Chapter Text
The past few days at the PTMC had been absolutely grueling for the day shift. So the moment they could get away, they'd all decided to hit a bar. Or rather, Victoria had harassed them until they all agreed. All except Langdon, whose presence was more than needed at home given his current marital situation, and Mel, who'd promised to spend the evening with Becca.
When Victoria told Trinity that Dana and Cassie would be joining them, the young R2 was thrilled. She would at least have some people with quick wit by her side. But when the med student added that Al-Hashimi would be there too, Trinity froze. Not because their attending had always refused their invitations until now, but because she wasn't sure she could keep herself from flirting once she had a few drinks in her.
And that's what frustrated her most. Trinity knew the score. She had zero chance of taking her boss home, let alone getting anything more than a "one last drink." But she couldn't help it. For weeks, Trinity had found herself obsessing over what Al-Hashimi was like outside the hospital. Watching a woman so perpetually buttoned-up had made her wonder if she was the same at home, and one thought had led to another until Trinity found herself wondering exactly what role Al-Hashimi took in bed. These thoughts unsettled Trinity, who often felt no better than a man obsessed, but she couldn’t help herself. And honestly, her attending's more-than-attractive body wasn't helping matters; if anything, it made it worse.
So yeah, knowing her boss was coming tonight, Trinity decided she might not drink as much as she had planned. But she wasn't skipping on the outfit either. Who knows, if she couldn't leave with her boss, maybe she'd meet someone else interesting enough to take home.
***
Samira, Dennis, Victoria, and Trinity were the first to arrive. Victoria had gone for a black dress with an asymmetrical cut, while Samira wore a short gold number with a plunging neckline. Denis went for something simple: a black shirt and jeans. Trinity, on the other hand, had opted for a fitted black bustier that compressed and showcased her chest perfectly, her most undeniably striking feature according to everyone, paired with a burgundy tailored pant that hugged her hips.
After a brief search, they found a table big and quiet enough to actually talk. Victoria and Trinity headed to get drinks, not without Samira pointing out they could've waited for the others. But the two women needed to decompress too badly to care.
They had only just taken a few sips of their first drinks when movement at the entrance caught their attention. Victoria immediately shot up to flag down the three women who had finally arrived.
While Trinity gave Cassie's classic navy dress and Dana's pantsuit the quickest of glances, she lingered far longer on Al-Hashimi's outfit. The attending had clearly decided to play the seduction game tonight too, to Trinity’s deep frustration, since she knew she’d never get a taste.
Al-Hashimi wore a very short tan-brown skirt, slightly slit on one side, paired with a black linen shirt open almost completely, revealing a stunning black lace bra.
God. If she'd already been struggling not to imagine her boss in compromising situations, she was now certain she'd think about nothing else for the next several days.
“Sorry for the wait, but I circled around Al-Hashimi’s place like three times before I found it,” Dana said as she finally dropped into her seat, letting out a breath. “These new streets all look the same at night, I swear.”
“Happens all the time with new neighborhoods. GPS takes a while to catch up,” Dennis replied, completely unfazed.
“Thanks, Wikipedia,” Trinity cut in immediately, without even looking up from her glass.
Cassie leaned forward then, scanning the table. “All right, who’s coming with me to grab a refill now that we’re all here?”
Trinity and Samira volunteered at the same time. Cassie nodded, and the three of them got up together, collecting everyone’s orders before heading to the bar. With it still being early, they got served quickly and came back to find the seating had shifted, leaving Trinity across from Al-Hashimi, much to her dismay.
Once everyone was settled, Trinity raised her glass.
"To our wonderful patients and my charting I still haven't finished!"
Laughter erupted immediately.
"You do realize I'm here, right?" Al-Hashimi replied after Trinity took a sip.
"Hard to miss you. You're easily the most beautiful woman in this bar tonight, Dr. Al-Hashimi," Trinity smiled.
"Call me Baran. Outside of work, there's no need to be so formal."
"Okay then, first names it is."
No one seemed to notice the exchange, let alone the look that lingered between the two women.
Dana, though, barely hid her smile behind her glass. Beside her, Cassie let her gaze drift from Trinity to Baran before taking another sip, wisely choosing not to comment.
