Match Made in Quarantine

EXTRA: One Year Later.

My eyes were getting blurry. Stomach clenching uncomfortably. I couldn't breathe.

"Will you stop laughing?" Maddox muttered, looking around us to see whether we'd gained an unwanted audience. "It's not that funny."

The clean hallway was empty, except for the doctors and nurses that would pass by us occasionally. Lack of a crowd was exactly why I'd made our appointments so early in the morning. Maddox was not a happy camper about that. Even less so about our reason for being here.

"Not that funny? It's hilarious." I choked out in between bouts of laughter. "The Great Maddox Carter, afraid of a needle." There was actual pain in my abdomen muscles from how hard I'd been laughing for the last fifteen minutes.

My boyfriend rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not afraid of needles, okay, I just don't like being poked by sharp objects."

"Yeah, that's why you paled so much when she asked which one of us would go first," I said, leaning closer to him and biting down on my lip.

It wasn't often I had a chance to tease Maddox -- usually our roles were reversed -- but gosh, was I enjoying it. The way his brows furrowed, and a light red hue colored his cheeks. My heart was beating threateningly fast. A clear sign that I would probably never get used to his good looks in general.

"You," Maddox said, narrowing his eyes as he leaned closer to me as well. His hand reached out to me and his fingers pinched my cheek lightly, before he caressed the area with his thumb. His eyes darkened, in the way that sent shivers through my whole body, and his face started getting closer to mine. "You're troub--"

"Maddox Carter." The nurse called out and I saw Maddox's throat bob as he swallowed, pulling away from me.

He stood up, shuffling from foot to foot in his uncertainty.

"You want me to come hold your hand?" I teased him, only half serious.

He looked at me and narrowed his eyes, before his gaze shifted from the nurse to me and he grinned devilishly.

"Yeah, come hold my hand," he said, and extended his hand to me.

I looked at him, that devilish smirk and playful twinkle in his eye, and did the only thing I could -- I stood up and took his hand into mine.

The nurse frowned, looking at us in confusion, and opened her mouth -- likely to tell us that we couldn't go in together -- when Maddox interrupted her.

"I'm terrified of needles. I'll probably faint if she's not there," he said, giving her his best puppy eyes. I barely held back my snort, my free hand slamming against my mouth as I nodded, trying to appear supportive.

Maddox had said once there would never be a dull moment if the two of us were together.

Not that I would ever admit it to him, but he'd been right.

*****

"Aren't you glad we had it done?" I bumped his shoulder and grinned.

Maddox's fingers were entwined with mine as we walked down a bustling street. It was still strange seeing so many people around, an uncomfortable feeling that would hopefully fade with time -- and enough vaccinated people.

Maddox chuckled and squeezed my hand. "Oh yeah, such a romantic way to celebrate our first anniversary...."

"What, you don't think getting matching vaccinations is romantic?" My lips quirked up and I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

Maddox looked at me with wide eyes before he laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Why, just why, am I dating a future doctor?" he asked, gesturing at the sky with his free hand as if the answer would drop down on him.