𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒔 𝑯𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒓 ❥ 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑼𝒔

Los Angeles, 12:00 a.m.

The city outside was still alive.

Valentine’s night hadn’t ended just because the clock had struck midnight. Couples lingered under streetlamps, fingers intertwined, rose petals were scattered along the sidewalks like remnants of confessions and promises.

But to Lucas, it was just another night of saving lives. The automatic doors of the hospital had closed behind him an hour ago.

Now he sat in a hotpot restaurant a few streets away from the hospital. The air smelled of chili oil, beef slices, garlic, and simmering bone soup.

Lucas leaned back slightly in his chair. White designer dress shirt. Top two buttons undone. Sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows, exposing lean, veiny forearms that tightened subtly whenever he moved his chopsticks.

His glasses rested low on his nose as he scrolled through his phone with one hand, the other lazily dipping thin slices of meat into the bubbling broth.

Around him, the team was loud.

Leo groaned dramatically, dropping his head onto the table. “I can’t believe we had to stay late again. On Valentine’s Day, of all days! We should rename this group ‘The Lonely Hearts Surgical Team.’”

Joshua burst out laughing. “Bro, that sounds tragic.”

Sam clapped. “No, no—‘ER Singles Association.’”And Jenna giggled softly, covering her mouth.

The broth bubbled violently between them as they started digging in, steam rising in warm waves. Lucas didn’t react. His eyes remained on his phone.

Then— Jenna’s voice floated across the table, soft and syrup-sweet. “How can that be?” she said in a coy, teasing tone, tilting her head slightly. “Lucas clearly is not single, guys. And I’m already sad.”

Sam nearly dropped her chopsticks. “Wait—what? The leader is not single?!”

Before Sam could lean forward with more questions, Lucas finally lifted his gaze. A composed stare behind thin-rimmed glasses. Calm. Controlled. Unreadable. “I’m not single.” Short. Flat. Final.

His eyes flicked briefly to Jenna. She was reaching for the spiciest dipping sauce—thick with red chili oil.

Lucas’s long, slender fingers extended without hesitation. He pushed the sauce bowl gently away from her side of the table. “Don’t eat it,” he said quietly, voice low and cold. “Your stomach is not good. You’ll get stomachaches.”

His tone wasn’t loud. But it was firm. And beneath it—authority.

“And you’ll bring trouble to the team again. The patient almost didn’t survive last night because you were curled up in pain in the break room. Because you were careless. Because of your cramps.” He didn’t say it out loud. He add silently in his mind to safe Joshua’s face.

Jenna blinked. Then she blushed prettily. Her fingers twisted together shyly in her lap. “Alright… thanks for worrying.”

Leo suddenly sat upright, eyes wide with mock shock and Sam gasped dramatically. “Wait. Don’t tell me Jenna is our team leader’s girlfriend. No doubt! You guys look like the perfect couple in this team!”

Joshua choked on a piece of beef beside Jenna. “What the hell—!”

Jenna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes lowering coyly. “Oh come on, don’t say that,” she said sweetly. “I’m not his lover. Besides… if his lover heard about it, it would be a misunderstanding.”

She said it with understanding. With innocence. But there was something else in her eyes—something quietly thrilled. She stole a glance at Lucas. “I remember they’re in a long-distance relationship, It must be hard.”

Lucas didn’t respond. He simply lifted his glass of water and took a slow sip. But his stare— Cold. Sharp.

Joshua noticed it. The subtle tension in Lucas’s shoulders. The way his jaw tightened slightly.

“You talk too much, sis,” Joshua laughed, stuffing a piece of meat straight into Jenna’s mouth to diffuse the air. “Eat.”

The table burst into chuckles again. Jenna pouted slightly, lips pushing forward in a soft whine. “Enough about third person now. We’re here on Valentine’s. Dinner should be special.”

Her eyes shifted back to Lucas. Soft. Curious. “But I wonder… do you regret being with your girlfriend?”

The question hung in the air. Lucas paused. His chopsticks stopped mid-air. For a brief second, something flickered in his gaze. Then— He spoke. “Regret.” His voice was quiet. Almost soft, his mind flashing to you.

“For not being with you tonight. For not following you abroad. For letting distance stretch between us like an ocean. For choosing the hospital over the airport. For every Valentine’s I wasn’t there.”

His fingers tightened slightly around his chopsticks as he add silently in his mind again. But his life was private. And people didn’t need to know about his regret.

“Just eat.” He resumed dipping his food into the broth. Calm again. While Jenna secretly let out a gleeful smile at his answer, completely misreading the intentions behind his words.