Conversation picked up again naturally after that. Glasses emptied, bodies relaxed deeper into the booths, and the bar's noise eventually swallowed whatever had just passed between them.
***
Over the next hour, work anecdotes gradually gave way to complaints about the system and endless debates about what needed to change at the PTMC. Until Victoria turned to Trinity with a smile that was far too innocent.
"Okay... important question."
Trinity was already rolling her eyes.
"This is starting badly."
"So, Garcia?"
"What about Garcia?"
"She's been flirting with you for weeks."
"Months," Samira corrected, bringing her glass to her lips.
Cassie laughed. "Months? I'd say she spends half her shifts trying to flirt with you."
"Half is generous," Dennis added. "I'd bet three-quarters."
"You guys are exaggerating," Trinity groaned, shaking her head.
"Really?" Victoria asked. "So the coffees 'by accident,' the compliments, the excuses to check on you at trauma; we imagined all that?"
Trinity straightened up. "There's nothing with Yolanda."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
Trinity stood to get another drink, lingering at the bar long enough for the laughter to fade behind her.
In truth, she'd slept with Garcia during her first week. The sex had been good, really good, if she was being honest. But something had bothered her during and after, something she couldn't quite name. So she'd decided not to repeat it and keep things more friendly with the surgeon. As for the flirting that continued, at first Trinity was hesitant, then she got into it. It had become an effective distraction from the pressure of certain days.
But she wanted to keep all of this to herself. Not out of shame or fear of consequences, those were unlikely anyway, but because she didn’t like revealing that part of her life. The domestic, personal side. Letting Denis into her life, then gradually integrating into this group, already represented a considerable effort. She wasn't about to give more than that.
When she returned to the table, the conversation had already shifted and Cassie was throwing up her hands.
"Honestly, I'm telling you Samira, take your time. Relationships are overrated anyway."
Dana laughed. "That's the divorce talking, Cassie."
"Exactly," she agreed, stirring her mocktail.
"How many years has it been?" Dennis asked.
"Long enough to know you never fight with someone as much as you do with someone you love."
"Romantic," Dennis sighed.
"You'll remember this in fifteen or twenty years when you reach the same conclusion."
Dana shrugged. "For me it's more about when I'll finally get a vacation. My dear husband doesn't see me enough."
Everyone's gaze naturally turned toward Baran.
"And you?" Victoria asked. "You were married, right?"
Baran gave a small laugh, already shaking her head.
"I'm taking the fifth. The fact that I'm divorced should tell you enough."
General laughter filled the table, briefly releasing the tension.
From the beginning, Trinity took advantage of Baran looking away to study her. Her smile first. The way her jaw relaxed when she laughed. Then, without realizing it, Trinity's gaze drifted lower, to Baran's neckline.
The sight was agreeable. The fabric followed the contours of her body, revealing a good portion of her chest, while her slow breathing was visible beneath the material. The heat within her increased, becoming more difficult to ignore.
She lingered on it dangerously, imagining despite herself how easily her hands could rest there, trace the lines of that body without needing to think, without the barrier between impulse and sensation. The thought reignited the desires she had been trying, more or less successfully, to push away for the evening.
At the same moment, Baran turned her head, finally noticing Trinity’s gaze on her.
Trinity's eyes snapped down immediately, mortified. She grabbed her beer and took a long sip, using the cold to try to dampen what she'd just ignited.
But when she looked up again, Baran was still watching her. Her gaze then drifted downward, unhurried and unashamed, resting on Trinity’s chest with disarming ease.
At that, Trinity felt her breath catch in her throat as their eyes met once more.
Baran didn't look embarrassed. If anything, an amused smile played at her lip, she then pulled her straw between her fingers, never looking away. She brought it to her lips, paused just before drinking, and let her tongue graze the plastic, just long and sensually enough to draw out the moment.
Trinity swallowed.
Only then did Baran finally take a sip, still watching her, that same faint smile on her lips.
***
During the next round of drinks, Dennis set his glass down a bit too hard on the table and, like anyone whose alcohol consumption had crossed a certain line, blurted out without thinking:
"Who here has ever kissed someone of the same sex?"
