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alwaysmychoices · 9 months

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Vending Machine Confession

Synopsis: Having decided to also leave Edenbrook, Ethan is now racing against Charlie to see who can leave the hospital first. But as they're barreling towards self destruction, they have a chance meeting by the vending machine...

Chapter 40 of the “with and without” series

Previous Series: “a weekend with dr. ramsey”

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x MC (Charlotte “Charlie” Greene)

Words: 3.0k

Rating: Teen (language)

Also available on AO3 & Wattpad (link in Masterlist)

Ethan hated goodbyes.

He hated drawn out farewells and lingering endings. He’d never been one to hesitate when it was time to go. Ethan hadn’t noticed the change until now – the hesitance in his limbs and the dread in his chest. He wasn’t comfortable on the precipice because he had too much to lose now.

Or maybe he had too much to lose.

Perhaps for the first time since he’d met Charlie, Ethan was free from the shackles of indecision. He knew exactly what he had to do, and as he barreled towards self-destruction, it felt like the only right thing he’d done in a long time.

Naveen told Ethan to give it a few days before acting on his decision to leave Edenbrook. You might regret it, Naveen politely cautioned. Until now, Ethan’s devotion to Edenbrook had been unrelenting, unforgiving, and undying. He sacrificed everything to the altar of his career.

He'd sacrificed Charlie in the name of saving her.

It was a cautionary tale as old as man’s arrogance.

But now it had an ending.

The final chapter had been written, and there was ease in certainty. Even if the conclusion was devasting, at least he knew when it would happen. His ego destroyed him, and now it was a quiet, sneering companion in his grief – reminding him of all he could have achieved if he’d been brave.

Faced with mutual destruction, Ethan had the pleasure of pulling the trigger first. As long as Charlie maintained her corresponding threat to destroy her career, Ethan would gladly do the same. It was a small consolation, but it was his to seize. A final sacrifice – his magnum opus of self-sabotage and poor conflict resolution. Ethan ruined Edenbrook for Charlie, and if he could do nothing else, he owed it to Charlie to give her the dream back.

Stubbornness was their chosen vice. Together, they’d buried themselves in the name of burying the other. Now, there was no escape.

The worst part was that, despite the fights that preceded these lonely nights, they’d never stopped loving each other. Neither saw the other as irredeemable – foolish, inconsiderate, and frustrating, maybe, but not irredeemable. Circumstances ruined them, but the relationship itself was still painted in streaks of gold.

Gold that seeped into the red rage and gray despair.

Gold that kept Ethan up late into the night – pacing a lonely apartment until he could no longer look at the space he once shared with Charlie. Ethan was a man on the run, but he didn’t know where he was going. So, he worked until he didn’t have enough energy to think.

Ethan gazed at the Boston skyline and wondered if any other skyline would feel so lonely. New York? Chicago? San Diego? Dallas?

He had offers from every city. All it would take was a mild display of interest, and he would be whisked away to a new life. His Rhode Island roots recoiled at the possibility of life in the blazing heat, but the broken pieces of his soul longed for anything unfamiliar and untainted. Change could be good, he thought, if for no other reason than it would let him sleep at night.

Idly, his eyes drifted to his laptop screen – waiting for the email he knew was coming. He’d sent out his interest. Now, he just had to wait for an eager recruiter to claim the fist interview. Wherever it was, he’d go – sunny, dark, rainy, hot, whatever. Selectivity required too much from his frayed mind.

For a moment, he imagined a world where the email never came. What would feel worse – the blow to his ego or his failure to make the grand sacrifice?

But of course, the email arrived. To those followers lucky enough to admire him from afar, Ethan was still a god. By the luck of the draw, a hospital in San Diego was the first to claim him. Only a few minutes later, it would have been a medical school in Chicago.

Hot and sunny, Ethan frowned. Not his comfort zone. But who was he to challenge fate?

When Ethan finished reading the email, he didn’t feel relieved. It just felt … final. Sad, even. Like the final chapter of a book he never wanted to finish.

For a moment, he allowed himself to picture a new life in sunny San Diego, but the vision was just as cold as a bitter Boston winter – colder, even. Because she was here. And nothing could ever come close to the warmth he felt when she stood by his side.

Ethan pressed “reply” but typed nothing. Again and again, he started to draft a polite yet brief acceptance, but no words came.

Ethan frowned, wiping his face with exhaustion. It was too late to write, he thought. It was too late to do anything. Realistically, he should have been home hours ago. A wise man would have tried to get what little sleep remained before he commuted back to this dark office, but Ethan recoiled at the thought of going home alone. So, he decided to stay. Hopefully, he’d work himself into exhaustion and be too tired to think.

Encouraged by the promise of something sugary to get him through the slump, Ethan gave himself a well-earned break to visit the vending machine. He traced the familiar path quietly, appreciating the gentle hum of the night shift. He liked how the hospital ignored him at night. It was a welcome reminder that Edenbrook would outlive his legacy.

Even on an empty night like this, Charlie was a specter lurking in every corner, but he never expected to actually see her there – tiredly straightening a crumpled dollar bill so she could trade it for a box of Sour Patch Kids. The same candy he’d intended to buy, a bad habit inherited from many a long night by her side.

Ethan froze, watching with wide eyes as she just … existed. How long had he been standing there? A second? A lifetime? Danger prickled at his skin, reminding him of the sins they’d shared in these hallowed halls.

“For fuck’s sake,” Charlie groaned, ignorant to her observer. Giving up on her unsalvageable dollar bill, Charlie pounded her fist on the glass, hoping for a miracle. Of course, the machine stared back at her, unmoved. Her candy was still out of reach.

Without thinking, Ethan stepped toward.

“Let me.”

It wasn’t until Charlie turned around that Ethan realized he’d been the one to speak.

Charlie stood, mouth agape as Ethan placed a crisp collar bill in the machine and punched in the code for her favorite candy. When he turned to hand her the box of sugary gummies, Charlie still hadn’t moved. Equally shocked at the sudden proximity, neither stepped back. She was so close he could smell the coconut on her hair…

They were silent – consumed by the closeness. Charlie breathed him in, cataloguing every new line on his face. It didn’t occur to her that he was doing the same. What would it feel like years from now, when the contours of their faces had changed without the presence of the other?

Finally, Charlie spoke, “I can’t.”

Ethan chuckled quietly, “Yes, you can.”

Charlie’s lips parted, prepared to put up a fight, but then she decided she wanted the candy more than she wanted to yell at Ethan – though, admittedly, it was a close call.

“Thanks,” Charlie mumbled as she clumsily accepted the cardboard box. Once it was in her hands, she knew it was her turn to leave, yet she lingered. The longer she stayed, the harder it was to pull away.

Ethan felt her growing absence like a bleeding wound. Just before she was out of earshot, he blurted out, “I’m sorry.”

Charlie froze.

Accept it, a voice demanded, let this be the end.

But she didn’t. Instead, she bitterly coughed out, “You should be.”

“I know.”

Charlie whipped her head around, unsure if she was shocked or angry. Could it be both?

“You know?” she repeated quietly.

Clearing his throat, Ethan awkwardly explained, “I’ve always respected you and your career, Charlie. I just… I just wish my actions showed that.”

Charlie’s jaw tightened – of course he was fucking self-righteous enough to give a speech like that. Ever respectful Ethan who couldn’t fathom her making her own decisions about her career. A thousand angry retorts populated her mind, each fighting for the honor of being the biting remark to remind him of his sins. Yet, she delivered none of them. They were each too vulnerable, touching a part of her too raw to unleash without opening a door to her soul. She’d found safety in distance, and she didn’t trust herself to test the depths.

“You’ve been an asshole,” Charlie crossed her arms.

Despite himself, Ethan chuckled.

“I know,” he smiled bitterly, “I’ve always been an asshole, but I never meant to be one to you.”

A sharp, sudden intake of breath. And an unmistakable smile creeping across her lips. She stared at himself for a long time, so long that Ethan almost forgot they’d been engaged in a conversation moments earlier. How could she respond to that? She didn’t want to punish his apology with cruelty, nor did she want to reward it at the risk of undoing all her hard work to distance herself. And could that even be described as a real apology?

“I know,” she whispered to both of their surprise.

She didn’t absolve him, just acknowledged him as something other than a mythical enemy – rather a misguided and damaged man bumbling through unfamiliar love. And fuck that might have been worse.

He is close enough to touch, she thought. She indulged in the fantasy where she ran into his arms. It doesn’t have to mean anything, a tempting voice whispered, You can still hate him in the morning.

But she wouldn’t. It was a dangerous game – one she would always lose.

One she was probably already losing.

Charlie was caught between a desperate desire to forgive him and an insistent shame that she was so easily drawn back to him. With equal measure, she wanted to curse his name and drag him back to her bed. Before she could do either, she turned on her heels and raced through the halls – retreating to her hidden corner where she’d been working late into the night to avoid the memories haunting her empty bed.

Ethan watched her go. It wasn’t a surprise, yet some part of him expected her to turn around. When he realized she wasn’t coming back, he gazed at his reflection in the vending machine light. It was the same empty expression that followed him back to his office, where he spent an ungodly amount of time trying to will himself into productivity. Any attempt to work himself into a stupor was ruined when she broke through his haze.

