Mistletoe Kisses (Ethan Ramsey x MC)
Open Heart: Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Olivia Summers)
Summary: Itâs the very first annual Edenbrook Christmas party, and Olivia canât help but spend her night filled with jealousy and mistletoe.
A/N: just a cheesy little mistletoe fic because Iâm a sucker for them. lots of love and happy reading! <3
âA certain doctor is going to fall over in shock when he sees you,â Sienna said with a wink as her and Olivia walked up to the hotel.
It was the first annual Edenbrook Christmas party. When the hospital ran into some extra money, Olivia had suggested throwing a âfancyâ Christmas party to relax from all the pressure the staff had been put under recently. However, she didnât think her idea would actually be taken seriously, but now she was currently walking up the steps to the hotel where the party was being held at.
The entire hospital wouldnât be at the party since there was always sick people that needed care, and a hospital couldnât just shut down for the night, obviously, but Olivia knew that Ethan had the night off (she may or may not have asked Naveen and made him pinky promise to not tell Ethan she asked) and was hoping heâd show up.
Before entering, Olivia turned to Sienna. âAre you sure I look okay? I feel like I did too much.â
Sienna rolled her eyes. âYou can never do too much. You look incredible! Itâs just a party. Donât let it freak you out.â
Olivia nodded to her best friend as they entered the luxurious hotel ballroom to see it lavishly decorated. Soft music played while everyone mingled, a glass of something in their hand whether it was champagne, scotch, eggnog, or some fancy drink that Olivia really didnât recognize. She soon realized that she wasnât overdressed at all once she saw a lady walk by her in a full ballgown.
âEdenbrook can really throw a party,â Sienna muttered, her shawl wrapped tightly around her, eyes wide as she glanced around the place.
âYeah, youâre telling me. I donât even know half of these people,â Olivia replied as she was equally just as starstruck.
Across the room, Ethan, who was chatting to a colleague he really didnât like, looked around in boredom. He hated dressing up and coming to formal events like this. His eyes darted across the ballroom in hopes to find someone he could strike a conversation up with to get out of the awful one he was in.
He swore he stopped breathing when his eyes landed on Olivia who stood near the entrance with Dr. Trinh. She wore a long, red dress that was tight from her chest to her abdomen and then was flared out to the floor from there with a modest slit up her right leg. The dress had lace sleeves down the arms, and Ethan didnât care that his staring was probably very obvious.
Her blonde hair was delicately braided into a low, messy bun that sat on the right side of her neck, a few pieces of curled hair framed her face that was just as stunning. Ethan couldnât tell much about her makeup from where he was standing, but he definitely noticed the red lipstick that coated the lips he had kissed many times.
Dr. Trinh must have said something funny because Olivia let into laughing. Ethan felt his heart stop when Oliviaâs face lit up. Her nose scrunched up, her head went back, and her mouth morphed into the smile that always left him speechless.
âExcuse me,â Ethan said to the colleague who would not shut up about his achievements before he made his way over to Olivia, his eyes never leaving her.
âDid it work?â Olivia muttered under her breath.
Sienna grinned. âDonât look to your left, but heâs on his way over right now. Iâm going off to mingle. Have fun!â
âSienna!â It was too late as Sienna had already disappeared into a crowd of people when Ethan finally stood in front her.
Olivia took a look up at him. He was wearing a simple, yet expensive, black tuxedo with a black bowtie and his hair was neatly styled. Even with as simple as he dressed, Olivia still felt her heart race.
She smiled at him, making a mental note to not embarrass herself or be awkward. âEnjoying yourself or are you just being moody as usual?â
He rolled his eyes, opting to ignoring her comment.. âYou look⌠nice, Rookie.â
âJust nice?â Olivia joked, earning a laugh from Ethan.
âSorry. You look stunning, Olivia.â
Her eyelashes fluttered at the compliment as her cheeks turned a crimson red that was noticeable even under all the makeup. âYou look nice, too, Ethan.â
Ethan raised his eyebrows. âJust nice?â
It was Oliviaâs turn to laugh this time. She was too busy laughing to notice the way Ethan was looking at her as if she was the only girl in the room.
âOkay, fine. You look very nice. Iâd say handsome, but saying that word makes me feel as old as you.â
âIâm only thirty-seven, Olivia, not eighty-seven,â he dejectedly said. âSo, what are-â
âIf it isnât Dr. Ethan Ramsey!â A voice from behind Olivia interrupted. âI havenât seen you in what feels like ages!â
Olivia watched as a woman, whose face she couldnât see, stood right in front of her, throwing her arms around Ethanâs neck. She furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out why this mysterious lady was hugging the man she was talking to before they were rudely interrupted.
As the woman turned around to face Olivia, she moved her arm to snake around Ethanâs waist while Olivia attempted to not glare at it. Ethan looked a little shocked, but he loosely put his  hand on her waist just to look nice.
