history, huh?

She noticed it immediately.

Of course she did. Even when she promised herself that today would be different, she would be normal and remember that Frank—Dr. Langdon—was married, with two kids, and her best friend, and she shouldn’t be cataloging every detail about him. 

It didn’t help anyone that Mel could tell, within 30 seconds of seeing him, what kind of mood he was in. If he had pinched his back the night before. If he had time to get his cold brew before work.

She’d look in the mirror before work and remind herself to be normal.

Then again, if she was more normal about him, she wouldn’t have immediately noticed the glaring lack of a gold band on his left ring finger or the lightness in his steps or even the way his smile seemed easier. 

*

If he was being completely honest, Frank hadn’t wanted to come. 

He knew that the invitation to Whitaker and Santos’ New Years Eve party was mostly out of pity; he was standing at the Hub, staring at the board (trying not to cherry-pick, but it was so slow, and if he had another patient with chest pains that turned out to just be an anxiety attack…) when Santos told Emma, “you have to at least stop by—pretty much everyone who isn’t working already said they’d come.”

Then her eyes slid to Frank, an uncomfortable curl in her lip, “You too, I guess.”

his name is manny rutinel and he’s an environmental attorney, a first responder, a microbiologist, and a current state representative