He left the hospital in defeat, entering his apartment like a fallen fighter. A drink in hand, Ethan milled about his home, touring a thousand possibilities of what could have been.

This is the end. So why doesn’t it feel like it?

He heard the clock tick, but only now did he realize that it had always been lurking in the wings. Ethan was always going to fuck this up, if just because he didn’t trust himself to do anything else.

A lifetime of “what if”s flashed before his eyes – what if he hadn’t pulled away in Miami? What if he’d picked her over Edenbrook the first time? Or the second time? Or any of the days that followed? His many regrets flashed before his eyes in a torturous but fleeting succession. But one remained, whispering his deep-held shame until his ears rang.

When he couldn’t handle it any longer, Ethan downed the rest of his glass and dialed a familiar number.

“Ethan?” Naveen’s voice was tired on the other line. For a brief moment, Ethan was embarrassed he’d woken his friend at such a late hour, but curiosity killed any courtesy he may have bestowed by letting Naveen go back to sleep.

“Hey, sorry to wake you,” Ethan grimaced.

“No worries… is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Ethan swallowed.

Just ask, he hissed at himself.

“I wanted to warn you,” Ethan began, ignoring the angry roar when he evaded the real reason he’d called. “I’ve been offered interviews. I’m going to accept them.”

“Oh…” Naveen’s voice fell.

“I wanted to tell you first. I know how gossip spreads.”

“Right, of course,” Naveen murmured.

“Well… I should let you sleep then,” Ethan cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“Oh, I suppose,” Naveen’s voice was detached. He didn’t know how to be present in such an unexpected conversation. It was one thing to lose his friend of ten years. It was quite another to watch Ethan march himself to exile and ruin the best relationship he’d ever had. Despite all the theatrics, Naveen never thought it would come to this.

Ethan didn’t hang up.

His heart pounded.

His chest ached.

His throat tightened.

If I don’t ask, I’ll never know, he thought.

But maybe it was best that way.

“Actually, that wasn’t why I called,” Ethan blurted out.

Naveen’s eyebrows raised, too shocked to mutter out a polite response.

“A year ago, if I’d come to you and said that I was in love with Charlie and wanted to be with her, what would have happened?”

“A year ago?” Naveen thought carefully. His friend deserved honesty. Brutal honesty. “I would have asked if you were sure. Told you to think about it for a few days. The board would have hated it. The legal liability, not to mention the public scandal, would be debated for weeks. But I would have been at every meeting, fighting for you both. In the end, I think I could have talked them into a compromise – Charlie reassigned to different supervisors. On a good day, I could have kept you both on the diagnostics team. On a bad day, one of you would have had to step down.”

“But we would have been together?”

Naveen knew he should have hesitated. Softened the blow. But Ethan needed full impact.

“Yes.”

Deep down, Ethan already knew. That’s why he never asked.

“Even with Bloom?”

“You can never plan for Bloom, but with the right HR paperwork, I don’t see what he could have done.”

Ethan winced.

“Do you think… Would it have ruined her career? To be marred by my scandal?”

“Maybe,” Naveen confessed, “But it’s a long career, Ethan, and people have survived worse.”

“Ten years ago, would you have let me do it?” Ethan clenched his glass, “If I’d been Charlie, would you have let me risk it?”

“Ten years ago, no.”

A bit of redemption, but it felt hollow.

“But ten years ago, I made a lot of mistakes. I built a champion, but if I had to do it over again…” Naveen sighed, suddenly weighed down by decades of mistakes, “I wouldn’t have made you in my image, Ethan. And if I have any parting wisdom, I beg you not to make Charlie in yours.”

Ethan flinched.

It was one thing to know that he was a monster made by his own hand. It was another to hear another acknowledge it.

A lineage of damaged mortals begging to be gods. It was fitting that they rose so high only to fall from the stars.

Then there was Charlie – the last of their line. Still growing. Still forming. Still making the mistakes that would fracture her. Perhaps Ethan would be one of them.

“You always said we’re insatiable,” Ethan shook his head, “You. Me. Charlie, too. We always need more. Do you think we could be satisfied with anything less?”

“Maybe not,” Naveen frowned, “But I like to think so.”

A long, clouded silence enveloped the duo.

“You still have time, Ethan,” Naveen’s sentence was more of a plea than a reminder.

Stay, he urged, Stay for her.

Ethan shook his head, “I’ll assign Tobias to my cases in the morning. I’ll stay for the transition, but…” I have to go, he thought.

Naveen didn’t try to hide his sigh, “Alright. Good night, Ethan.”

A few moments later, when Ethan contributed nothing else to the conversation, Naveen ended the call, but Ethan remained still. Seconds dragged to minutes. Hell, they probably dragged to hours.

A lifetime in each passing moment.

A better ending to the story.

Devastated but finally convinced of his role as the villain in Charlie’s epic, Ethan sent an email accepting and scheduling an interview in San Diego at the end of the week. He spent the rest of the night shoving his current life into a suitcase, praying that there was some semblance of a new life on the other side.

Separated by more than distance, Ethan and Charlie wandered through the dark night, evading their grief and wishing they could have one more night together. One more call. One more smile. Longing and grief went hand in hand – lovers in a past life.

If Ethan had gone quietly into the night, Charlie still violently stumbled through it. All she could think about was Ethan. Seeing him awakened something she’d purposefully tried to bury. She didn’t trust herself to be close to him, and she certainly didn’t trust herself to spend one last night in his embrace. But the idea consumed her. She needed him like she needed air. It was a punishment and a pleasure. She had to have him close to her, if just to scream in his face.

Losing but the battle but perhaps winning the war, she abandoned the safety of her secluded nook and marched straight to his office. With only a moment’s hesitation, she knocked twice – once insistently, once timidly. No answer.

Twice more – both insistent.

No answer.

Frustrated by his apparent silence and their continued separation, she barged into his office and found the space empty. He had already left…

Embarrassment and rejection stung Charlie’s eyes, blurring her view as she hurriedly closed the door behind him and retreated to the safety of her quiet, empty bedroom miles away.

As she showered off the feeling of his presence, she told herself this was a single moment of weakness. She’d be gone before she had her next relapse. Yet, even as she climbed into bed, she knew that wasn’t true.

They were inevitable, for better or worse.

Unless one of them ran away first.

#choices #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan ramsey x charlie greene #with and without #open heart #open heart 2 #open heart fanfic #fanfic #writing

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headoverheelsforramsey · 1 year

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Love Again

Book : Open Heart (Book 2)

Pairing : Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Meera Bose) || Feat. Tobias Carrick

Category : Angsty Fluff

Summary : He is watching his best friend fall in love for the second time and desperately praying that it doesn't lead to disastrous consequences like the first time. (Aka Open Heart Book 2 told from Tobias Carrick's point of view)

Warnings : Mentions of the maitotoxin attack

Rating : General

Word Count : 1569

Trope : Third person POV, People find out about them, Traumatic Event

A/N : This is my submission for @tobias-carrick-appreciation-week Day 3 : OH 2 and @aprilchallenge : Love is in the air. Some of the quotes have been taken directly from Pixelberry's Open Heart Book 2. Hope you guys enjoy it, happy reading! ❤️

Chapter 6

Tobias Carrick didn’t expect to meet his long lost friend turned foe today, certainly not under the humongous roof of the third richest man in America, competing against him for the sake of saving his hospital. Yet, here he was, staring at Ethan Ramsey in flesh and blood. He looks like he hasn’t aged a day, though the beard and glasses make him look more matured than he acts to be.

Hirata and Mirani following Ramsey like puppies as usual. He recognises the other doctor, from their encounter at the deli a few days back. He did not learn her name, but was shocked to see her as a part of one of the most prestigious diagnostic team in the country. A resident in her second year missing out trivial diagnosis like cyanosis, did Edenbrook and Ethan Ramsey forget how to teach?

He was enjoying this little arrangement that Bloom came up with, never missing out on a chance to one-up Ethan Ramsey. But when his “friend” stormed out the heavy wooden doors he was not surprised but disappointed. He was rather shocked when his protege followed him without thinking twice.

Before following Mr. Bloom inside he could see Ramsey and Bose in a heated argument through the glass panels. He was surprised further because in all the years he had known Ethan Ramsey he had never seen an attending talk to him that way, much less a resident, had his “friend” changed that much? His surprise continued when Ramsey came back for a chance to crack this case, but he didn’t let his face show. Does this mere resident have special persuasion powers? He decided to put his head in the game instead, because he was playing to see his “friend” lose.

Chapter 8

The sun shone brightly, the smell of hot dogs and beers engulfing the atmosphere this was one day in a year, Tobias pretends he followed his childhood dream of playing softball professionally. The doctors from both the hospitals mingled about, he had so many people to greet but in the sea of known and unknown people he certainly didn’t expect Ethan Ramsey to be there.

He has been going against Edenbrook for almost half a decade and never in all those years had he ever seen or ever expected the infamous Dr. Ramsey to grace them with his presence. What changed? He thought and almost immediately saw Meera Bose beside Ethan.

She was a decent player he thought, throwing the first pitch and being responsible for Tobias Carrick’s out was enough proof of that. But he couldn’t ignore the small smile at the corner of his “friend’s” lips whenever Bose threw a perfect pitch.

