Fear Is The Lock, And Laughter The Key To Your Heart - 2/?
Rated: M
Categories: Jared/Jensen Alternate Universe
Characters: Jared; Jensen; Sandy McCoy; Christian Kane; Steve Carlson; Tom Welling; Sarah Blake
Fun Genres: None
Genres: Romance; First Time
Warnings: Jared/Other; Jensen/Others
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 2/?
Completed: No
Word count: 2,720
Published: 2/2/2012
Chapter 2
Jensen sat across the desk from Jared once again. Jensen had filled him in on the date itself, where they went, what they talked about, and how it ended at 9:00 pm when he dropped her off at her home with no attempt on his part to give her a goodnight kiss.
The whole time Jensen was talking Jared was leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled as he nodded encouragement at different points during Jensen’s narration. He wasn’t surprised that Cindy hadn’t been the perfect match, but Jensen’s recitation of the date wasn’t helping him zero in any further on who might be a better choice. Jared needed more than just the facts of the date; he needed Jensen’s impressions, the emotions behind the facts. He studied the man in front of him, still a bit unsure why the guy was using their services. Surely a man as attractive and sexy as Jensen would have no problem finding his own dates. He could tell that under the well tailored suit was a fit body. Those green eyes framed by long lashes really drew you in, and the sprinkling of freckles gave him an almost boyish charm.
Jared sat forward, forearms resting on the desk top while he fiddled with his pen, “So Jensen that was a nice, concise outline of the date, but tell me, what was your impression of Cindy? What did you like or dislike about her?”
“Well, she was pretty and intelligent, easy to talk with, but I just didn’t feel any connection with her. I guess she was a bit older than I was expecting too. She’s already in her 30’s and has a 10 year old boy. She said she didn’t want any more children, and I’m looking for someone who wants a family with me.” He watched as Jared fiddled with his pen, long fingers sliding down the shaft, turning it around, sliding down again, doing this over and over, obviously an unconscious habit.
“Okay, so you want a family. Have you given any thought to how many children you want?” Jared asked.
“I was thinking three would be right, and maybe a dog too, you know, for the kids.” Jensen watched as those long fingers stopped playing with the pen and Jared started writing in his folder again.
“And what about any hobbies you might want your match to share with you? Anything you have a particular interest in?” Jared looked up at him, raising his eyebrows in expectation.
“Well, I like music,” Jensen informed him.
Jared burst out laughing, “Most people do Jen. Listening to music isn’t exactly a hobby,” he shook his head as his laughter died, but his smile remained.
Jensen could feel a blush starting to color his cheeks. “Well, actually I play some guitar. Sometimes sing with my friends’ band,” he told Jared in a soft voice, looking down at his hands. He was kind of shy about his music, didn’t necessarily want people who weren’t close friends to know that about him. His music was personal. He always felt like he was giving away part of himself when he was on stage with the band.
Jared took note of the blush staining his client’s cheeks and considered the possibility that maybe he needed to adjust his perception of Jensen. Maybe he wasn’t quite as stiff as their first consultation had led him to believe. Maybe he was really a bit shy, and used the detached persona as a coping mechanism. Jared made note of that in Jensen’s folder for future consideration. Trying to encourage him to open up some more Jared gave him what he knew was one of his best smiles, “Anything else? What about sports? Traveling?”
Jensen had caught the ‘Jen’ that Jared had shortened his name to, was going to tell him not to do that again; only Chris got away with that. But when he looked up again and was confronted by that sunny smile he didn’t really feel like putting a damper on today’s meeting. Deciding to let the nickname slide he answered Jared’s question, “Well, I like watching basketball, and I like to play soft ball, maybe some touch football too now and then. I haven’t really had an opportunity to do much traveling, but there are places I’d like to visit.”
“I used to play some basketball when I was young” Jared told him, still smiling that dimpled smile at him, trying to draw him out in conversation, so that this wouldn’t be just a question and answer exchange.
Jensen almost laughed out loud at that.
“What’s so funny? You don’t think I’m tall enough to have played some basketball when I was younger?” Jared asked, pretending to feel wounded. Then Jensen’s smile caught his attention, “you should smile more often Jen, it really looks good on you”.
