206 Farewell lunch for Dr. Snow 2

People took turns, each talking for a minute or two and Liz was sure that her brain short-circuited. How come she can't think of a single thing (or two) to say about the man with whom she shared lunches at the office for about a month? There are two more people before she needs to say something, but nothing is coming to her mind. Well, she can talk about him grabbing her hand in that restaurant and ordering an ocean of flowers to her office, but those are not appropriate topics. Ah! One more person!

Liz took a deep breath and forced a smile while thinking that she should excuse herself and go to the restroom and stay there until this lunch is over.

Ah! It's her turn! When did that happen? Everyone is looking at her and she can't just leave! Liz panicked internally and swallowed hard. She did her best to avoid the small smile on Dr. Snow's lips and the expectant looks of others at the table while her brain scrambled to come up with something. Anything.

"Uhm… During your stay here, we shared more than one lunch and discussed various topics that were… mostly stimulating. I wish you good luck in your next adventure.", Liz ended awkwardly while raising her glass of water toward Dr. Snow. A second later, she gestured to Dr. Kaviraj to take over.

Liz exhaled a breath of relief that it's over. They said lunch, and there was no mentioning of this 'parting speech' nonsense!

At the end, Dr. Snow stood up and swept with his eyes over everyone before saying his thanks.

"I appreciate you organizing this farewell lunch and your kind words. I was not with you for a long time, but I feel that this experience will stay with me for a long time." His eyes rested on Elizabeth and his smile widened. "There is more than one thing that left an impact on me, but if I need to pick one, that would be my interaction with Dr. Williams."

Liz blinked and held her breath while Dr. Snow spoke. She hoped that he will not cause a scene. He is leaving and she will stay. Will he say something inappropriate? She wanted to leave. Or maybe Max can show up to punch Dr. Snow again to stop him from talking. And now Dr. Snow was talking to her...

"I share your sentiments: our discussions were stimulating, and I want to add that you started a fire I didn't know I have within me." Dr. Snow raised his glass toward Liz. "I hope that our paths will cross again, Dr. Williams."

…

Outside the restaurant…

Liz (and everyone else) thanked chairman Lee for organizing the lunch.

Liz saw that Dr. Snow was looking at her through the people expectantly, but she decided to pretend that she didn't notice. She does not want to give him another chance to embarrass her.

She exchanged a few words with Dr. Kaviraj before making her way toward the parking lot in the back of the restaurant in hurried steps.

Liz can't wait to reach her car. It was supposed to be lunch. Just lunch. How come she is exhausted like she ran half a marathon?

"Elizabeth… Elizabeth…"

Liz paused in front of her car at the sound of Dr. Snow calling her name.

Based on the sound of his footsteps, she can tell that he is running toward her.

Liz wanted to ignore him. However, she can see that other than hers, there are three empty cars (probably owned by employees of the restaurant), and there is no one else present so the chance of Dr. Snow causing a scene is close to zero. She does not want to talk to him, but she told herself that he is leaving and if he gets inappropriate, she will kick him where it counts.

Liz turned to face him. "Yes?"

He stopped one step away from Liz. "You left before I had a chance to say my goodbye."

Liz tilted her head. "I thought you did. In front of everyone. Ambiguously."

His eyebrows shoot up. "Did I say anything ambiguously?"

Liz didn't try to hide her displeasure. "Yes. Whoever listened might get an idea that there was something between us. More than just work."

Dr. Snow chuckled.

Liz narrowed her eyes at him. "You think that it's funny?"

"I am amused that you worry about your reputation so much that you see things that are not there. Or is this more about Max not getting the wrong idea."

Liz looked at him defiantly. "First, this has nothing to do with Max. Second, of course I am concerned about my reputation. If you are a woman, you would understand how rumors can overshadow professional achievements, and no one will bother if the rumors are true or not. And third, how can you say that I see things which are not there? What was that talk about me starting a fire within you?"

Dr. Snow waved his hands indicating her to calm down. "Anyone who listened objectively would know that the fire I mentioned is a passion for surgery. After all, I spoke about it in the same breath with stimulating discussions in which we engaged during work hours. And I can assure you that I am not the only one who thinks that way. Today during lunch, I watched you talk about the future of the neurology and every person around you was interested. You have such an effect on people."

Liz frowned slightly while wondering, is it possible that she is overthinking?

She saw that Dr. Snow extended his hand for a handshake and she took it. They should shake hands and part ways, and she can go and meet with Mia.

Dr. Snow smiled and lifted her hand higher while leaning toward it. He kissed the back of her palm and straightened up before speaking: "However, the fire inside me which you ignited, Elizabeth, transcends the professional interest. I am confident that you are aware of that fact."

Liz narrowed her eyes at him. Now she was back to being angry. "Can I have my hand back?"

"Of course…", he responded and leaned closer to Liz.

Liz wanted to move away, but her car was right behind her and she could not budge.

"I came here to say goodbye, not to make you uncomfortable.", Dr. Snow said in a half-whisper before releasing Liz's hand.

Liz scooted two steps to the side, increasing the distance between them. "Dr. Snow, you are making me uncomfortable."

"How?"

"You just said that you are interested in me and you know that I am seeing Max. Do you think that I will cheat on him? Or leave him?"

"I know that your principles will not allow you do to so. However, now that we are not coworkers, we can be friends. Right?" He looked at her innocently.

Liz was confused. Why is he switching gears so quickly? How many times can he mention friends and lovers in the five minutes? She decided to clarify, for him mostly. "Uhm… right. Dr. Snow, your professional achievements are above average and normally, I would love to be friends with you, but how do you expect me to be comfortable interacting with you if you are telling me that you want us to be more than friends?"

Dr. Snow shrugged. "We need to start somewhere. No one jumps into a relationship as soon as they meet. It will be the same as grabbing a random person on the street and claiming that you are dating. Normally, you like something about a person or maybe you have something in common and that brings you closer. You start as friends and as you get to know each other, over time other possibilities open up. I am willing to admit that I am attracted to you, and our careers are providing us with more than one thing in common. Only time can tell what possibilities will sprout between the two of us. Have a nice day, Elizabeth. I look forward to seeing you again."

Dr. Snow winked at Liz and walked away.

Liz furrowed her brows while her gaze rested on Dr. Snow's retreating back.

She wanted to tell him that she agrees that as people get to know each other, there might be a possibility for a relationship, however, what sprouting nonsense is he talking about between the two of them? After everything he put her through, she would need to be really-really drunk (and mentally impaired) to agree to date him.

Liz also wanted to bring out the fact that you CAN grab a random person and start a relationship. Isn't that what she and Max did? They claimed to be dating each other before they knew each other's names.

But Liz didn't want to talk to Dr. Snow anymore. She can see that he has a weird fascination with her, and she does not want to give him a reason to prolong their interaction. The best thing to do about a person like that is to avoid him.

He is leaving for Oregon and who knows when she will see him again. Hopefully, never.

Liz unlocked her car and sent a text to Mia that she is done with lunch. A few seconds later, she got a response from Mia that she is waiting for her in the apartment.

Liz drove away, unaware that behind the nearby bush a person was gleefully checking the photos he took with his digital camera.

They are photos of Liz from the parking lot. Several photos are of Liz when she arrived, and others show Liz and Dr. Snow talking after lunch. A few of them are how Dr. Snow is kissing Liz's hand, and the last photos are taken when Dr. Snow leaned closer, and the angle is exactly right to be ambiguous. Someone might wonder if the two of them are kissing.

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