Old habit’s die hard and Tobias thought rubbing the case of Stephanie Hill while grabbing a water was the perfect plan. He raised an eyebrow when the young resident said “paitent care isn’t a game.” Good to know Ramsey passed down his virtues to his residents. But the fire he saw in Bose’s eyes on mentioning her friend’s betrayal mirrored the fire he had witnessed in his own “friend’s” eyes more than ten years ago due to a different betrayal.

The fight had grown heated but when Ethan took a protective stance in front of Meera giving Terrance a death threat Tobias was astounded. He had known this man for a very long time, was Ramsey falling for her? Because he hadn’t seen him this defensive since… before he could finish that thought, chaos broke free.

The final innings could have gone better, but one thing that always set Carrick apart from Ramsey was the ability to accept defeat. He watched as Bose ran towards the Edenbrook clan, her friends and colleague wrapping her up. As he turned to leave he watched Ethan join the crowd his eyes soft on Meera’s browns a playful smile on his lips, hands brushing lightly. Tobias’s earlier suspicion returned and as a diagnostician he thought he had an answer, but as one of Ethan Ramsey’s oldest “friend” he could do with some more evidence.

Chapter 9

Logging into his tablet, Tobias looked suspiciously at the recent activity. Ethan Ramsey, at Kenmore? He didn’t have any ongoing research projects and Ethan is not the type of man who likes to take an afternoon walk around the neighborhood.

“Doctor, the patient is ready for you,” the nurse called. Tobias nodded, opening his new patient chart and getting to work, making a mental note of catching up with Ramsey before he leaves the premises.

Tobias stopped Dr. Simpson in the middle of his presentation, was that Meera Bose? He rushed out of the patient room following her still not believing his eyes. But when he saw Mirani with her he knew something was up. Three members of the Edenbrook diagnostic team cannot be behind enemy lines at the same time co-inccidently. Calling security Tobias makes a run for it.

The two doctors make a narrow escape and he comes out just in time to see his “friend” zoom away from under his nose.

“Well played Ramsey, we’ll get you next time.”

Chapter 11

The news of Senator Ed and and his aide had spread like wildfire. Transfer patients from Edenbrook kept Tobias fairly busy, but he didn’t know why his thoughts drifted back to Meera.

“How was she doing?”

“Did they have any answers at all?”

“Is she not going to make it?”

“How was… how was Ethan doing?”

Tobias found himself choking on his own breath. In need of fresh air, he put down his tablet and took shelter in a supply closet. He doesn’t remember when was the last time he was here. More unpleasant thoughts circled his brain, Tobias punched the door out of frustration and helplessness. The door opened, and Aurora came in, the frustration and helplessness reflected on her face made Tobias decide that it was time to set aside all the age-old differences between him and Ethan and their respective hospitals.

Nothing less than a crowd was formed in front of the patient room. All of Meera’s friends, family and well-wishers stood by her side. All of them dejected and crestfallen. Ethan Ramsey stood at the forefront his heart burdened with melancholy, but too stubborn to show it in his face. Tobias had known his “friend” long enough to see right through the facade.

Tobias straightened his face, “and you won’t be alone.”

Ramsey’s face shifts from shock to thankful in a mili second and Tobias stops him right there. Everyone says their goodbye one by one and follows Baz and June into the lab. Tobias notices his “friend” not making a move.

“Shouldn’t we call Dr. Ramsey?” one of the doctors suggest.

“No. He should be there with her,” Tobias smiled. “This is where he will do the most good. Besides, I know what I am doing.” He flashes his signature smile only to receive an eye roll from Hirata.

Tobias monitored the sodium-potassium level, no this won’t work, he shaked his head. Facing another dead end, he decided its better to take a small break before getting back to work. He exited the lab and walked towards Meera’s room. The corridor lights had been dimmed, he felt like a ghost wandering the halls. He stopped in front of the window, only to see Ethan all suited up, holding Meera as close as he humanly could with the plastic barrier in between them.

He needed no more confirmations. He was sure his “friend” had fallen head over heels for Meera. It had been a long time since he had been this candid with someone, it had been so long since someone had broken all of his walls and reached for his heart and it had been so long since Ethan’s heart had shattered. Tobias was immature back then and partly responsible for what had happened but today he was not going to let that happen a second time. With renewed determination Tobias walked back towards the lab.

Just like Tobias had guessed, Ethan was still there in his hazmat suit helping Meera vomit into a basin when they returned the next morning. The child-like grin on his face on hearing about the antidote was unlike him. Tobias explained the chemistry behind their discovery, expecting atleast a couple questions from Ethan but the absence of that made him realize that he was a changed man. The sheer delight on Ethan Ramsey’s face as he administered the serum was one of a kind. He and Meera locked eyes, a silent understanding between them.

The waiting part was the worst, but once the latest lab results showed no trace of toxin in Bose’s bloodstream the entire team gathered around the patient room. Ethan sprinted through the doors, and Meera flew into his arms, tears breaking free. Ethan looked outside holding Tobias’ gaze for a little longer than necessary, while Tobias returned his signature smirk.

Chapter 17

The rumor mill had a field day with the news that the great Ethan Ramsey had kissed a resident, Meera Bose in an atrium full of people. While the betting pool regarding how long they were dating and whether Meera slept her way to the top were the hottest topic in and around the hospital, Tobias Carrick was just content that his diagnostic skills remained undefeated and he still knew his "friend" through and through.

Thank you so much if you have read till here, it means the world to me. Hope to see you go on other different adventures with me, Ethan and Meera, till then sending love and hugs your way! ❤️

Perma : @starrystarrytrouble @quixoticdreamer16 @coffeeheartaddict2 @liaromancewriter @tessa-liam @gryffindordaughterofathena @crazy-loca-blog @zahrachoices @bex-la-get @potionsprefect @schnitzelbutterfingers @a-crepusculo @custaroonie @aishwarya26 @jamespotterthefirst

Ethan x Meera : @jerzwriter @wanderingamongthewildflowers @takemyopenheart @mvalentine

+ @choicesficwriterscreations , @openheartfanfics , @tobias-carrick-appreciation-week & @aprilchallenge

Please let me know if you want to be added or removed. 💜

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macapacaalpaca · 2 years

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Literally step on me thnxs

#open heart #choices open heart #ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #pixelberry #ethan freaking ramsey #open heart book 1 #open heart 3 #open heart third year #open heart book 2 #open heart second year #ethan jonah ramsey #david gandy #open heart 2

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squishywizardd · 2 years

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Kieran is literally Dr Ethan Ramsey but with magic and you CAN’T CHANGE MY MIND

#pixelberry #play choices #choices the cursed heart #the cursed heart #kieran x mc #prince kieran #choices #choices game #choices stories you play #ethan ramsey #choices open heart #dr ethan ramsey #dr ethan ramsey x mc #open heart #open heart 2 #choices open heart 2

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misadrawss · 1 year

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Hello everyone!

Commissions are open! Commission me please 😍

#playchoices #open heart #choices you play #pixelberry #open heart 2 #harry potter #foreign affairs #tatum mendoza #beckett harrington #yara flor #illustration #illustragram #artist #digital art #support a creator and commission something pretty #art commisions

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choicesfanaf · 1 year

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Let's Make Dinner

Late submission for Day 19 of Choices January Challenge 2023: Kitchen

A moodboard based on Open Heart Book 2, Chapter 9 when MC accompanies Ethan to their place to cook dinner.

Tagging: @choicesjanuarychallenge for Day 19

Perma: @jamespotterthefirst, @quixoticdreamer16

Moodboards: @burnsoslow

#choices stories we play #choices stories you play #ethan ramsey #open heart #open heart choices #choices open heart #open heart 2 #open heart book 2 #playchoices #choicesjanuary2023 #pinky makes moodboards #dr ethan ramsey x mc #dr ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #ethan jonah ramsey #dr. ethan ramsey #ethan x aru #arundhati kulkarni #ethan x arundhati

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hopelessromantic1352 · 1 year

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In book 2 when he finally lowers his walls halfway. This is why I love him so much 😩

#choices #playchoices #dr. ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey #open heart 2

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justcallmefox89 · 1 year

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Irresistible Force Paradox - An Open Heart Fic

Rory O’Shea begins his first day at Edenbrook and learns that whoever coined the term ‘never meet your heroes’ was absolutely right. Dr. Ethan Ramsey butts heads with the strong-willed intern, and battle lines are drawn as both men ready themselves to work together for the next three years.

September 13th. 11:30 a.m.

I hate him. What a smug, condescending, arrogant, handsome… ugh! How is someone with a personality that repulsive so attractive? He’s definitive proof that God really does have favorites -

“What are we staring at?” someone whispers in my ear, their warm breath tickling the side of my neck.

I let out a startled yelp and drop my charts, drawing the attention of the object of my ire. Bryce chuckles and bends down to retrieve them while Jackie tries to hide her smile behind her own charts. Dr. Ramsey glances over at us impassively, meeting my eyes for the briefest moment before turning away. I continue glaring at him even as I swipe my charts out of Bryce’s hand, trying to telepathically implode his brain with my eyeballs.

“Why are we staring at Dr. Ramsey?” Bryce stage whispers again.

“We are not staring at him. I am trying to explode his big, stupid head with the power of my mind,” I mutter.

“Wow… he really got to you, didn’t he?” Jackie snickers.

