Foreman carefully rescued his drink when Jude squeezed his arm again and crowed to Kate Volakis about his assessment. Foreman smiled slightly, raising his eyes to meet Amber's. She looked skeptical at best, but Foreman tilted his head, trying to communicate to her what else could I do? Generally he hated it when people asked for medical advice at parties, as if learning that he was a doctor was a perfect excuse to treat a friend's living room like an exam room. He'd had to stop more than one person from showing him their various rashes, bumps, and cuts. But in this case, if it helped him feel at ease with Amber's family, like he was already on his way to being respected, then he wasn't going to ignore someone asking for his help.
When Kate stepped forward, hand outstretched, Foreman came forward to shake her hand with a confident smile. "Mrs. Volakis," he said, after Amber's introduction.
Kate tsked at him and shook her head. "Kate," she said, reminding him of something she'd already told him.
"Kate," he said, giving in with good grace. A little courtesy at first never hurt, but now that the formalities had been observed, he could call her, and Chris, by their first names without undue discomfort.
He met Amber's gaze with a warm, teasing smile, when she blurted out that she was his boyfriend. She sounded all but defiant, as if somebody in the room would deny it, or try to snatch him away from her. Her face was glowing red. Foreman could feel the heat in his own skin, but at least his flush wouldn't show. He reached out for Amber's hand, holding it firmly and moving to stand at her side, so that they formed one side of the conversational circle--the two of them against the world.
"We know that, Amber," Geoffrey said, from his comfortable seat on the couch with his arm around Leila's shoulders. "Nice of you to finally bring your catch home; I was beginning to doubt all those big fish stories."
"Oh, Geoffrey," Kate said, but without much censure. "So, how did you meet?" she asked. "Amber, let Eric tell us, he might be a little more forthcoming."
Foreman cut short the glare he wanted to level at Geoffrey and cleared his throat. "At work," he said, his natural reticence surfacing. With a glance at Kate's face, he could tell that wasn't going to cut it. "Ah, it was during a rain storm. We were both leaving the hospital. I offered to share my umbrella." There--he hoped that would count as 'forthcoming' without detailing how he and Amber had ended up fucking in her apartment less than two hours later.
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When Kate stepped forward, hand outstretched, Foreman came forward to shake her hand with a confident smile. "Mrs. Volakis," he said, after Amber's introduction.
Kate tsked at him and shook her head. "Kate," she said, reminding him of something she'd already told him.
"Kate," he said, giving in with good grace. A little courtesy at first never hurt, but now that the formalities had been observed, he could call her, and Chris, by their first names without undue discomfort.
He met Amber's gaze with a warm, teasing smile, when she blurted out that she was his boyfriend. She sounded all but defiant, as if somebody in the room would deny it, or try to snatch him away from her. Her face was glowing red. Foreman could feel the heat in his own skin, but at least his flush wouldn't show. He reached out for Amber's hand, holding it firmly and moving to stand at her side, so that they formed one side of the conversational circle--the two of them against the world.
"We know that, Amber," Geoffrey said, from his comfortable seat on the couch with his arm around Leila's shoulders. "Nice of you to finally bring your catch home; I was beginning to doubt all those big fish stories."
"Oh, Geoffrey," Kate said, but without much censure. "So, how did you meet?" she asked. "Amber, let Eric tell us, he might be a little more forthcoming."
Foreman cut short the glare he wanted to level at Geoffrey and cleared his throat. "At work," he said, his natural reticence surfacing. With a glance at Kate's face, he could tell that wasn't going to cut it. "Ah, it was during a rain storm. We were both leaving the hospital. I offered to share my umbrella." There--he hoped that would count as 'forthcoming' without detailing how he and Amber had ended up fucking in her apartment less than two hours later.