He cleared his throat, sensing the obvious tension. âOlivia, this is Dr. Katherine Greene. Sheâs the Department Head of Cardiology at Mass Kenmore, and we went to Johns Hopkins together. Katherine, this is Dr. Olivia Summers who is a junior fellow on my team.â
There was no denying that Katherine was extremely pretty. With her long, dark hair that was down to her waist, chocolate brown eyes, and perfect complexion, Olivia felt a little insecure. Katherine wore a long, silver dress with a low neckline that clashed perfectly with her tanned skin.
âHello,â Katherine cooly said as Olivia forced a smile back in acknowledgement. âWhen Harper invited me, I was a little reluctant to accept considering the little rivalry we have with Edenbrook, but when I thought Iâd get the chance to reconnect with Ethan,â she put her free hand on his arm, âI jumped to tell Harper that I would come.â
Olivia raised her eyebrows as she crossed her arms. âGlad you could make it.â
Katherine shot her a sickly sweet smile. âI am, too. Itâs been so long since Ethan and I have seen each other. We havenât been in touch since, what, our last date?â
Ethan dated her? As in a romantic relationship? Olivia couldnât hide the look of genuine surprise on her face. Ethan sensed her surprise and was quick to say something. âI wouldnât call that a date.â
Before Katherine could say anything else, Olivia had decided she was getting sick just looking at the intelligently graceful woman. Although she was extremely flirty and obviously was rubbing whatever relationship theyâd had, platonic or romantic, in Oliviaâs face, she still had a beautiful elegance about her. âIâm going to grab a drink.â
As she moved around Ethan, he gently grabbed her arm. âWait, Olivia-â
âNo, itâs fine. You two obviously have some catching up to do. Iâll see you later.â Olivia gave him the best smile she could, but the two of them knew it was fake. Ethan went to walk after her, but Katherine grabbed him again, forcing him into a flirtatious conversation he was not in the slightest bit interested in.
âKatherine, you know that wasnât a date. We got lunch at the same place during the convention in New York, and you sat down at my table.â
Katherine laughed. âLighten up, Ethan. That little girl is crushing on you and, by the way, itâs painfully obvious. Just letting her know that it wonât happen just so you wonât have to tell her.â
Ethan glared. âOlivia is anything except a little girl. Sheâs an exceptional doctor and, just like I told the governor, sheâs the bright future of Edenbrook. Sheâs incredibly smart, mature, and can hold her own. I suggest for you to not make comments like that around me about members of my team, Dr. Greene. Especially Olivia Summers.â
âAnd she just put her arm around him. Openly flirting, Dr. Banerji!â Olivia exasperated. âI was standing right there!â
Naveen chuckled. âSounds like Katherine. Sheâs always been like that.â
âYou know her well?â Olivia asked, taking another sip of champagne.
She stood against the railing outside. The party was still going on inside, but Olivia needed a moment to herself. However, she didnât decline Dr. Banerjiâs company when he asked if he could join her. She liked him quite a bit and always enjoyed his company.
âI wouldnât say I know her extremely well, but I do know her,â he said. âEthan said she always tried to get him to go out with her when they were in school, but he was never interested. He finally decided to have dinner with her about two or three years ago, but he wasnât feeling anything for her. Sheâs always liked him and always had that flirty attitude.â
âDo you think heâd⌠go out with her again?â Olivia asked as she fiddled with the lace sleeve of her dress, trying to not look Dr. Banerji in the eye.
Ethan was a grown man. He could date whoever he wanted, but Olivia hoped and wished that it wasnât Katherine in her stupidly gorgeous silver gown and her long, goddess-looking hair. Deep down, she knew she wished it was her.
As unrealistic as it was considering how Ethan wanted to keep their relationship strictly professional, she did dream of a day when they could walk into a Christmas party hand-in-hand. When Ethan wouldnât push her away, and when he wouldnât remind her that their relationship wasnât a good idea.
With a laugh, Naveen turned to face the younger doctor. âIâve known Ethan for a long time. I consider him family. In all this time, Iâve never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you. You have nothing to worry about, Olivia. Itâll always be you. Even if heâs too stubborn to admit it.â
âThank you, Dr. Banerji.â And she really did mean that.
The older man smiled kindly when he patted her shoulder as he walked by her on his way back inside after letting her know he had business to attend to. âItâs Naveen, Olivia.â
Olivia clutched her empty champagne glass after she took the last sip. The party had been in full swing for close to two hours now. She had spent more than half of the time hiding outside, a quarter of it looking for Sienna who was her ride home, and the other quarter hoping that she wouldnât bump into Ethan and Katherine.
Her luck proved to not be in her favor when she felt a presence next to her. She didnât even have to look to see who it was because she could smell the expensive cologne in the air that had been trapped on the pillow he slept on when he stayed at her apartment before he went to the Amazon.