I bristle, remembering the emergency thoracotomy in the waiting room earlier that morning and Dr. Ramsey’s subsequent condemnation. “He did not get to me! He’s a pompous asshole and I hate him. I despise him. I loathe him and his perfect jawline with every molecule of every fiber of my being.”

Jackie arches one eyebrow and smirks, clearly unconvinced. “You sound like a supervillain right now, Rory.”

Bryce’s eyes light up. “Dr. Ramsey could be your very first nemesis!”

“And Aurora my second,” I grumble, mentioning the prickly intern I’m partnered with.

They both make a face.

“How’s that going?” Bryce asks.

I shrug half-heartedly. “She went to her aunt’s office right after the initial consult with our patient and I haven’t seen her since.”

“Nice to know Princess Nepotism is already living up to her name,” Jackie says snidely, looking down as her pager beeps. “My test results are in. See you guys later.”

“So how long are we going to stand here and stare at Ramsey?”

I snort and fight back a laugh. “You’re ridiculous, Bryce.”

“I’m not the one trying to set my boss on fire with my brain.” The surgeon smirks at me, brown eyes glittering with laughter.

“Explode, Lahela. I’m trying to explode him.”

We stare at each other silently for a few beats before we break into a fit of the giggles.

****************************************************************************************

11:30 a.m.

Ethan stands at the nurses station, pretending to look over his charts as he covertly watches the young man who is staring daggers at him from a little further down the hall. Ever since their encounter that morning as they’d worked together to save the patient who collapsed in the waiting room, Dr. Rory O’Shea had been a distraction. An insidious little wisp of smoke that continues to invade Ethan’s thoughts in his downtime.

O’Shea is one of those people cursed with a face that perfectly expresses whatever they’re feeling, and right now he’s looking at Ethan like he wishes the older doctor would be hit by a bus. Ethan remembers how the intern had look after saving that woman, his cheeks flushed and eyes bright with excitement, and how his expression had fallen after Ethan’s harsh criticism. Hurt, then disappointment, and finally anger flickered over the young man’s face, before he was able to get control over his emotions.

“Maybe you can give me private lessons…”

Ethan’s lips twitch up as he fights to repress a smile at the memory of O’Shea’s words. He’d flipped the switch from angry to flirty so quickly he’d nearly given Ethan whiplash, and the sultry look in his eyes that was clearly meant to catch Ethan off-balance had nearly drawn him in instead.

Such unusual eyes.

They stand out from behind the round wire-rimmed glasses O’Shea wears, those large, pale green eyes, the same color as the sea glass Ethan used to collect with his father when they would go to the beach.

A crashing sound draws Ethan’s attention, and he turns his head slightly to watch as one of the surgical interns bends down on one knee and hands O’Shea a pile of charts with a charming smile. An uncomfortable feeling begins to form low in Ethan’s stomach, but he quickly writes it off as hunger and hurries back to his office for a quick lunch before continuing his rounds.

******************************************************************************************

2:45 p.m.

“Argh! Stupid, stupid, stupid!” I aim a kick at a low shelf in the supply closest, nearly breaking a toe when it connects. “Gah! Motherfucker!” I swipe angry tears away from my face, still mentally berating myself as I remember Ramsey’s words.

You need to have a long, hard think about whether or not your ready to be here… Whether this girl lives or dies is on you… Nearly killed her…

A sudden wash of fluorescent light interrupts my brooding.

“I feel like I’m interrupting something.” Bryce says, gazing at me in curiosity and concern.

“In or out, Lahela! I’m trying to have an existential crisis in peace and you’re distracting me,” I snap.

He steps into the supply closest and pulls the door shut behind him. “Hey, hey, hey. What’s going on?”

I tip my head back and try to stem the flow of tears, internally cursing myself for being an angry crier. And a stress crier. And a sad crier.

Not the time for this.

“Nothing. I just got reamed out by the man who used to be my medical hero and inspiration for the second time today and I almost killed my first patient.” The words come out in a rush. “Maybe he’s right. Maybe I’m not cut out for this. Maybe everything that I’ve been working for since I was twelve was all for nothing and I’m going to be the biggest failure Edenbrook has ever seen.”

Bryce blinks. “Wow. You managed four years of med school, but four hours here and you’re surrendering? Didn’t take you for a quitter.”

“You just met me.”

“True. But if every hospital employee who ever hid in a supply closet quit, there’d be nobody here but the patients.”

I narrow my eyes. “No offense, but what do you know about it?”

“Let’s just say this isn’t the first supply closet I’ve found a stressed out doctor in today.”

“Alright then, scalpel jockey. What am I supposed to do?”

Bryce grins. “You’ve got two options. One, breeze through life with an unshakeable self-assurance like me.”

“I don’t think this hospital would survive two Bryce Lahelas. What’s option two?” I dryly reply.

“Ride it out,” he says, shrugging.

I stare at him blankly. “That’s not quite the pearl of wisdom you think it is.”

Bryce places his hands on my shoulders and shakes me a bit. “Of course you’re overwhelmed. You’re a doctor. It’s one of the toughest jobs there is, and you’re on your first day. If you don’t give yourself a chance to make mistakes, to get better… nobody else will.”

I let out an enormous sigh and use the hem of my scrubs to wipe my cheeks dry. “Fine. I’ll try.”

“Good. Because I’d hate to lose you so quick. Is there anything I can get you?”

“A hug?” I ask tentatively.

“Alright, get over here.” Bryce smirks and holds out his arms. He has to stoop a little bit to match my much shorter height, but I manage to lace my arms around his neck and squeeze him gently, resting my head against his chest. He wraps his arms around my waist and holds me tightly, the slow thumping of his heartbeat and the warm, comforting scent of his amber and sandalwood cologne soothes my frazzled nerves.

“This is nice,” I murmur. “You’re a pretty good hugger.”

“One of my many talents.” Even though I can’t see his face I can tell he’s smiling. “Hey, wait a second. Was this just a ploy of yours to get me in here alone?”

I tip my head back to look at him, taking in the cocky smirk on his face and the genuine kindness radiating from his warm, brown eyes. Before I can second guess myself, I pop up on my toes and quickly press my lips to his. His eyes momentarily widen in surprise, but then he’s kissing me back hard, his hands gripping my hips as he pushes me against the shelves, knocking a few boxes to the ground.

“God you’re incredible,” he whispers against my mouth. Suddenly he lifts me up, urging me to wrap my legs around his waist as he uses his body to pin me to the shelves. I nip lightly at his lower lip and grind against him, earning a low groan. Bryce’s hands cup my ass, pulling me tight to him as we writhe together, our erections rubbing against each other through the thin fabric of our scrubs. His tongue slides against mine and one of his hands creeps under my scrub top, warm against the skin of my stomach.

The door suddenly swings open, light from the hallway spilling into the closet.

“Could we get some privacy, man?” Bryce snaps, turning his body to keep me shielded from whoever has interrupted us.

“Oh, by all means. I’m so sorry to intrude. I’ll just wait out here ‘til you’re done,” an equally irritated male voice retorts. “Or, if I may be so bold… might you hand me a suture kit?”

Still holding me up with one hand, Bryce reaches out and snags a kit from the shelf and tosses it over his shoulder to the other man.

“Much obliged.” The door slams and we’re alone once again.

Bryce slowly slides me down his body until my feet are back on the floor.

“Maybe we should get back to work,” I say, nervously adjusting my glasses.

“That guy did kinda kill the mood, huh?”

Feeling awkward, I repeatedly tug on a piece of hair at the back of my head as Bryce straightens his scrubs and runs a hand through his hair.

“Hope I cheered you up a little,” he says as he prepares to leave.

“Just a little,” I whisper, praying that the dim light in the supply closet hides my blush.

Bryce gives me wink as he exits the closet, leaving me alone to ponder my future at Edenbrook.

*****************************************************************************************

9:15 p.m.

I didn’t let him beat me.

I follow Dr. Ramsey out of Annie’s room, grinning to myself. “So, I’ll fill out a prescription for some extra-strength antihistamines -”

“Don’t bother. I already have.”

I skid to a stop, my sneakers squeaking against the linoleum. “Beg pardon?”

He hands me a printed out prescription order for the exact medicine I was about to request. My grin fades and I tilt my head back to stare up at the taller doctor.

I swear to everything that is holy, his brain will be goo by the time I finish this internship.

“How long have you known?” I manage to grit out between clenched teeth. “And when were you planning on telling me?”

Dr. Ramsey checks his watch. “I’d planned to give you another forty-five minutes. I pulled up Annie’s chart to diagnose it myself, in the likely event you blew it. But I wanted to give you the chance to right the ship first.”

I am calm, I am a peaceful breeze, I am calm, I am a peaceful breeze…

“You should have treated her right away.”

He scowls down at me. “I was giving you an opportunity - ”

“I don’t give a shit about your opportunities,” I hiss, stepping closer to him until we’re toe to toe. “And I definitely don’t want your charity. I want my patients to get better. So next time, take care of the patient first, doctor.”

We’re both breathing quickly, our eyes locked together, neither one of us wanting to be the one to look away first. I’m intensely away of how much larger he is, and I can feel the heat of his body even through his lab coat and button-down shirt. Something in his gaze softens and the tension in his body fades a little.

