Three months into this frozen wasteland, and Johana had finally figured things out.
She wasn’t just surviving anymore—she was thriving. The clinic was no longer a confusing battlefield of medical jargon and weird patient complaints (though, let’s be real, the number of people licking metal poles in winter was concerning). She had built solid friendships with her coworkers, gained confidence in her skills, and had officially become the Queen of Sarcastic Comebacks.
But while her career was soaring, her personal life had crash-landed and burst into flames.
See, no one tells you that when you get stationed in the North Pole, you’re surrounded by two things: snow and couples. Lots of couples. Happy, giggling, in-love couples who huddled together for warmth and made you question all your life choices.
At this point, even the penguins had a better dating life than she did.
Determined to change that, Johana dove headfirst into the dating pool—only to find out it was more of a puddle.
Every date was a disaster.
One guy spent the whole time talking about his conspiracy theory that Santa was an alien.
Another kept calling his mom for advice.
And the last one? Let’s just say when he told her he was ‘open-minded,’ she didn’t think that meant he had a literal tattoo of Bigfoot proposing to a mermaid on his forearm.
She was this close to giving up entirely.
And then, Valentine’s Day rolled in like a smug little bastard.
Couples were everywhere.
Gifts. Flowers. Gag-worthy public displays of affection. Disgusting.
So, to avoid the torture, Johana did what any sane, single, independent woman would do:
She took an extra shift at the clinic.
Let the lovebirds have their overpriced steak dinners—she had patients to deal with.
And, oh boy, did she get a patient.
Enter Mr. Valentine’s Day Grinch.
The moment she walked into the exam room, she knew.
She knew.
This man was going to ruin her night.
He was sitting on the exam table like the human embodiment of irritation—arms crossed, jaw clenched, and a scowl so deep it looked like he’d been personally wronged by Cupid himself.
Not that she could blame him.
The universe had rudely gifted him with the face of a Greek god, which was completely unfair considering he had the attitude of someone who yelled at cashiers over expired coupons.
“Hi, I’m Airman Johana Ruiz. I’ll be taking care of you today,” she said with her best professional smile.
His response?
“Can you just take my blood, check my vitals, and get this freakin’ over with?”
Oh.
Oh, he was going to be fun.
Johana’s eye twitched.
“Wow,” she said, clicking her pen. “With an opening line like that, it’s honestly shocking that you’re single today.”
He scoffed. “Who says I’m single?”
She deadpanned. “The fact that you’re here, alone, ruining my night instead of out wooing some poor woman with your sunny personality?”
For a split second—just a split second—she swore she saw the corner of his mouth twitch.
But then his scowl was back, stronger than ever.
“Look,” he said, running a hand through his annoyingly perfect hair. “I just don’t do Valentine’s Day, okay? It’s a capitalist scam created to make people feel like crap. So no, I don’t want to hear your speech about love or whatever. Just draw my blood so I can leave.”
Johana gasps dramatically. “Sir, I would never give a speech about love. In fact, I fully support your Grinch energy. Love is dumb. People in love are dumber. And if I have to hear one more person in this clinic talk about their ‘perfect date night,’ I might actually throw up in a biohazard bin.”
His eyes flicked up to hers, something almost amused flashing across them.
“…Glad we’re on the same page,” he muttered.
Oh, no, no, no.
Johana wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily.
“That said,” she added sweetly, picking up a syringe, “I am still gonna stab you with this needle, so.”
His scowl deepened. “You really don’t have to phrase it like that.”
Johana grinned. “Oh, but I do. Now, roll up your sleeve, Romeo.”
He let out a long suffering sigh before complying.
As she prepped his arm, she couldn’t resist one last jab.
“So, if you hate Valentine’s Day so much, what did it ever do to you? Steal your lunch money? Run over your childhood pet? Steal your girlfriend?”
His jaw ticked.
Bingo.
Johana’s grin widened.
“Ahhh. It did steal your girlfriend. Brutal. Tell me everything.“
His glare could have melted the ice outside. “I am not telling you everything.”
“Fine. Give me the short version. I need entertainment.”
He hesitated. Then, grumbling under his breath, he muttered, “She left me for a guy who used to make balloon animals at birthday parties.”
Johana stared at him.
And then—she lost it.
She cackled. Bent over, full-body laughed in his face.
“You got replaced by a clown?” she wheezed. “Oh, this is the best thing that’s happened to me all day.”
“Are you done?” he muttered, glaring.
She wiped away an actual tear. “No, but I’ll pretend I am while I finish this blood draw.”
When she was finally done, she stepped back, smirking.
“Alright, Mr. Grinch. You’re free to go. Try not to ruin anyone else’s night on your way out, yeah?”
He slid off the table, rolling his sleeve back down. But as he turned to leave, he hesitated.
Then, without looking at her, he muttered, “It was kind of funny.”
Johana blinked.
Before she could respond, he was already striding out the door, leaving her standing there, utterly confused.
And for the first time that day, Johana had to admit…
Maybe Valentine’s Day wasn’t a total disaster.
To be continued…
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