“I give up,” Jared announces, flopping onto the couch at Genevieve's side.
She looks skeptical, ice cream spoon dangling from her mouth. “On life? Or do you wanna elaborate?”
“On Jensen. He's never going to go out with me, so I'm better off just cutting my losses at this point.”
Genevieve drops her spoon into her bowl and smacks her lips together before returning her attention to Jared. “Jensen is the guy, right? The new one at work you've been yammering about for weeks now?”
Jared can't help thinking he can't be talking about it that much if Genevieve doesn't even remember his name. “I don't yammer.”
“Oh, Sweetie.” She says it like he's hopeless or something.
He just swats her hand away when she touches his cheek. “I'm serious here! This is the death of a dream, Gen. I have tried everything and he just doesn't seem to get it.”
Turning, Genevieve tucks one foot under her body and gives Jared all of her attention. “Define everything.”
“I smile at him every time we pass each other in the hall. I save him a seat in every meeting. This week, I started buying him coffee on the way to work. We've had lunch together for the last three days and when I told him we were going to happy hour on Friday, he said he already has plans with friends. I can't win.”
With an arched eyebrow, she asks flatly, “Have you tried asking him out?”
“I just told you I invited him to happy hour!” Jared's voice raises about an octave and a half, but he can't help it; she's clearly not understanding the problem here.
“So you've been buying him coffee and invited him out with your other co-workers?” Genevieve reaches out and smacks her hand against the back of Jared's hair. “Has there ever been a time in our friendship when you thought I wanted to sleep with you?”
Jared snorts. They've been best friends since college and the thought of dating has never so much as crossed Jared's mind. He knows she feels the same.
“Really? Not even when I bought you coffee every morning before our classes and sat with you at lunch and invited you to bars with our other friends?”
“No, you were just being-,” Jared stops short and smacks a hand against his open mouth. “Oh, shit.”
Satisfied that her work here is done, Genevieve stands and pats Jared's shoulder on the way out the door. “Try asking before you give up on your one true love for good.”
* Two coffee cups in hand, Jared swallows his nerves and knocks on Jensen's office door first thing the next morning. Jensen turns, hand already out and a smile on his face.
“Morning, Jared,” he greets happily.
Jared swallows again. “Hey. Morning. Hi,” he stammers, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as Jensen takes a drink of his coffee and then moans softly as it hits the back of his throat.
“So good. Thanks, man.”
“Do you wanna have dinner with me on Saturday?” Jared blurts. His face feels hot when Jensen's eyes widen in surprise. “I mean, I know you already have plans on Friday, but I was thinking maybe you might be free on Saturday. I was hoping, I mean.”
For a second, Jensen just watches him fidget like he finds it amusing. “Everybody gonna be there?” Jared shakes his head. “So you're talking about, what? A date?”
“Yeah.”
Jensen takes another drink and his smile widens, eyes never leaving Jared's. “I would love that.”
“Seriously?”
“Um, yeah. I mean, if you want to.”
“No, I just-,” Jared stops, more flustered than he should have been. “Never mind. I, uh, I should go get some work done, but I will definitely see you Saturday night.”
Jensen nods, trails his tongue over his bottom lip, and then says, “Or maybe in the staff meeting in a few minutes. I'll save ya a seat.”
“Oh, right. Yeah. Cool.”
Like a bumbling idiot, Jared stumbles against the door frame and then stops in the hall to take a deep, calming breath. Genevieve's never going to let him hear the end of it, but who knew asking a guy out could be as easy as, well, asking a guy out?
“I give up,” Jared announces, flopping onto the couch at Genevieve's side.
She looks skeptical, ice cream spoon dangling from her mouth. “On life? Or do you wanna elaborate?”
“On Jensen. He's never going to go out with me, so I'm better off just cutting my losses at this point.”
Genevieve drops her spoon into her bowl and smacks her lips together before returning her attention to Jared. “Jensen is the guy, right? The new one at work you've been yammering about for weeks now?”
Jared can't help thinking he can't be talking about it that much if Genevieve doesn't even remember his name. “I don't yammer.”
“Oh, Sweetie.” She says it like he's hopeless or something.
He just swats her hand away when she touches his cheek. “I'm serious here! This is the death of a dream, Gen. I have tried everything and he just doesn't seem to get it.”
Turning, Genevieve tucks one foot under her body and gives Jared all of her attention. “Define everything.”
“I smile at him every time we pass each other in the hall. I save him a seat in every meeting. This week, I started buying him coffee on the way to work. We've had lunch together for the last three days and when I told him we were going to happy hour on Friday, he said he already has plans with friends. I can't win.”
With an arched eyebrow, she asks flatly, “Have you tried asking him out?”
“I just told you I invited him to happy hour!” Jared's voice raises about an octave and a half, but he can't help it; she's clearly not understanding the problem here.
“So you've been buying him coffee and invited him out with your other co-workers?” Genevieve reaches out and smacks her hand against the back of Jared's hair. “Has there ever been a time in our friendship when you thought I wanted to sleep with you?”
Jared snorts. They've been best friends since college and the thought of dating has never so much as crossed Jared's mind. He knows she feels the same.
“Really? Not even when I bought you coffee every morning before our classes and sat with you at lunch and invited you to bars with our other friends?”
“No, you were just being-,” Jared stops short and smacks a hand against his open mouth. “Oh, shit.”
Satisfied that her work here is done, Genevieve stands and pats Jared's shoulder on the way out the door. “Try asking before you give up on your one true love for good.”
*
Two coffee cups in hand, Jared swallows his nerves and knocks on Jensen's office door first thing the next morning. Jensen turns, hand already out and a smile on his face.
“Morning, Jared,” he greets happily.
Jared swallows again. “Hey. Morning. Hi,” he stammers, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as Jensen takes a drink of his coffee and then moans softly as it hits the back of his throat.
“So good. Thanks, man.”
“Do you wanna have dinner with me on Saturday?” Jared blurts. His face feels hot when Jensen's eyes widen in surprise. “I mean, I know you already have plans on Friday, but I was thinking maybe you might be free on Saturday. I was hoping, I mean.”
For a second, Jensen just watches him fidget like he finds it amusing. “Everybody gonna be there?” Jared shakes his head. “So you're talking about, what? A date?”
“Yeah.”
Jensen takes another drink and his smile widens, eyes never leaving Jared's. “I would love that.”
“Seriously?”
“Um, yeah. I mean, if you want to.”
“No, I just-,” Jared stops, more flustered than he should have been. “Never mind. I, uh, I should go get some work done, but I will definitely see you Saturday night.”
Jensen nods, trails his tongue over his bottom lip, and then says, “Or maybe in the staff meeting in a few minutes. I'll save ya a seat.”
“Oh, right. Yeah. Cool.”
Like a bumbling idiot, Jared stumbles against the door frame and then stops in the hall to take a deep, calming breath. Genevieve's never going to let him hear the end of it, but who knew asking a guy out could be as easy as, well, asking a guy out?
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Jared's so damn cute. :)
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