He gave her his thoughtful look, the one that he gave students when he wasn’t sure how to respond. “Do you like me as more than a friend?”
In her life, she’d often beentoomuch of something for otherpeople. Too much of a brainiac. Too nerdy. Too interested in things no one else was interested in.
Much of the journey God had taken her on so far was a journey toward accepting and then embracing who she was. In this case, being true to herself meant being honest with Ben. “I wish I could say yes. In fact, if I could create a software program that would calibrate a woman’s heart to want to date the most ideal man, then I’d calibrate my heart to want to date you. Of course, if I could create that program, I’d also revolutionize dating and make a mint. But that’s just an aside.”
His expression dimmed. The reaction was subtle, but telling.
“Do you like me as more than a friend?” she asked. “You haven’t answered my initial question.”
“I was kind of hoping you’d forgotten your initial question.”
“I don’t tend to forget things that are important.”
“If—if you’re asking if I’d like to see if this could lead to more, then the answer’s sure I would.”
He’d replied to that skillfully. He’d kept his admission relaxed and, in doing so, made this discussion easier for them both. He often did that—made things easier for her.
“But it sounds like you’re not into the idea of dating me,” he continued. “Which is cool.”
“I’m content with our friendship. In fact, I feel fortunate to have you as a friend.”
“Same here.”
“I’d hate for you to waste your time ... waiting for me.”
“I won’t.” He gathered food onto his fork. “Should you ever come to your senses and want to go out with me, though, let me know.”
“Okay.”
“But I won’t hold my breath.”
“Best not to.”
“Because there are a lot of fish in the sea.”
“So many!”
“And a math genius for a girlfriend might come with a whole set of issues.”
“Now you’re thinking. When they handed me the menu earlier, I had a hard time concentrating on the food because I was busy rounding the dollar amounts of the items and adding them in my head.”
“Right. That would be super annoying to deal with.”
“I’m doing you a favor by taking my name off the list of contenders.”
He shot her a smile tinged with sadness.
I really am doing you a favor, she wanted to insist. He deserved someone who would love him wildly. Her intuition was telling her that God had someone picked out specifically for Ben.
However, that person was not her.
The next day, Sebastian sat alone in the staff break room at the hospital, his lunch on the table in front of him. He picked up his phone after it began to ring. Ben. “Hello?”
“Hey.”
Something was wrong. He could tell by the sound of his friend’s voice. “What’s the matter?” he asked, a tendril of fear sprouting in his stomach. Were the Colemans all okay?
“I talked with Leah about my feelings for her last night.”
