Unexpected Home

Six months ago, Josiah Ashford had believed he was going to get married. Today, he was standing in the middle of an empty apartment in a city where he didn’t know a single person. The contrast almost made him laugh. Almost. He stood near the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, staring down at the city below. Cars moved steadily along the streets. Buildings stretched toward the sky, their glass exteriors reflecting the late afternoon sunlight. People hurried along the sidewalks, carrying coffee cups, briefcases, shopping bags. Everyone seemed to know where they were going. Josiah wasn’t sure he did. He tightened his grip around the cardboard box in his hands before setting it down. “Welcome to your new life,” he whispered. The words sounded strange. New life. He had left behind almost everything familiar. His family. His old apartment. His hospital. His friends. His favorite coffee shop. The neighborhood he had known for years. And, most importantly, the person he had once believed would be standing beside him for the rest of his life. Three years. Three years of waking up beside someone. Three years of birthdays, holidays, arguments, apologies, late-night conversations, vacations, dinners, plans, and promises. Three years of believing that eventually they would become four years, then five, then ten. They had even talked about marriage. Josiah remembered the conversation too clearly. They had been lying in bed one night, his boyfriend’s head resting against his chest. “We should start looking at rings,” he had joked. Josiah had laughed. “You’re serious?” “Why wouldn’t I be?” At the time, Josiah had believed him. He had believed everything. Until he came home early one evening. Until he opened the bedroom door. Until he saw his boyfriend in bed with the one person he never thought he would have to fear. His best friend. The person he had known for almost his entire life. The person who knew his childhood stories. His family. His fears. His dreams. His habits. The person Josiah had trusted enough to leave alone in his home. He had walked into that room expecting to see the man he loved. Instead, he found betrayal. And somehow, the worst part wasn’t even the cheating. It was what happened afterward. There was no apology. No tears. No desperate attempt to explain. No “I’m sorry.” Instead, his boyfriend had looked at him and said— “Maybe if you actually paid attention to me, this wouldn’t have happened.” Josiah had stood there in complete silence. His boyfriend continued. “You’re always working.” “You barely talk.” “You’re always tired.” “You’re boring, Josiah.” That word had stayed with him. Boring. After three years. After everything. Boring. “You have beauty and brains,” his boyfriend had said bitterly. “But that’s all you have. You don’t know how to be in a relationship.” Josiah hadn’t argued. He hadn’t screamed. He hadn’t thrown anything. He had simply stared at him. Then he had looked at his best friend. Neither of them had been able to meet his eyes. That had been the moment something inside Josiah went completely quiet. He had walked out. And he never went back. For six months, he had lived inside the ruins of a life he thought he was building. He worked. He slept. He operated. He went home. He repeated the same routine. And somewhere along the way, he realized something. He didn’t want to stay. Not because he hated his old city. Not because he hated his family. And not because he wanted to forget what happened. He simply needed somewhere that didn’t remember him. Somewhere nobody would look at him and see the man who had been cheated on. Somewhere nobody would ask whether he and his boyfriend had gotten married yet. Somewhere he could walk into a restaurant without wondering whether someone at the next table knew his story. So he applied for a position at one of the country’s most respected medical centers. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The hospital was in Los Angeles, California—a city completely different from the environment he had known before. Massive. Sophisticated. Fast. Expensive. Beautiful. Overwhelming. The medical center was one of the largest and most prominent hospitals in the area, with specialists from across the country and patients arriving from all over the world. Josiah had submitted his application without expecting much. He was only twenty-seven. Young for someone already established as a surgeon. But his qualifications spoke for themselves. His surgical training had been intense. His work ethic was almost obsessive. And his record was clean. A few weeks after applying, his phone rang. “Dr. Ashford?” “Yes?” “This is Dr. Bennett from the surgical department. We’d like to offer you the position.” Josiah had sat silently on the edge of his bed. For several seconds, he couldn’t speak. Then he said quietly, “Yes.” That single word changed everything. Now, six months after his relationship ended, Josiah was standing inside his new apartment. He looked around. The apartment was almost too beautiful. Polished marble floors. Warm wooden accents. A modern kitchen with black countertops and stainless-steel appliances. A large living room. A private balcony overlooking the city. Three bedrooms. Two bathrooms. A small office he planned to turn into a study. The building itself was one of the most exclusive residential towers in the area. Twenty-four-hour security. A concierge desk downstairs. A private fitness center. A rooftop lounge. Underground parking. Everything Josiah needed. Nothing that reminded him of home. Perfect. Exactly what he wanted. He walked toward one of the boxes and crouched down. “Kitchen.” He opened it. Plates. Glasses. Coffee mugs. A few cooking utensils. He pulled out a white mug. His old favorite. For a moment, he stared at it. Then he placed it carefully inside the cabinet. He didn’t want memories. But apparently memories had followed him anyway. His phone vibrated. Mom. Josiah looked at the screen for several seconds before answering. “Hi, Mom.” “Did you arrive?” “Yeah.” “And you’re okay?” “I’m fine.” His mother sighed. “You always say you’re fine.” Josiah smiled faintly. “Because I am.” “Did you eat?” “Mom.” “That isn’t an answer.” He chuckled softly. “I’ll eat.” “You better.” There was a pause. Then his mother’s voice softened. “Josiah?” “Yeah?” “I’m proud of you.” His smile disappeared. He looked toward the windows. “Thanks.” “I know this wasn’t easy.” His throat tightened. “No.” “You don’t have to pretend with me.” Josiah swallowed. “I know.” “Your father and I will come visit when you’re settled.” “You don’t have to.” “We want to.” He smiled. “Okay.” “Call me tonight.” “I will.” “Love you.” “Love you too.” The call ended. Josiah lowered the phone. For the first time since arriving, his apartment felt less empty. He looked around again. This was his. His apartment. His city. His job. His life. No boyfriend. No best friend. No expectations. No wedding plans. No promises. Just him. Josiah walked onto the balcony. The city stretched endlessly before him. He breathed in deeply. The air was different. Everything was different. Tomorrow would be his first official day at the hospital. Tomorrow, people would call him Doctor Ashford. Tomorrow, he would put on his surgical scrubs, walk through those hospital doors, and become the person he had spent years training himself to be. Not someone’s boyfriend. Not someone’s almost-fiancé. Not someone’s boring partner. Just Josiah. Dr. Josiah Ashford. A surgeon. Twenty-seven years old. Starting over. He rested his hands against the balcony railing. Maybe his ex had been right about one thing. Josiah had spent too much time working. But there was something his ex had failed to understand. Medicine wasn’t a distraction from his life. It was part of who he was. And if loving his career made him boring, then perhaps boring wasn’t such a terrible thing after all. His phone vibrated again. This time, it wasn’t his mother. An email. Welcome to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Josiah opened it. His first-day schedule. Department orientation. Surgical briefing. Staff introduction. Rounds. Then— 8:00 A.M. — Surgical Department Meeting. He stared at the screen. Tomorrow. He smiled. It was small. Almost invisible. But it was real. For the first time in six months, Josiah was genuinely looking forward to tomorrow. He placed his phone into his pocket. Then he turned back toward the apartment. There were still dozens of boxes waiting to be unpacked. His life was still a mess. His heart wasn’t completely healed. And he had no idea what the future held. But for once, Josiah wasn’t afraid of it. He picked up another box. “One step at a time.” And somewhere far away from everything he had ever known, Josiah Ashford began again.