A GAME OF CHASE

Love is an open door!

It was a bit more than that; he really liked the girl but was terrified of saying so. He knew how awkward it was for people to say they liked other people. He felt like he was asking for too much by just asking her out, but he still didn’t think he should do anything to jeopardize their supposed friendship that had just started out.

She had said yes when he asked, and she seemed to want this too, so maybe this was something he shouldn’t have been doing, but he wasn’t sure what else he could have done.

He had hoped it would work out for them. After all, they had only just met the previous weekend during the fashion event, and they had sort of clicked. Asking her out on a friendly date had already been embarrassing enough as it was for him.

So he had told her that they didn’t have to go anywhere or even do anything if she didn’t want to. He had offered to just sit and look at her for a while. But then she had laughed and told him that if he wanted her, he had to actually talk to her. So there they were, at a cafe in town.

Jacob had felt the sweat collecting under his collar, making his suit cling uncomfortably to his skin. He had kept running his fingers through his hair, which he had known made him look stupid. He had wished he hadn’t cared about this stupid crush so much.

He had been the CEO of a jewelry company that had been doing so well. But he hadn’t had a love life, and although it had felt like some sort of jinx on him, he had been trying to unjinx it himself.

But he hadn’t been able to find anyone willing to get close enough for him to consider dating. There had been a few nice girls from time to time, but they had always seemed uncomfortable around him and hadn’t seemed interested either. And besides, he hadn’t been gay; he had known there had to be someone out there who he would fall head over heels for.

And that had been exactly what had happened with Ava. She had been beautiful, kind, and funny. She had had a cute accent (he had learned that it had actually been French because they had moved to Paris when he had been young, but she had been speaking English). It had taken him a moment before he had realized he had liked her. He just hadn't realized how much.

So, there he had been, in one of his favorite coffee shops, staring at the lady he had suddenly had a thing for, and he hadn’t been able to bring himself to say anything. Not because he hadn’t been man enough, but because he hadn’t had the luxury to get to know anyone because of the nature of his business. He hadn’t been in college anymore.

He had been a CEO, and he had needed to focus on that, not some silly little crush. He also hadn’t felt like taking advantage of her kindness; it just wouldn’t have worked out between them.

But then she had smiled, looking down at her hands resting on the table. “Hey. Are you okay?” she had asked softly. “You’ve been staring off into space for a long time.”

He had shaken his head and had forced out, “Sorry. I’m good. Just thinking.’’ His voice had been slightly higher than usual, but he had supposed that had been just nerves. He had needed to relax before he had done something stupid like make the first move. “What are you thinking about?”

She had smiled shyly, “Just stuff. How my parents got married.”

That had surprised him a lot, but he had managed to keep a straight face. “Yeah? They sound cool.”

“They’re great. My dad’s an accountant, and my mom runs a bookshop.”

“Really?”

She had nodded enthusiastically, “We spend a lot of time together. Sometimes I wonder why they decided to marry at all. Like, why didn’t they just get a divorce.”

He hadn't missed the slight bitterness behind the words. She had clearly disliked the idea of them being married.

He had tried to think up a suitable response to that but had failed miserably, “I…I’m sorry.”

Her expression had softened again, “Don’t worry about it. My family is pretty conservative anyway, so it made sense.” She had looked like she might smile again but had stopped herself. “How about you? What are your parents like?”

He had felt bad for lying, But he had needed to figure out what to tell her. His parents had obviously been the reason he hadn’t been getting closer to women or going steady with anyone right then. So he had had to play it safe.

“I’m their only kid. I guess you could say they both love me very much. They’re very accepting of everything I am. Even though I’m kinda…different. The way I speak. The things I like. I have issues with social norms sometimes,” she had looked concerned for him, and he had hated it.

“That sounds rough,” she had placed a reassuring hand on top of his own where it had rested on the table. His heart had started beating faster, and he had taken a deep breath to calm down. He hadn’t dared to look back up to meet her gaze; his eyes had stayed glued to the tabletop. “Is that why you never dated? Because you were scared?” she had asked tentatively, sounding like she hadn’t believed him.

He had sighed. Why had he agreed to come here again? Why had he been being so stupid? He should have known she wouldn’t have taken him seriously. Maybe he really had had an ulterior motive to ask her out. This had been such a bad idea; he should have just gone home. “Yes. I didn’t date because I didn’t like them. Or I mean I did but…”

He hadn't been able to say anything else; he hadn’t really known why he had agreed to this in the first place, but he could have seen that she hadn’t trusted him.

She had squeezed his hand gently, “Hey, listen. You don’t need to justify yourself to me. I mean we’re friends and all, right?”

He had finally lifted his head to meet her eyes, and he had realized he had been staring at them, probably looking stupid because she had looked worried. “Right,” he had breathed out, relieved that he had managed to get that out without stuttering.

Her brown eyes had been almost sparkling in the sunlight streaming in through the glass windows, and her lips had been pink and pouty; he had wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss her.

He hadn't been sure why he had been acting like this; he had never acted like this before. He had usually been so composed and collected. But he hadn’t been able to help it; he had been nervous, and he had been good at hiding his emotions, great even, but what had been so different about her that he had acted like a lovesick puppy when in fact, he hadn’t been, or had he?

She had smiled at him, “Good. Now, let’s order our drinks.”

Their food had arrived, and they had chatted about various things, mostly about the weather. He had found he had really enjoyed her presence; she had been sweet and fun and surprisingly intelligent when she had put her mind to it.