"Well, liking someone isn’t that big a deal. Besides, I told you... she just wants to be neighbors."
"Okay, so there are a lot of things wrong with that statement, but I'll point out the top two," Jake said, looking me straight in the eye.
"Number one: maybe liking someone isn't a big deal for everyone else," he said, making air quotes, "but foryou, it’s the biggest deal. For Pete's sake, Antonio, when have youeveradmitted to liking a girl?"
I opened my mouth to argue but shut it quickly. Jake was right. I couldn't think of another woman I’d ever felt like this for.
"Yeah, I thought so... now, number two: please tell me you're not actually buying into that ‘just neighbors’ talk. Girls only say that when they want you to take things slowly!"
"And you know this because?"
"Because if she didn’t like you, she’d have thrown you out of her apartment before you could get your words out."
"That would have been rude."
"Says the guy who yelled in her face and fired her on her first day," he retorted, rolling his eyes.
"That's not fair. You know I was—"
"Look," Jake interrupted, holding up his hands, "I'm not trying to win an argument here, TO… All I’m saying is, women like Kendra don't waste a second of their time on men they don't fancy.
And they like men who know what they want and go for it, not guys who give up just because she said ‘neighbors’."
Just then, Kendra approached us, smiling.
"Hey, guys! What's going on?"
"Just catching up," Jake said with a grin. "Antonio here was just waiting for you to finish your shift."
Kendra's eyes met mine, and for a fleeting moment, I saw something in them... joy? I couldn't be sure—it disappeared in a heartbeat.
"Oh, hey! I didn’t know you were waiting for me."
I shrugged, trying to keep my cool. "Well, I didn’t have anything to rush off to, and since we have the same destination, I figured I’d wait."
Kendra nodded, her expression softening. "Well, thanks for waiting. I'm done now."
Jake spoke up, "Hey, Antonio, can you drop me off at home first? I didn’t bring my car today."
I nodded and turned to Kendra. "It’s sort of in the opposite direction from our home..." I liked how that sounded—’our home’.
My heart quickened at the thought. I pushed the feeling aside and continued. "So, uh... I hope you don't mind the delay?"
Kendra hesitated, uncertainty in her eyes. "I don’t know, Antonio... I don’t want to impose."
I smiled, trying to reassure her. "It’s no imposition. If anything, it’s Jake here who's imposing."
I shot Jake a mock glare, and he cackled."What are best friends for?" he quipped.
"No good, apparently," I murmured, turning back to Kendra, who still looked unsure. "Come on, haven’t you missed my troubles?"
Kendra let out a sweet laugh. "I'll get my bag."
As we headed out to the car, Jake said, "I’ll take the backseat. You two can have the front."
Kendra opened her mouth to protest, but Jake was already in the backseat with the door shut. I walked over to the passenger seat and opened the door for Kendra. She slid in quietly, and I got behind the wheel.
There was an undeniable feeling of excitement at having her close again, and though she tried hard to mask it, I knew she felt the same.