Silence. Then Dennis, Cassie, Samira, and Dana, all raised their hands, though Dana’s was barely up, just her fingertips lifted, as if she was trying not to be
Trinity didn't answer. Her head immediately turned toward Baran, searching for her reaction before she even thought about her own. But Dennis cut through her distraction with a not-so-subtle elbow, pulling her back to reality.
"Sorry, did I really need to raise my hand for that? No, because if I were you, I’d be more interested in Dana and Samira’s answer than in mine." she said, annoyed.
"It was only once, at nursing school, and it didn't even last two seconds," Dana defended.
"And mine was with Trinity during what I consider a rigged game of truth-or-dare," Samira said with an amused glance at Trinity.
Light laughter rippled around the table.
"So you did it too, Dennis?" Victoria asked. "For real?"
"Once."
"Once?"
"Second year. The vibe was right and yeah, I kissed a guy. Several actually."
"You were just drunk," Trinity added, still a bit pissed about the elbow.
"Also true," he laughed, embarrassed now.
While everyone was chatting again, Trinity let her attention drift, turning toward Baran. She hadn't raised her hand. Straight then. Or married too young. Or just...
She needed to stop; she was overthinking, and the alcohol that had been slowly rising to her head for a good thirty minutes certainly wasn't helping to calm her down.
Without realizing it, her thoughts took on a gloomier tone. She hadn't expected anything when she arrived that evening, but the few mixed signals Baran had sent her had stirred a glimmer of hope, a hope that was swept away much too quickly for her liking.
But as she was preparing to sink completely into her disappointment, she felt something graze her shoe.
A foot.
Trinity didn't move. She knew who it was, or at least, she hoped so badly that her heart had already started racing. The foot trailed slowly up her ankle, tracing an electrifying line against her skin, lingering there for a few seconds before sliding back down slowly. Then it moved back up. Again.
Trinity felt her breath catch in her throat.
She turned her head slowly toward Baran, careful not to draw attention. Baran was still facing the others, still talking like nothing was happening. But her eyes. Her eyes had found Trinity and wouldn't let go. Her pupils were dilated and black, and there was something in that gaze that sent heat straight between Trinity's thighs.
The foot continued its game under the table, imperceptible to everyone except her. Every movement was pure provocation, completely unapologetic. It was as if Baran wanted Trinity to know exactly what she was doing.
Trinity felt her palms get clammy. She pressed her thighs together, trying to contain the tension rising inside her, but it only amplified the sensation of the foot against her ankle. She took a sip of her drink, hoping the cold would snap her back to reality, but it was useless. Her entire body was now hyperaware of every point of contact, every inch of exposed skin.
Baran smiled slightly, barely perceptible, just for Trinity.
The foot moved higher, brushing the inside of her ankle, then her leg. Trinity had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from making a sound. She could feel her heart hammering against her ribs, her breathing becoming shorter, more shallow. Around her, everyone else kept talking, completely oblivious to the little game unfolding under the table.
One second, Baran was watching her directly, her eyes burning; the next, she was looking away like she was listening to the conversation, but her foot never stopped. It was an endless torture.
If this kept going for even a few more seconds, Trinity was going to lose it.
***
The next round arrived, and the seating rearranged itself. Trinity ended up next to Baran. She hesitated for just a second before sitting; drawing attention by asking someone to move was the last thing she needed. So she settled in, keeping a low profile, almost withdrawn, while she tried to regain some sense of balance. Around her, the conversations picked up again, and she simply listened. Samira was talking about being unable to share her boyfriend in bed, while Cassie was describing how she had tried the experience with her ex, without it really working out.
"Wow, Cassie, I'm gonna see you differently after this," Trinity replied, more surprised than genuinely interested.
"Sorry, like you haven't tried stuff?" Cassie shot back with sarcasm.
“Whoa!” Trinity nearly choked on her drink. “No, not for me. You can ask me for a lot of things in bed, but sharing my partner with someone else… I’m out.”
"Lots of things, huh?" Dana added with a grin. "Garcia's definitely missing out.
Trinity just grimaced at the jab.
"I wouldn't have pegged you as so prudish, though," Victoria said.
"So no one-night stands?" Cassie seemed surprised.
"Situationships? Sure. One-night stands? No. I need some connection, or I'm not interested."