“Rookie…” he says, his voice soft. “I respect how much you care about you patients’ wellbeing. But if I don’t push you to grow, then how many lives will be lost down the line because you’re not ready?”

I hate to admit it, but I can understand his reasoning.

I’ll choke and die before I tell him that though.

“Believe me when I say this was not for your sake. I need good doctors by my side. There’s only one of me, after all,” he continues. “But you showed potential. Not to mention maybe the most important trait a doctor can have.”

I raise my eyebrows, silently prompting him to finish his thought.

“You listened. You took the time to get to know your patient. Their story, their hopes, their fears… Sometimes those are the key to saving their life.”

I nod along as he speaks, captivated by the intensity in his blue eyes and the deep timbre of his voice, unknowingly leaning even closer to him. Aurora suddenly rushes up to us, looking flustered. Realizing how close we’ve gotten I spring away from Dr. Ramsey, nervously shoving my glasses further up onto the bridge of my nose. He, on the other hand, seems to be completely unaffected, which sends an irrational spike of annoyance through me.

She looks into the room and sees Annie sitting up and smiling, then turns and glares at me. “What the hell? You went ahead and presented without me?”

I widen my eyes and stare at her. “Excuse me? In case you - ”

“Annie was your patient as well, Dr. Emery,” Dr. Ramey interrupts me, his voice frosty. He eyes Aurora with disdain. What the hell have you been doing while Dr. O’Shea was making a diagnosis?”

Aurora hesitates, glancing over at me.

Oh, I know she doesn’t think I’m going to cover for her.

I clamp my mouth shut and stare her down as she squirms under Ramsey’s glower.

“That was not a rhetorical question,” Ramsey barks. “One of you needs to answer me.”

I smirk and continuing silently staring at her, refusing to be the one who breaks first.

Finally Aurora cracks. “I was in Chief Emery’s office,” she admits sullenly. “She paged me this morning after we examined Annie.”

“And you’ve been there all day?” He looks deeply unimpressed.

Aurora gives him a short, stiff nod.

“Dr. Emery, patient assignments are not optional.” Ramsey scowls at her one final time before stalking off, leaving Aurora and I standing in awkward silence.

“That’s really what you were doing all day? Just sitting in your aunt’s office?” I eye her curiously.

Aurora’s expression hardens. “What do you care? You clearly didn’t need my help.”

I allow myself a small, pleased smile. “No I didn’t, did I?”

She whirls around, huffing in annoyance, and stomps away from me.

****************************************************************************************

10:00 p.m.

After my shift ends I hurry to the locker room, taking just enough time to quickly shower and slip into a clean sweater and pair of jeans, before rushing to meet Sienna in the atrium.

“You survived!” she exclaims with a big smile. “Ready to hit the bar?”

“You have no idea,” I sigh, dropping my head onto her shoulder. An easy feat since we’re roughly the same height.

She pats my back soothingly. “Let’s go then.”

Just a few blocks from the hospital, Donahue’s is dingy, dim, and completely packed with Edenbrook staff members. Sienna confidently leads me through the throngs of people to a booth where Landry, Jackie, and Elijah are waiting for us.

“Come on!” Landry urges. “There’s still sixty-seven seconds left in happy hour!”

Elijah rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “Who cares? We’re all a hundred-k in debt anyway.”

“Relax, Landry. I put in quite a few orders before the buzzers.” Jackie grins as a barback arrives bearing a huge trays of shots.

“You are a goddess. We lowly beings are not worthy of you,” I praise her as I reach for a shot. I toss it back and sigh as it burns its way down, erasing some of the stress of my day.

I grab a second glass and the others join me. We all raise them in the air.

“To the end of our first shift! And ten hours off the clock!” Elijah proclaims.

We clink our glasses together and throw back our shots.

Landry gags as his goes down. “Don’t we have any salt? Or limes?”

“Doctor up, Landry. Lime and salt are for wimps,” Jackie retorts, pushing another shot glass into his hand.

We all raise another toast.

“How about… To new friends!” Sienna ventures.

Once again we clink and drink.

Jackie points at me. “Your turn Rory!”

I grab another shot and raise it above my head. “To the start of an amazing career, despite Ethan Ramsey’s best efforts! And in a few years, we’ll take the jobs of every attending who ever treated us like dirt!”

My new friends and I whoop and tipsily giggle as we down another tequila shot.

******************************************************************************************

10:20 p.m.

Ethan quietly nurses his drink at the bar and unobtrusively observes O’Shea pound shots with a booth full of other interns. Whatever they’re drinking has caused O’Shea’s normally pale cheeks to flush, and he’s taken his hair out of its neat bun, allowing the inky waves to flow over his shoulders and around his face. The sweater he’s wearing may have been black at one point, but has been washed so many times it’s a faded grey and looks incredibly soft to the touch.

“See something you like, Ethan?” Reggie asks, leaning over the bar and following the doctor’s gaze.

“Don’t you have other customers to bother?” Ethan responds, downing the last of his scotch.

Reggie just chuckles as he looks at something over Ethan’s left shoulder. O’Shea bounces up to the bar and takes a seat on the stool next to him, legs dangling and feet swinging aimlessly as he waits for Reggie to finish up another customer’s order.

Ethan takes the time to study Rory out of the corner of his eye, noting the way his jeans show off the litheness of his body and the faint smattering of freckles running over the bridge of his nose, making him look even younger than his 28 years. Then those green eyes flit over to rest on him.

“Can I help you with something, Dr. Ramsey?” Rory asks, blinking at him owlishly through the thick lenses of his glasses.

“Just noticing how… different you look out in the real world.”

Rory leans a little closer, nearly tipping over into the older man’s lap. “Do you like it?” he whispers playfully.

Ethan’s eyes widen in shock. If he’d had any doubts before, now he’s absolutely certain the intern is at least mildly intoxicated. But he can’t deny that the warm weight of Rory leaning against his arm and the smell of his grapefruit and vanilla shampoo is intoxicating.

“What’ll it be?” Reggie asks, tossing his bar rag over his shoulder.

Rory glances over at Ethan’s empty liquor glass, then beckons Reggie closer with a mischievous smile. He balances precariously on the bar stool, stretching so he can whisper into the bartender’s ear. In a rare moment of weakness Ethan glances at Rory’s back, admiring the flow of his dark hair over his shoulders, the smooth curve of his spine, and the way the denim of his jeans perfectly frame his high, tight…

Ethan is startled out of his thoughts as Rory’s thumps back down onto his barstool with a self-satisfied smile. Just a few moments later he learns the reason for Rory’s smirk as Reggie sets down two colorful cocktails in front of them, each garnished with a paper umbrella, an orange slice, and a maraschino cherry.

Ethan physically recoils from the drink as Rory tries to hide his snickering behind his hands. “What is that abomination?”

“A Sex on the Beach.” Rory pulls his own drink closer and tastes it with a contented sigh.

The air around Ethan ratchets up a few degrees as he watches Rory’s full lips close around the tip of the straw. “That’s not what I was drinking.”

“I know,” Rory replies, coming up for air, half of his drink already gone. “You were drinking scotch, but scotch is gross. So I ordered you something delicious instead. You’re welcome.”

“You know I can’t be bribed into favoring you,” Ethan says, eyeing the cocktail with distaste.

Rory’s expression darkens and he visibly struggles to control his delicate features. He eventually gives Ethan’s a crooked smirk. “Don’t worry, Dr. Ramsey. I already know exactly what you think of me. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

By the time Ethan recovers from his shock Rory has already slipped off of his barstool and rejoined his fellow interns.

“Busy making friends, Ramsey?” Reggie asks, eyeing him curiously.

Ethan is momentarily lost for words. “I don’t… I… I’m not sure what just happened.”

“I don’t believe that young man likes you very much.”

“I’m his boss. He doesn’t need to like me.” Despite his words Ethan feels a pinprick of something… disappointment? at the thought of Rory not enjoying his company. Belatedly he also realizes that at some point during the evening he had start to think of the younger man as Rory, not just O’Shea.

Reggie hums non-committally, clearing not believing his words. Exasperated, Ethan signals for another scotch, hoping to chase away the lingering sense of uneasiness Rory has left him with. Reggie sets the drink down in front of him and silently moves away, leaving the doctor to his own thoughts.

“Traitor!”

“Get it Lahela!”

Ethan looks towards the far side of the bar, back by the dartboards, just in time to see the handsome surgical intern from this morning dip Rory backwards and kiss him. The kiss becomes more passionate as Rory threads his fingers through the other man’s hair, and the surgeon, Lahela, presses even closer, until there is no space left between the two.

The same stomach unsettling feeling from this morning comes roaring back, and Ethan turns away, grabbing the drink Rory had bought him. He takes a sip, the fruity drink leaving a bitter taste on his tongue, much like the sight of Rory wrapped up in Lahela’s arms does.

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myautumnrose · 1 year

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I mean…

Big credit to: phantomqueen_13 on Reddit for the edits of Pbs faces…

#playchoices #choices stories you play #choices: stories you play #choicesgame #choices #pb choices #choices app #open heart #choices open heart 2 #open heart 2 #ethan ramsey #choices open heart

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storyofmychoices · 7 months

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Obvious Secrets

[Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley Masterlist]

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley (F!OC)

Book: Open Heart

Word Count: ~300

Rating/Warnings: general (tipsy Olivia)

Prompts: "I love you. But that's a secret. So I won't tell you about it" from this drunken confessions prompt list requested by @kyra75; @choicesoctober favorite ship—romantic ❤️; @choicesficwriterscreations ; @choicesprompts flufftober-confession

Synopsis: Olivia and Bryce are at the beer garden with friends and she has a (not so secret) secret to share with him.

