Zoya’s P.O.V
The next morning, I woke up early to prepare for work. I was able to get some groceries yesterday, so today; I could actually cook food for myself… and Sam. As I whipped up a batch of banana pancakes, I could not help but think that this was something that I used to do for my fiancé as well as my cousin. I did not know whether that was a bad thing or not, or if I was falling back to old habits.
Surely what happened between me and Ravi won’t happen to Sam and I, right? It was not like we were a couple, but I did not know what I would do if Sam turned out to be fooling me this whole time, after I decided to give him my full trust. I knew that it was probably not a good idea, but I trusted him anyway, because he gave me this sense of security and safety that I had never felt with anyone. I could not explain it, but he just made it easy for me to trust him, even if, logically, he had not done anything to prove that.
After having my fill of the pancakes I made, I left some for Sam on the table and went to take a shower and dress for work. I left shortly after, not wanting to run late on my first day. Upon reaching the clinic, I parked my car in my designated parking spot and stepped out into the lot, taking a deep breath as I closed my car door shut.
I felt a bit nervous since this was the first time I was assigned to a workplace that was completely unfamiliar to me. Since the clinic was small, I did not expect the environment to be intimidating, but it was still nerve-wracking to think that if anyone needed medical attention in this town, this clinic was most likely the one they would turn to for help, and to be responsible for the health of a town this tightly-knit made my stomach churn with nerves.
Nonetheless, I found the courage to take the first step forward, and then the next, and another, until I found myself in front of the doors of the clinic and pushing them open, surging forward when I saw Cam behind the front desk, greeting me with an expectant smile.
“Good morning,” she told me, waving. “Here’s to a good first day at work!” As I assumed was usually expected of her, she had a bright aura around her, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that working with her would be easy, even enjoyable. It was always those who had a sunny disposition that were a joy to work with; take Maya for example, she made going to work less of a chore and more of an enjoyable experience because I always looked forward to talking with her in between busy working hours. At the thought of Maya, I felt a sharp pang in my chest. I missed Maya. The other aspects of my life might have been a shitshow, but I knew with absolute confidence that Maya was unconditionally kind.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod and a smile of my own. Cam’s similarity to Maya might have made me wistful for my old life, but it also made me happy to know that there were other people like Maya out in the world, and Cam seemed to be one of them. “Good morning to you as well, Cam. I look forward to working with you.”
“Feel free to scope out the place for a bit,” Cam advised, gesturing to nothing in particular around her, “The patients are usually the town’s people, since we don’t get many visitors. You’re free to do as you wish, so long as you don’t stray too far away. We must always be at the ready, you know, in case someone who needs immediate help comes calling or swinging by. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”
“Alright,” I agreed. I didn’t have anything to do at the moment anyway, so I might as well explore the place and get a feel for it. The more familiar I got with the way things worked in this clinic, the more efficient I would be at doing my work since I would not have trouble getting around this place anymore.