Jensen had just barely stopped himself from laughing in Jared’s face when the man said he had played basketball when he was young. Like he wasn’t young now! In Jensen’s opinion the guy still looked too young to be taken seriously, especially when he flashed those boyish dimples, or kept tossing his bangs out of eyes. Choosing not to ignore the comment about smiling more often he told Jared, “you should smile more often too, those dimples would probably get you almost anything you want.”
Now it was Jared’s turn to have his face heat up. Jensen smiled again as he watched the blush creep up all the way from his neck to his cheeks. The boy really flushed beautifully. The way he was illuminated by the sun shining through windows behind the desk seemed to highlight the effect. And his eyes. Jensen was momentarily confused. Jared’s eyes looked blue in this light, but Jensen could have sworn that they weren’t blue the first time they met.
Clearing his throat and shuffling the papers together Jared was all business once again, “Okay Jensen, I think I have enough new information. You should be hearing from me in another day or two regarding your next date.”
Jensen felt an odd twinge of disappointment at the dismissal and the return of his full name. Leaving the office he pulled out his cell phone to call his friend Tom. They were supposed to meet for dinner. Tom had just broken up with his boyfriend and Jensen wanted to be there for his friend. Also, he thought that maybe Chris and Tom would make a good match, and he could take this opportunity to start talking Chris up to Tom. And after today’s session with Jared he felt like he could use a drink to wind down. They decided to meet up at Friday’s. They could eat in the bar and catch the Lakers/Mavericks game on the bar’s television if he didn’t get home in time to catch the game.
*****
Sandy hadn’t made it to his office yet, although it was already past 6:00, so Jared continued working. He had reached a decision as to who Jensen’s second date would be. He was going to send the information first thing tomorrow. But with nothing better to do than work or wait for Sandy, he decided to e-mail the information now. He had settled on Sarah Blake, a tall dark haired beauty born in 1984, never married and no children. Just as Jared hit send Sandy appeared in his doorway.
“Are you ready to go home?” She sounded a bit perturbed. He could tell by her body language it was going to be one of those nights where it would take a lot of effort on his part to either wheedle her out of her mood, or to not end up in an argument. And the fact that she wanted to go directly to his place instead of to dinner did not bode well. He was starving and there was absolutely nothing at his place to eat. He had been too busy for the last two weeks to even go grocery shopping. And he was tired of take-out. Maybe he could talk her into some quick casual restaurant like Fridays or Chili’s.
Hoping for the best he bent down to give her a quick peck on the cheek, “Sorry hon, but there’s no food at home, we’ll have to get some dinner first.” The only reaction he received was an eye roll as she turned and headed out the door. Great, he thought, maybe he could get by with just the silent treatment tonight.
Chili’s had an hour wait they were told when they got there. Unwilling to sit in the small waiting area for that length of time with a sullen girlfriend Jared opted to cross the street to Friday’s. All the dining room seating was filled, but a booth in the bar was still open. Thanking his lucky stars Jared told the waiter they would eat in the bar. A major plus for him was that the television in the bar was tuned to the Lakers/Mavericks game that had just started. Being originally from Texas he rooted for which ever Texas team was playing the Lakers. It didn’t matter that he had lived in LA for the last four years, had almost lost his accent, he was still a good ole boy at heart.
Walking through the bar to take their seats Jared saw Jensen in another booth with a tall, good looking, dark haired guy with startling blue eyes. Jared didn’t stop or acknowledge Jensen in any way. He knew most of his clients did not want to be recognized by him when in public. They did not want to have to explain to friends and family that they had engaged his services. Therefore he never greeted a client unless they made the first overture.
Jensen saw Jared walk by, knew that Jared had clearly seen him and ignored him, as if he didn’t know him. He felt a little insulted by the perceived snub, and scowled at his half empty beer mug. It’s not as if they were friends or anything he thought to himself, but by now Jared knew practically as much about Jensen as anyone else on the planet, with a few exceptions. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so slighted by the lack of a greeting, but there it was. He was disappointed and maybe a little insulted that Jared would choose to ignore him like that.
He watched as Jared and his tiny companion walked to their booth. He supposed that must be the fiancé. Feeling maybe a little mean spirited he told himself that they looked ridiculous next to each other. That the girl, he never did catch her name, was much too petite for such a large guy. Wouldn’t she be afraid of being crushed to death by him in bed? Ugh, naughty thoughts Jensen, he told himself. Get your mind out of the gutter.