This gorgeous and adorable art of my babies is by CoffeesForChloe (IG)

Amid the lively chatter of friends at the beer garden, Olivia couldn't contain her giddy spirit any longer. Her laughter, warmed by the buzz of a few drinks, filled the air as she slipped behind Bryce. With a mischievous smile, she wrapped her arms around him, drawing him close. Her lips found his cheek, planting a playful kiss. Bryce turned, his eyes sparkling with affection, and met her gaze.

"What have you been up to?" His fingers caressed her rosy cheek as he turned into her.

"Just sharing some juicy secrets with Merida and Casey," she hummed.

"Oh yeah?" His brow rose curiously. "Anything good?"

"Maybe. I did say juicy." Her head tipped to the side as her gaze traced his features. Her finger tapped him on the nose. "Boop."

"What was that for?"

"You're cute," she giggled again.

"Cute enough to hear one of those secrets?"

Her lip twisted in consideration. After a moment, she nodded, pulling him closer. "I love you. But that's a secret. So I won't tell you about it."

He couldn't help but smile. "Your secret's safe with me." Bryce tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "For what it's worth, I love you too, but I think that might be too obvious to be a secret."

Olivia leaned in closer, her eyes shimmering with affection under the glow of the lights strung above. With a playful grin, she replied, "I've got another secret, but it's pretty obvious too–You're all mine."

"Just the way I like it." He leaned in, capturing her lips in a tender kiss. The cool fall breeze swirled around them as the laughter and cheers of those around them continued into the night.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy! Once I got this precious art from Chloe, I knew it worked perfectly for the prompt request.

#bryce lahela #bryce lahela x mc #bryce lahela x oc #bryce oph #open heart #open heart 2 #playchoices #choices #choices game #olivia hadley #bryce x olivia #brylivia #lovealexhunt #open heart 3 #oph bryce #fan fiction #open heart fan fic #october2023

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imseriousirius · 2 years

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🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼

#playchoices #choices #open heart #choices open heart #open heart 2 #choices open heart 2 #yes officer this man right here 😐😐😐#open heart replay: number ???

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alwaysmychoices · 1 year

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"Fuel to the Fire"

Synopsis: The day after their relationship-ending fight, Charlie and Ethan are forced to work together. Instead of getting back together, they end up adding fuel to the fire.

Chapter 37 of the “with and without” series

Previous Series: “a weekend with dr. ramsey”

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x MC (Charlotte “Charlie” Greene)

Words: 5.1k (sorry)

Rating: Teen (language)

Also available on AO3 & Wattpad (link in Masterlist)

Ethan let the alarm ring for five minutes.

He was awake the entire time.

He’d been awake all night.

The alarm echoed in his bedroom, searching for a man but only finding a ghost. He’d spent the entire night dreading that sound, dreading the moment that night would end – for even if this was the worst night of his life, it would be even worse to face the day.

A day without Charlie.

The first of many miserable mornings. From the melancholy of his unslept-in sheets, Ethan watched his entire life unfold before his eyes, every day dulled by his insurmountable grief. The future formed so effortlessly in his imagination that he was confident in its accuracy, yet he simultaneously couldn’t fathom a single moment of it.

How did he sleep at night without her?

How did he get out of bed without her?

How did he remember how to live again if he had to do it without her?

Ethan allowed the alarm to ring and tried to conjure the smell of Charlie’s shampoo. It had only been two nights since they’d shared these sheets, yet her smell was already so distant. He could relive it if he focused on her memory, but soon, even that would be gone.

Coconut and vanilla, he reminded himself quietly, Jasmine perfume. Red wine on her lips and cherry flavored Chapstick.

Ethan knew he was pathetic, yet he lacked the strength to do anything else.

He’d taken the very best thing in his life and destroyed it with the same casual malice he destroyed everything he had ever held dear – with quiet contempt, silent failures, and unshared shame. He’d ruined their relationship in such a way that he’d ruined himself in the process.

An unforeseen but deserving casualty.

Ethan had always been the first to leave, but so had Charlie.

Maybe it was fair that, for the first time, Ethan felt the true agony of losing Charlie. The first time around, he’d been comforted by his pride and confidence that he was doing the right thing, but what did it matter if he was right if it meant waking up alone?

His moral and logical superiority did little to ease the hole in his chest that formed the second she shattered their irrevocable tie.

Ethan was always one to self-sabotage.

Always taking one for the team.

Doing what needed to be done.

Burning the bridges to save the fleet.

And here, when he’d lit a match and watched his life turn to ash, he saw a glimmer of the truth – that he was always going to mess this up. That he’d never been the kind of man who could sustain something so tender and fragile. He would always catch fire again, no matter which innocent victim would encounter the blaze. He was never going to let himself have this. He was always going to destroy their relationship, if just to prove that he’d never deserved it in the first place.

He was ready to beg for forgiveness, but he wasn’t ready to assume full responsibility. Naively, he still hoped for a miraculous reunion. He thought she would come back if he just gave her more time.

But a few blocks away, Charlie didn’t share his hope.

She approached her morning routine with the finality of a woman at a funeral and the discomfort of someone returning to their life after a long time away.

Her grief was subtle.

An emptiness here. A disappointment there. A flash of fury and bitterness when she saw something reminding her of him.

A solemn, unshakable truth.

Ethan and Charlie wouldn’t reunite in a dimly lit hospital hall and share tender words of forgiveness. There would be no forbidden words of affection and empty promises of change. There would be no beginning, just the unnerving future without the other.

This fight, unlike all the others, was for the sum of its parts, not the individual slights.

Charlie could forgive each moment of betrayal, but she could never accept the future it offered.

Well-meaning promises meant nothing if they weren’t accompanied by action. A beautiful, hidden truth was hollow when faced with living a lie. A collection of loving moments could never replace a lifetime.

The shatter in their foundation was the product of a thousand tiny breaks. Missed opportunities and unspoken disappointments gathered until Charlie could no longer bear the weight of it.

Maybe that was her failing.

Maybe she was the villain for failing to carry her burden.

Maybe she was the arsonist, blaming another as she burned from the fire she set.

Or maybe, in the twisted web they’d weaved, they each wore the other’s blood as a price for their failures.

All Ethan had to do was change his mind.

But he never would.

And she would accept nothing less.

So, Charlie had to learn to make her coffee without him again. She had to bear her commute without his comforting presence in the driver’s seat. She would spend her nights without him, wake without him, and live without him.

She had been with his love, and now she would be without.

She was strong enough to survive it – even if she had to wake up every morning and go to the hospital where she’d fallen in love with him.

Charlie hadn’t seen him yet, but she could feel him lurking in the halls. It was as if a missing piece of her had gotten loose and now wandered the halls, following her just as eagerly as she evaded it.

Ethan spent all morning waiting to see her again, and she spent all morning avoiding him.

And when it finally happened, it wasn’t what either of them wanted it to be.

It should have been romantic – they saw each other in a crowded hall, and time stood still. They forgot everything and everyone around them, and in a world of their own creation, they connected through longing stares.

But it was unbearable.

Charlie wanted to look away and carry on with her day, ambivalent to the man who had claimed her heart for the last year, but no matter how deeply she craved disinterest, seeing him was a flaming arrow to an icy heart. All it took was one look for the hurt and affection to spread through her limbs, bringing her back to life just to feel the pain of a fatal wound. He was an unsettling present, not a distant future.

He was so close she could touch him, and that was the worst part.

She was painfully aware that she was keeping them apart, and she knew she had the power to declare a truce. She hated him for making her feel responsible and hated herself for not claiming that responsibility.

And for Ethan, it was just as overwhelming and warming as he thought it would be. She was sunlight. She was the beginning and the end, the sole source of meaning in a barren land. He would do anything to have her make him whole again – except for the one thing she wanted.

But unlike the dream where he’d imagined her running up to him and swearing her faith to their secret devotion, she remained on the opposite side of the room. It might as well have been the opposite side of the world. He saw the conflict and pain in her eyes, and he knew he was the cause.

The hope in him burned and burned until it was nothing more than a searing memory.

It was the beginning of the end, but unfortunately for Ethan, he’d woken in the middle.

Neither said a word, but neither needed to.

Their unbearable pain was expressed and inflicted with a single gaze.

This was their final resting place, and the rest of the hospital served as mourners.

And if they weren’t mourning, they certainly were watching.

Maybe the whole hospital didn’t know they were in a relationship, but they surely knew they were in love. Or at least they were yesterday.

Whispers grew steadily until the buzz in Charlie and Ethan’s ears forced them to the present.

Charlie was the first to break their stare, quickly averting her eyes and shuffling past him towards another patient. Ethan lingered, visibly wounded and stunned. Shifting his gaze back to the patient chart in his hand, Ethan struggled to regain his composure, and he didn’t have to look to know that Charlie was already gone and back to whatever she had been doing before him.

She didn’t need him today. She might never need him again.

Ethan struggled through his next task, equally dreading and hoping to see Charlie again.