Baran, who'd been silent until now, tilted her head slightly. "I think I'd agree with Trinity on that."
Her voice was calm, but her hand was exactly where it needed to be. It had lightly slipped onto Trinity's thigh, at first a touch that could have passed as accidental, then her fingers pressing deeper, tracing a line of heat through the fabric.
Trinity froze, her breath catching hard. She felt her thighs tighten involuntarily, seeking relief from the tension building inside her.
She turned her head slowly toward Baran, who was still facing the others, completely composed, like nothing had changed. But her thumb was drawing slow, almost absent circles against the fabric of Trinity's pants.
"I'd have trouble sleeping with someone without a connection too," Baran continued without looking away, her voice staying perfectly neutral while her fingers pressed slightly deeper. "And sharing? Absolutely not."
This time she turned her head toward Trinity. Her eyes were burning.
And her hand, under the table, kept going without even a pretense of discretion. Trinity felt her heart spike, her breathing becoming short, ragged. She clenched her teeth so hard her jaw trembled.
***
It was late now. Late enough for Dana to have already left. Late enough for Cassie to have slipped into predator mode, having spotted a man at the bar she hadn’t taken her eyes off for ten minutes. The rest of the group, meanwhile, had gone off to let loose on the dance floor, leaving Baran and Trinity alone at the table.
Two or three songs passed and Baran's hand was still on her thigh, moving slowly.
"We can't stay here," Trinity murmured, barely audible over the music.
"No," Baran said simply.
Trinity grabbed her hand and stood, pulling her toward the small door at the back of the bar. The moment they stepped outside, she didn’t hesitate. She turned and kissed Baran, pushing her firmly back against the wall.
The kiss wasn’t soft or romantic. It was messy, charged with weeks of restrained frustration. Baran responded immediately, her hands finding Trinity’s hips and pulling her closer.
Trinity took advantage of the opening in Baran’s shirt, slipping her hands beneath the fabric as the distance between them vanished.
Their movements grew less restrained, hands exploring in hurried motions. A quiet sound escaped Trinity as she broke slightly from the kiss, only to pull Baran back in just as quickly.
Then Baran pulled back.
Trinity looked at her, breathless, searching for an explanation.
"It's my first time," Baran whispered, slightly out of breath herself.
Trinity felt her mind stop. She blinked, then looked at Baran like she'd just spoken in Mandarin.
"First time? With a woman?"
"First time with a woman and all of this. My ex-husband was very routine-oriented, even when it came to sex."
“Nothing since your divorce… it's been a while?” he asked, half-curious, half-teasing.
Baran didn’t look offended. If anything, she let out a small, calm breath before answering.
“I never really had the time,” she said simply. “Not with my son still so young.”
Trinity felt something even stronger than desire begin to rise within her. So she kissed Baran again, but differently this time, more slowly.
When she pulled back, she rested her forehead against Baran's.
"Not here," Trinity breathed. "Not like this."
Feeling Baran tense slightly, Trinity tightened her grip on her waist.
"I want this. But not in the back courtyard of a bar. Not for your first time, " she added.
Baran looked at her, her eyes searching hers. Trinity saw the hesitation, the doubt, but also that hunger she recognized because she felt it too.
“You say that now,” Baran murmured. “But tomorrow…”
“Tomorrow I’ll still want this. And the day after.”
“Even with a forty-year-old woman who has absolutely no idea what she’s doing?”
Trinity looked at her as if the question didn’t make sense.
“First of all, I don’t buy for a second that you have no idea what you’re doing.”
Baran let out a soft laugh. “You know what I mean.”
Trinity brushed her thumb slowly along Baran’s cheek.
“Then I’ll show you. It’s only fair, after everything you’ve taught me.”
Baran’s expression softened immediately.
“Are you really offering me lessons?”
Trinity smiled. “With plenty of practice.”
A laugh escaped them both, easing the tension for a moment.
Baran closed her eyes briefly, then her fingers pressed a little more firmly into Trinity’s waist, as if she didn’t quite want to let go yet.
“I will think about it, but... for now we should go back in there…” she murmured at last.
Her voice lacked conviction.
Trinity pressed one last kiss to the corner of her lips.
“Yeah… we should.”