“Hey, did that mug do something to you?” Tom asked, noting the scowl on Jensen’s face. Knocking his foot against Jensen’s under the table, “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
Pulling himself out of his thoughts Jensen gave his friend a shrug, “Just tired I guess”. Well at least that wasn’t a lie. He was tired; physically tired from work and mentally exhausted from his consultation earlier with Jared. Sneaking a peek once more at the young man and his fiancé Jensen stood to leave, throwing a twenty on the table to join Tom’s twenty already there.
“So, which one caught your eye?” Tom leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
Jensen almost got whiplash turning his head so quickly, looking away from the other table and up to his friend’s eyes. “What? Who? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But Jensen was unable to stop his head from swinging around again and taking one last look. This time he caught Jared’s eye, and nodded in his direction. He was rewarded with a nod and small smile in return. And somehow that lightened a knot in his stomach he hadn’t realized he had until it went away.
Tom caught the exchange and nudged him in the shoulder, “So, you don’t know what I’m talking about huh? Who is that? He’s pretty fine looking, maybe a little young, but fine.”
“He’s just a business associate” Jensen told him. Well, that’s not really a lie he thought. They did meet through business. Jared’s business. “Come on, let’s get out of here, I want to get home to see the rest of the game.” Jensen growled at him, trying to forestall any further conversation on the topic of Jared.
The exchange had also been noticed by Sandy. “Who’s that?” she asked, her tone taking an interested note.
Jared normally didn’t discuss his clients with Sandy, but usually that was due to her total disinterest in his career. On the few occasions he had talked to her about a client, it was at home, no names or faces involved. So he was reluctant to tell Sandy anything about Jensen. But he knew he had to say something or she wouldn’t let it go. “He’s a client,” was all he volunteered.
But Sandy sometimes could be like a dog worrying a bone, unable to let a topic rest. “Him! He’s a client? Why? What’s wrong with him? Obviously nothing physical, so is he a total nut job or what?”
“No he’s not a nut job. Why would you say that? He’s a very nice guy. He’s intelligent, funny, good looking, talented, shy. He’s a very successful businessman who doesn’t have time to find Mrs. Right, so I’m doing my job and finding her for him.” Jared hadn’t noticed the defensive tone he had taken on Jensen’s behalf.
Sandy cocked her head and raised her eyebrows “Mrs. Right or Mr. Right” she asked in a speculative tone. “Two pretty boys like that and one a little swishy, well…”
Jared watched the two men walk out of the bar. So maybe the taller guy might set off someone’s gaydar, big deal. That had nothing to do with Jensen’s orientation. It wasn’t as if a straight guy couldn’t have gay friends. Or maybe he even dabbled with both sexes, like Jared had before he met Sandy. “Mrs. Right” he said to Sandy “he’s looking for Mrs. Right to settle down with.”
He watched Sandy as she frowned at her dinner, nodding her head as if having an internal conversation with herself, then she finally looked back up at him, “Mrs. Right to settle down with, or Mrs. Right to love?”
Jared didn’t know what to make of that. She had been in a weird mood all night. Becoming exasperated he rolled his eyes at her, “They’re the same thing Sandy. You don’t settle down with someone if you don’t love them.”
“Well, there are all kinds of love Jay. Just because you settle with someone, doesn’t necessarily mean you are in love with them.” She responded, fingering her napkin and looking everywhere but at him.
Something tightened in Jared’s chest at her words. Her tone had been reasonable, not argumentative, but her body language was all off. Not sure he wanted to further this conversation, but unable to stop himself he asked softly, “Sandy, is something wrong?”
Sandy finally looked at him again and shook her head. “No Jay, nothing’s wrong.” But she had no smile for him. The reassuring words did nothing to lighten the feeling of foreboding that had descended on him.
*****
Jensen thought Sarah was very pretty and interesting, though maybe she was a little too young. And her hair a bit too dark, and maybe her eyes were too brown. Where the hell were those thoughts coming from? Hello, too picky maybe! She smiled at him a lot during the evening and he found every time she did he thought she should have dimples. Maybe at his next consultation with Jared he should tell his consultant he wanted someone with dimples. Was that too picky? Why was he already thinking of Jared and his next date when he was still in the middle of dinner with Sarah? Obviously she wasn’t ‘the one’ who would be his perfect match. With that decided Jensen let himself relax and enjoy the night.