He didn’t need to wait long.

Within half an hour, they were both in the diagnostics office, standing uncomfortably close despite being on opposite sides of the room. Ethan, still scarred from their last encounter, sat silent and wide-eyed.

It took less than a minute for their coworkers to sense the difference in them.

It took five for them to realize that Charlie was going out of her way to avoid Ethan.

She directed her questions to Harper and her suggestions to Tobias. When she had to acknowledge Ethan, her words were sharp and deceivingly dispassionate. As time passed, Ethan’s presence grew increasingly irritating. She hated seeing him in this office, so quiet and defeated when he was the one with the power to make it all end.

She hated him for disappointing her.

She hated him for having the audacity to exist when she was in so much pain.

She hated him for daring to grieve when she didn’t feel he deserved the luxury.

Fear, discomfort, and bitterness bubbled in her chest and came out in thinly-veiled barbs and deliberate avoidance. With everything she said, Ethan became more withdrawn, and for a moment, it seemed like she was only speaking to get a rise out of Ethan.

He never rose to meet her threat.

Of course, he wouldn’t, she scoffed, That would require actually doing something.

Their coworkers exchanged silent glances, wondering what turned affection so sweet into bitterness so sour.

Since Bloom acquired Edenbrook, the structure of the team changed. Baz and June left, and Harper and Tobias replaced them – neither particularly welcome. Ethan and Charlie were united against Tobias, each despising him for separate reasons, and only in recent weeks had Tobias started to crack Charlie’s chilly dislike. Harper was one of many reminders that Ethan prioritized secrecy over the validity of their relationship.

He never told Harper he was dating Charlie, though she’d long had her suspicions.

As a result, Charlie endured many coffee breaks in seething jealousy as she watched Harper be too familiar with her boyfriend.

But even when Charlie and Ethan disagreed, they’d presented themselves as a united team. You couldn’t conquer one without the support of the other.

Now, Tobias suspected that Charlie would cheer him on if he tried to destroy Ethan.

Gently, Harper tried to approach the subject, “It looks like this is all settled then. So, if anyone wants to discuss anything else…” she tepidly suggested, “Maybe if we’re upset about anything?”

“So, we’re done?” Charlie snapped.

Not that she meant to snap at her.

Despite once being a target of Charlie’s jealousy, Harper was a friend, and she only meant well. But if Ethan was determined to hide from her righteous anger, she had nowhere else to put it.

“Oh,” Harper swallowed the sting, compounding Charlie’s guilt, “I suppose so. Meeting adjourned?”

Charlie left before the team could echo its agreement. Startled by her sudden departure, Tobias and Harper sat in shock, briefly putting aside their issues to question what had just happened and whether they had a responsibility to intervene.

Sensing Harper’s pity and concern, Ethan pulled himself together just enough to excuse himself before she could corner him. Harper was a good friend – his best friend – but nothing she could say would dull the ache in his chest, and he couldn’t confess his sins and watch another loved one assign him the guilt.

Outside the office, a group of residents watched as Ethan and Charlie stormed out of the diagnostics meeting only moments apart – Charlie with fiery determination and Ethan with bumbling disarray. By now, gossip whispered through every corner of the hospital. Everyone knew that Charlie and Ethan were upset with one another, and bets were taken on what caused the rift.

“They must have broken up,” one whispered to her friends, snickering as she basked in the scandal. Her suggestion earned a giggle from some and confident agreement from others.

“You only look that mad when a man let you down,” another grimly affirmed, more concerned with her own tale of woe than Charlie’s.

“They are not sleeping together,” Ava Silva was the sole objector – not that she was an objective spectator.

Ava had spent the last year crushing on Dr. Ramsey from afar, often dreaming of the day she’d become his confidant and partner like Dr. Greene. Ava pictured a future of working long hours as his prized intern and falling in love with him over their shared passions. She had no idea that someone else had already lived her dream life and that it had turned into a nightmare.

“What makes you so confident?” Ava’s friend challenged, the innuendo clear, and Ava blushed but refused to acknowledge the implication.

Her crush was well known to her fellow interns and even some of the attendings, all of which had seen her drop everything to join one of Dr. Ramsey’s cases. The only person who didn’t know was Ethan himself.

Normally, he would have spotted the signs and warned her off, just as he had scared away interns before her. But this year, Ethan was blind in love with Charlie, and frankly, he hadn’t noticed Ava.

She was smart. The best intern in her class, surely. Tolerable socially. Perhaps too eager but never to an unprofessional extent. She was a raw gem and could be polished into something special.

But she would never be anything like Charlie.

And all he saw was Charlie.

Even when Charlie cursed his name and stormed away, Ethan swore he could see her shining aptitude and overwhelming goodness linger in her path.

For now, Ava could imagine herself as the protagonist of Ethan Ramsey’s story. Or if not the protagonist today, a potential protagonist. His future, even. Because, in her story, he was the shimmering prince, and she waited for her opportunity to strike before midnight.

“I just don’t think it’s fair to always assume successful women are sleeping with some guy she’s working with. It feels disrespectful, especially when we all know what Dr. Greene’s been through. She should be allowed to be a powerful woman without being someone’s girlfriend,” Ava shrugged casually, and just as she hoped, her friends were sufficiently shamed into stopping them from further speculation on Ethan Ramsey’s love life, “And anyway, we don’t even know they’re fighting.”

“Oh, they’re definitely fighting.”

To that, Ava had no response.

Not that she really needed one.

Dr. Ramsey was approaching the group, and no matter how intrigued they were by the new gossip, they didn’t dare breathe a word of it near him. Despondent or not, he could make their lives hell, and on a day like this, he’d probably revel in the act.

The interns that could escape did. The poor interns that couldn’t tried their best to look busy.

Ava smiled – a bright, foolishly-in-love smile.

Ethan was too preoccupied remembering Charlie’s glare to notice Ava’s smile.

“Dr. Silva,” Ethan greeted her abruptly, ignoring her surrounding colleagues and giving them the peace of knowing they weren’t the target for whatever this conversation entailed.

“Yes, Dr. Ramsey?”

“I need you to take over a few patients today,” Ethan grumbled, sorting through the charts in his hands without looking up at her.

“Really?” she failed to hide her enthusiasm.

Ava knew she was his favorite intern this year – he’d said as much during a scathing review of their class during rounds. She’d been trusted with upper-level assignments before, but to be selected for a last-minute case change had to mean something. Surely, this was the first step to something more.

In the two seconds it took Ethan to find and offer the patient charts, Ava constructed their entire life together. Admittedly, it was not the first time she’d done this, but she hoped it would be the last.

“Check in with the patients and run preliminary labs. I especially want to see Ms. Johnson’s white blood cell count. Report back to me before rounds, and Dr. Clark can assist you if needed,” Ethan sighed, trying to suppress his irritation for giving such simple instructions.

Charlotte could handle these cases without having her hand held. Hell, she’d probably diagnose them all by the time she offered her report.

But Charlotte made it very clear she didn’t want to see him today.

Reassigning her cases felt like the best course of action. If she wanted space, he could give her space. He didn’t need to spend his afternoon fighting with the woman he loved over basic lab results or simple diagnostic steps. They’d spent all night fighting over things that mattered. To cheapen it with screaming about which NSAID to administer would be unbearable.

Among his many gifts, Ethan had always been good at rationalizing his bad choices, especially regarding Charlie.

He handed the files to Dr. Silva like he was a hero for saving Charlie from the pain of having to work with him. As he slunk away to his office, he fancied himself a martyr. Giving up a day of watching Charlie solve medical mysteries was an undeniable sacrifice.

And it had nothing to do with how he felt when she looked at him.

Nothing at all.

Across the hospital, Charlie teetered between all-consuming fury and unbearable emptiness. She didn’t know which was worse, but she wanted neither.

She wanted not to want him.

She wanted to reclaim her independence. She wanted to stop being in love with him because the last few months had done nothing but prove that loving him wasn’t enough. She was tired of waiting for Ethan to understand, and she was tired of herself giving him so many opportunities.

At least she had her work.

She completed her morning responsibilities in record time, using her business to escape the rumors and whispers that followed her in the halls. But work wasn’t unlimited, and she soon found herself without anything to do until the test results on her patients came back. Unable to stomach sitting still or enduring the concern of her friends, Charlie went in search of work.

She was sure that she had more patients. This morning, there were more charts in her stack, so some of them must have gotten misplaced. She was confident that she’d checked on Ms. Johnson in Room 548 this morning, but her file was nowhere to be found.

“Debby?” Charlie stopped a passing nurse, hoping for some help after her second search yielded no results, “Do you know what happened to my case assignment this morning? I could have sworn I had at least four more, and I can’t find any record of them anywhere.”

“Another resident took a few of them this morning,” Debby shrugged, “I thought they told you.”

“Oh,” Charlie frowned. No one had said anything. Not even a push notification letting her know. “I must have missed it. Thanks.”

Debby nodded and resumed her original task, leaving Charlie to stew in a new mystery.

Confused and needing something to occupy her time, Charlie decided to investigate. Pretty confident that she remembered Ms. Johnson’s room number, Charlie wandered the halls. Hopefully, she would find some answers there, and if she was lucky, she could take Ms. Johnson’s case back. Charlie already had a few ideas from her preliminary work, and she wanted to follow through.