âSo this is where youâve been hiding from me at.â Ethan turned to look at Olivia whose red lipstick had rubbed off on the empty glass she held. The moon illuminated her face, lighting it up in ways that made her look even more beautiful.
She turned to him, her perfectly styled hair starting to fall down even through all the hairspray Sienna sprayed on her. She laughed. âGuilty as charged.â
âI never dated Katherine,â Ethan told her. âIt was one date, and I knew I wasnât interested in her that way five minutes in. And the date she was talking about wasnât even a date.â
âItâs okay. You donât have to explain your love life to me. Itâs not like weâre together or anything.â Olivia hoped she was hiding the sad tone to her voice, but felt like she let it slip. She felt like she let a lot of things slip around Ethan.
Ethan looked down and bit his lip. Olivia was right. They werenât together, so why did he feel so extremely guilty? âWe should head back inside. Lace sleeves arenât made for December weather. I donât want you getting cold.â
Olivia nodded, a chill coming over her as if the wind had been waiting for Ethan to say that. She sat the empty glass on a tray sitting on a table outside as she crossed her arms trying to get some warmth flowing through her body.
Ethan had discarded his tuxedo jacket on the hanger near the entrance or else he wouldâve given it to Olivia who was obviously cold. His fingers lingered on her lower back as he guided her back inside, leaving Oliviaâs heart to skip a beat.
âWas that there before?â Olivia asked, pointing up to the doorway.
Ethan followed her gaze to see a mistletoe hanging right above them. He frowned. That most definitely had not been there before when he came out to see her after Naveen had told him that Olivia wasâŚ
Realization hit Ethan like a truck as he let out a groan. âNaveen. It was Naveen.â
Olivia had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, but she failed to do so and burst out. She brought her hand up to her mouth to try and quiet herself, but she found the whole situation too hilarious. âWhere did he get a mistletoe? And how did we not see him put it there behind our backs?â
âItâs Naveen, Olivia. He may be old, but heâs capable of more than you think.â
Now came the awkward part.
Olivia and Ethan refused to meet each othersâ eyes. They really didnât know how they were going to get out of this. Yes, they could just walk away, but they were both lingering for the same reason. There was no âwalking awayâ and they both knew it.
âWell,â Olivia drawled. She cleared her throat. âIt is a, uh, Christmas tradition.â
Ethan paused for a moment before regaining his composure. âRookie, I donât know-â
âKiss on the cheek and we call it a night?â Olivia asked, looking straight into his eyes.
He thought about it for a moment. It was just a kiss on the cheek. That was all he was going to do. Pre-teens in middle school gave kisses on the cheeks. Surely he, at age thirty-seven, could kiss a girl on the cheek. In the back of his mind though, he knew it was because this wasnât just some girl. It was Olivia.
Ethan grabbed the girlâs chin, moving her head to the side to gain access to her cheek. He leaned down and kissed her cheek slowly, letting his lips linger as Olivia slowly moved back to face him, Ethanâs hand still on her chin.
She put her index finger to his lips and stopped him before he could say anything else. Olivia trailed her finger to his shoulder where she gripped it with her hand. At last, she finally whispered, âKiss me, Ethan.â
He was drawn to her and absolutely smitten to the blonde standing in front of him that he did exactly that. Ethan softly pressed their lips together in a sweet, yet passionate kiss that Olivia couldnât help but smile in the middle of.
âWhatâre you smiling at?â He whispered, their faces still extremely close.
âThinking about how Katherine wishes she was doing what Iâm doing right now.â She let out a laugh that fanned across Ethanâs face, and he couldnât help but laugh right along with her.
Once the laughter had stopped, Olivia wrapped both arms around his neck as his hands went around her waist. She laid her head on his shoulder, thankful they were having this private moment that no one else saw. The soft music playing from inside made everything even more like a daydream.
âLiv, you know that if things were different-â
The two relished in the moment because they knew that it was going to have to end soon. They had to go back to reality. For a moment, they could feel like a normal couple in love. They could pretend they had what they wanted. But only for a short amount of time.
But as Ethan held the girl in his arms that made him feel things heâd never felt in his entire life, he realized that he didnât want this to just be a dream. He wanted this to be the real thing.
âWeâll talk, okay?â Ethan said after a moment of silence, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. âWeâll figure something out.â
He felt her smile and nuzzle deeper into him, and, for the moment, he couldnât help but smile, too. She had that effect on him. The one that made him feel dizzy and out of breath, but in a good way. Olivia was everything good wrapped up into an incredible person.
From inside the hotel, unbeknownst to Olivia and Ethan, Naveen and Sienna high-fived each other.
âYou think it worked for sure?â
âAbsolutely, Dr. Banerji. Nice work. I think we just pushed them in the right direction.â
