pounding, not just from the intensity of the job but from something else—something she hadn’t allowed herself to acknowledge until now. The moments she shared with Conrad during these long, high-pressure shifts had grown more intense, more personal. Every glance, every touch, even the way he spoke her name carried a weight that had been building between them for months.
They stepped into the narrow alley behind the hospital, the air cool and quiet, a stark contrast to the frenetic energy inside. The only sounds were the distant hum of the city and the faint drip of water from the gutters.
Conrad pulled out his phone to check for the next call, but Loraine wasn’t ready for the moment to end just yet. She reached out, her hand brushing lightly against his arm, making him pause. He looked over at her, his brows furrowed slightly in curiosity.
“Hey,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
He turned to face her fully, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “What’s up? You okay?”
Loraine didn’t answer right away. Instead, she took a step closer, her heart racing as she closed the distance between them. She could feel the warmth of his body, the scent of his cologne mixed with the faint trace of sweat from their long shift. Her eyes flickered up to meet his, and for a moment, neither of them moved. The air between them was thick with tension, the kind that had been simmering under the surface for far too long.
“I… I just wanted to say thank you,” Loraine said, her voice trembling slightly.
“For earlier. For being there for me.”
Conrad’s expression softened, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You don’t have to thank me, Loraine. We’re a team. You know I’ll always have your back.”
Loraine nodded, but her eyes never left his. The way he was looking at her, with a mix of warmth and intensity, made her heart skip a beat. She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling more vulnerable than she had in a long time. But she couldn’t hold back any longer. The connection between them was undeniable, and the desire she had been pushing down for months was now impossible to ignore.
Without thinking, without planning, she took another step forward, closing the gap between them completely. Her fingers reached up, gently brushing a lock of hair from his forehead before trailing down to rest against the nape of his neck. Conrad’s breath hitched at her touch, and for a moment, they just stood there, frozen in time, the tension between them electrifying.
Then, with a soft exhale, Loraine leaned in, her lips meeting his in a slow, tentative kiss.
For a split second, Conrad didn’t move, as if caught off guard by her boldness. But then his hands found her waist, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, his lips moving against hers with a mixture of urgency and tenderness. The world around them seemed to disappear, the noise of the city fading into the background as they lost themselves in the moment.
Loraine’s heart raced as her hands threaded through his hair, pulling him closer still. She could feel the heat of his body pressing against hers, the solid strength of him grounding her in a way that made her feel both alive and weightless all at once. Every inch of her skin tingled with the intensity of their connection, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she wasn’t thinking—she was just feeling.
When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathing heavily, their foreheads resting against each other’s. Loraine’s heart was pounding so loudly she was sure he could hear it, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything except the way he was looking at her, his dark eyes filled with a mix of desire and something else—something deeper.
“Loraine…” Conrad’s voice was low, husky, as if he was struggling to find the right words.
She smiled, her fingers still tangled in his hair.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a while.”
Conrad chuckled softly, his breath warm against her skin.
“Yeah, me too.”
They stood there for a moment longer, their bodies still pressed close together, the cool night air doing little to cool the heat between them. Loraine’s mind was racing, trying to process what had just happened, but all she could think about was how right it had felt. How inevitable.
“What now?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Conrad pulled back slightly, just enough to look into her eyes.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, his thumb brushing lightly over her cheek. “But I’m not letting this go.”
Loraine’s heart fluttered at his words. She hadn’t realized how much she needed to hear that—how much she had been afraid that this was just a fleeting moment, something they would both brush off and pretend never happened. But the way he was looking at her now, with such intensity and determination, told her that this was real. Whatever was between them wasn’t going to be ignored any longer.
“I don’t want to let it go either,” she said softly, her fingers still tracing lazy patterns on the back of his neck.
Conrad’s smile widened, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Loraine felt a sense of peace settle over her. Despite the chaos of their job, the stress, and the constant pressure to save lives, in this moment, everything felt right.
“I think we should take things slow, though,” Conrad said, his voice gentle.
“I don’t want to mess this up.”
Loraine nodded in agreement.
“Me neither.”
He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, his arms still wrapped around her. “But whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together. Okay?”
“Okay,” Loraine whispered, leaning into him, resting her head against his chest. For a long moment, they stood there in the quiet alley, hidden from the rest of the world, stealing this private moment for themselves. The hospital, the sirens, the patients—all of it faded into the background as they held each other close, savoring the warmth and comfort of being together.
Eventually, the sounds of the city started to seep back into their awareness—the distant hum of traffic, the occasional shout from someone on the street. Reluctantly, Loraine pulled back, glancing over at the ambulance parked nearby.
“We should probably get back to work,” she said with a soft laugh, though part of her wanted to stay in this quiet alley with Conrad forever.
“Yeah, we probably should,” Conrad agreed, though he didn’t let go of her just yet. He tilted her chin up, pressing one last kiss to her lips before finally stepping back.
“But this isn’t over.”
Loraine smiled, her heart lighter than it had been in a long time.
“Not by a long shot.”
As they made their way back to the ambulance, side by side, Loraine couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement bubbling up inside her. The world was unpredictable, chaotic, and often dangerous—but in this moment, she knew that whatever happened next, they would face it together.