Just as she remembered, Ms. Johnson was in Room 548, but now, Dr. Silva’s name was assigned to the patient.

The intern? Charlie’s face twisted in confusion. Ava Silva was a talented doctor, sure, but Charlie knew she already had a full caseload when they got their assignments this morning. Who would have taken Charlie’s patients and given them to an already busy intern?

As if summoned by Charlie’s internal musings, the interns started to gather in the halls, anticipating their afternoon rounds with Dr. Ramsey. Nearing her deadline, Ava rushed through the halls, test results and charts precariously tucked under her arm. Seeing Charlie, Ava offered a quick, polite smile but didn’t stop – not even when Charlie returned her greeting with a look of bewilderment. Instead, Ava hurriedly continued her search for Dr. Ramsey.

Curiously, Charlie followed. What could make Ava so nervous, especially when the day was already strange enough?

It must be something interesting. Hopefully interesting enough to distract Charlie from her own misery.

To her horror, Charlie rounded the corner and saw Ethan tucked away in his favorite hiding spot – an alcove between two major hallways. It was hidden enough that he was rarely disturbed, but it was close to starting place for rounds. In those precious moments before rounds began, he hated being disturbed by brown-nosing interns hoping to flex their knowledge or dedication. Instead, he liked to review his notes in silence and often formed his legendary hypotheticals from this secluded corner.

Charlie instinctively took a step back, feeling knocked down by the familiarity of that corner.

She had spent so many mornings sneaking into that hiding spot with him. She was the one resident he allowed to stand there, and it had become as much their spot as it was his.

Charlie remembered the way his worry lines formed a ridge on his forehead when he read a difficult file. She remembered how it felt to smooth it away with the pad of her thumb and bask in his appreciation. She remembered how warm his smile would be as he thanked her, and she could feel a ghost of her own smile as she savored his loving gaze. If she listened close enough, she could hear the echo of his favorite jokes and the bubble of her laughter drifting through the halls.

Worst of all, Charlie knew she could do it again.

She knew, if she just went to him, he would give her the same tender smile and whisper of devotion. All she would have to do is waive her resolve.

A tempting but impossible offer.

Charlie’s internal monologue was interrupted by the jarring sight of Ava Silva walking to Ethan’s hideaway and presenting him with the stack of papers beneath her arm – one of which Charlie could have sworn was Ms. Johnson’s chart.

All at once, it made sense.

He gave away her patients.

He took them from her because of their fight.

And he gave them to her – the intern who had spent the last year vying for Charlie’s place in the hospital and Ethan’s life. She’d confessed her affection for Ethan to Charlie, not that she’d ever shared it with Ethan. The whole hospital knew, and the great Ethan Ramsey should have known, too.

He’d promised that Charlie was more to him than a shiny star. He’d sworn a lifelong affection, transcending her attraction as a brand-new toy.

But given the first opportunity, he’d replaced her with the next top intern. It hadn’t even taken a day. Was this how he processed despair? By picking another girl and modeling her into the role he liked? Was Charlie just a character he could now imitate in every young woman with a brilliant mind and inappropriate crush?

And to use her career as his bargaining chip? Stripping her of her cases like they were contingent on being the woman who shared his bed? Did he reduce her to a quid pro quo on purpose? What happened to all those speeches about her tremendous potential?

Charlie’s skin burned, radiating rage, and a thousand curses clawed their way up her throat, each begging to be hurled at Ethan.

Blinded by her anger, Charlie abandoned their quiet cold war and threw them both into the fire of armed conflict. She stomped up to him, unaware and uninterested if anyone saw.

“You took away my cases?” she accused, not wasting time with greetings or polite conversation.

“Charlotte –” Ethan faltered, surprised and confused at her outburst. And maybe a little relieved to at least be directly acknowledged by her.

“And to her?” Charlie waved dismissively at Ava, who had been staring, mouth agape. She’d never seen Charlie like this, and she expected Dr. Ramsey to react with the same surprise.

But he looked resigned, not startled.

He didn’t look at Ava, not even when Charlie acknowledged her. Nor did Charlie’s eyes leave Ethan’s. Shrinking into the background, Ava felt increasingly irrelevant and intrusive – like she’d carelessly stumbled into a dispute having nothing to do with her.

“You thought you could prove your point about my career by taking the first swing?” Charlie seethed, lowering her voice to keep herself from screaming.

“No!”

“Is this my punishment for calling out your bullshit?” Charlie persisted, “Getting pushed out of my own cases?”

Ethan bristled – not because it was true but because her accusation made him question himself.

Had that been his motive? Had he disguised revenge as altruism?

Part of him was convinced he had. The other part was shattered by the indictment. All he had ever done was support Charlie. He was her champion, even when she didn’t have the strength to do it herself. He’d endured this ridiculous separation out of respect for all she could achieve and all he could ruin.

He would never hurt her career like that.

But maybe… maybe he would punish her.

Fighting his self-suspicion and disdain, he fired back, “I reassigned your cases when you made it clear this morning that you did not want to work with me today. These are my patients, Charlotte, and I can disperse them as appropriate.”

Charlie’s cheeks flared bright, burning red from anger and embarrassment.

Of course, they were his patients.

He was the brilliant Dr. Ramsey. But they were her’s, too. He’d never taken anyone’s patients without cause, and this sure as hell wasn’t cause.

“And you think it’s appropriate to reassign my cases after I already started working on them?” Charlie edged closer, “All because I ignored you at a meeting?”

“Charlotte, if you want to have a professional conversation, you can make a complaint in my office, but this is highly inappropriate—” Ethan crossed his arms, asserting his superiority like a fucking saint.

Bullshit.

He couldn’t talk to her about professionalism or appropriate workplace behavior when he was the one who took away her patients because she dared to tell him he was full of shit. He was the one who started this.

And he didn’t get to act like a god of virtue when he was also the one violating hospital policy by fucking his resident.

He didn’t get to redraw the boundaries and pretend they’d always been there.

They’d blurred the line at work too often for him to use it against her.

“Fuck you, Ethan.”

Ethan’s body jerked back.

Just around the corner, a cluster of interns started to gather, pleasantly surprised by the scandalous reward for their earliness. The trio heard them stir just out of reach and knew that they would hear anything further they said.

Panic swallowed Ethan’s features, twisting his false confidence into pure terror. After all he’d given up, he refused to watch it all burn because a handful of nosy interns overheard their fight.

Sensing his sudden distress, Charlie rolled her eyes. Of course. Her suffering could never compete with the demand of public perception. First and foremost, Ethan was Dr. Ramsey and all that role entailed. The man she fell in love with was a secondary figure, and he would never be more than that.

“Don’t worry. I won’t make a scene,” Charlie said bitterly, “I don’t need to. We both know you’re not going to change.”

She took another step closer – so close he could smell the coconut in her shampoo.

Coconut shampoo. Jasmine perfume. Cherry Chapstick.

A scent so familiar that it swallowed him whole. He took a long, deep breath and savored it and the memories it invoked. Nights in his bed. Hidden kisses in the halls. Long conversations with wine over dinner. “I love you,” whispered so many times it became an incantation.

Ethan Ramsey loved Charlotte Greene – even when she hated him.

Just a glimpse of their life together numbed him to the misery of the last twenty-four hours, easing the constant pain that plagued him from the moment she stormed out of his home.

But then he met her gaze and saw a resentment so raw that it shattered him all over again. From the highest high, he fell further than he ever had.

Twin flames burned until the home turned to ash.

Blinking past tears, Charlie stepped away, and for the first time since she’d approached, she looked at Ava.

It was the first time Ava had been acknowledged as an unintentional observer. All this time, Ava had forgotten they could even see her. She’d been so irrelevant that she wondered if she was even there at all.

With a sad smile, Charlie appraised Ava like she was looking at a past version of herself, and she offered her the warning she wished she’d had, “Don’t bother. Even when he tries his best, you won’t come out unscathed.”

Ava swallowed heavily, watching as Ethan and Charlie shared a look heavy with hurt and profound, underlying affection. She’d never seen anyone look at another person like that.

And for the first time, Ava realized that she wasn’t the main character of this story. Today was the last day she imagined a future with Dr. Ramsey because she knew that, even if they both lost this war, Charlie was his future.

Without another word, Charlie left them both, and to his surprise, Ethan suffered her departure more than he’d suffered from any of her harsh words.

He tried to swallow his hurt. He tried to hide.

And he managed a brave face – all the while the deepest, darkest rejection and pain rooted in his soul. Nerve endings that had gone numb with his mother’s abandonment roared to life only to drown him in despair.

Ethan coughed awkwardly, the only acknowledgment he offered Ava for the unfortunate scene she’d witnessed. He knew he owed her more but didn’t trust himself to speak of it without losing the façade of togetherness.

Instead, he ran straight into the fire – into a group of waiting interns. He took out his frustration on their mistakes, punishing them for every error and hesitation. But as he hurled his criticisms like weapons, he only saw Charlie’s face in their pained expressions.

And even if it broke him, at least he could see her.

A/N: I came back from the grave just to torture them more, my bad.

#ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan ramsey x charlie greene #with and without #choices #open heart #open heart 2 #choices fanfiction #fanfiction #writing #angst #love #WIP #DR. ETHAN RAMSEY #wattpad #A03

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