by Golden Angel
It didn’t look like he was kidding.
Okay, actually, if anything he looked nervous.
Which... holy fuck...
“I think we should date. Exclusively.” He nodded firmly, his shoulders straightening as if he was just now coming to the decision. “Boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“I...” Her voice trailed off as her mind tried to catch up with what was happening. “You realize there’s a really good chance we’re going to kill each other, right?”
A hint of a smile turned up one side of his mouth and a little bit of sparkle appeared in his eyes. “I’m pretty sure we can find other ways to work out our tension.”
“My family isn’t going to get any less crazy and I don’t ever foresee getting along with them any better than I do now.”
“As long as you get along with my family, or at least attempt to, it doesn’t bother me,” he said calmly.
Sharon almost snorted. Sometimes she thought she could get along with anyone’s family other than her own. Although, she could understand why he’d ask her to at least try. When she’d met him, she’d immediately jumped to not trying because she’d felt like he disapproved of her and so she’d gone out of her way encourage that. But she really did make more of an effort for most people.
“So... you’re asking me to check yes or no?” she joked.
******
“Pretty much,” Jake replied, tapping his finger against his silverware nervously.
He’d caught her off guard, that much was apparent. Shocking her hadn’t been quite as much fun as it usually was because he really cared about her answer. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this nervous asking a woman out.
Then again, he couldn’t really remember the last time he’d been this uncertain of a woman’s answer.
With Sharon, it could go either way. Fuck buddies were one thing, even exclusive fuck buddies, even exclusive fuck buddies that all their friends knew about. Actually doing the relationship thing? That was a whole other ball game. There was still a part of his brain that didn’t think they could make it work, but...
They’d basically been in a relationship for weeks now, just without the title.
They spent most nights together. Not just having sex but hanging out. They got along pretty well for the most part. Sure, there were a lot of differences in their upbringing, but they had a lot in common. Sharon was more social than he was, but since she was social with the people who were also his friends, he was comfortable with that. They were exclusive. They’d gone to a wedding together. Hell, they’d even worked their way through their first fight.
The only thing they hadn’t done was go out on actual dates. They’d kind of skipped straight into the relationship.
He didn’t have any problem with that. He just wanted the relationship to continue when they got home. He didn’t want things to keep going as they had been, only to be blindsided one day by Sharon telling him that she’d found someone she wanted to date.
No. He wanted to lock it down, make things official, and give this a real try.
“What happened to me not being your type?” she asked. There was real concern on her face and she seemed just as serious and anxious as he was.
It suddenly occurred to him that she wasn’t waffling because she wanted to say no. She was waffling because she wanted to say yes – and she was afraid to. The only reason she’d be afraid would be of things turning out badly, which was why she was voicing all of her concerns instead of saying yes. Jake immediately felt a lot better and a lot more confident.
She was going to say yes, he just had to reassure her that he was worth taking the risk on.
“Well, none of the women I thought were my type have worked out,” he said, a smile starting to spread across his face. “Besides, the more time I spend with you, the more I like you and want to be with you. Why not give it a try?”
“Uh, because it could go horribly wrong and we’d still be part of the same group of friends.”
“The same thing could happen while being fuck buddies, especially if we start having feelings for each other. And I already have feelings for you and I think you already have feelings for me too,” he said matter-of-factly. “If we ended things right now, you don’t think that everything would be horrible and completely awkward for a while?”
Sharon’s tongue flicked out, licking her lips nervously as she stared at him. Her dark eyes were conflicted, but she was leaning slightly forward, and the expression on her face was wariness tinged with longing. He leaned forward too, lowering his voice. No one around them was listening, but it still felt like too private a moment to be louder.
“I like you, Sharon, a lot. Despite the fact that you’re not what I’ve always thought of as my type, or maybe because of that. I don’t want to stay stuck in limbo with you. If you want to go on some real dates, then we can do that, but I think we’ve both proved over the past few weeks that we do work in a real relationship. That’s what we’ve been doing, even if we haven’t called it that.”
He took a deep breath, still searching her face for a positive reaction, but feeling better with every word he spoke.
“I want to start calling it what it is.”
******
There weren’t many times in her life that Sharon felt like a coward, but this was one of them. It was made harder by the fact that Jake was being so straightforward, open, and honest. She liked to think that those words could describe her as well, and usually they could but...
If he were just an iota less earnest, she’d be avoiding answering... probably by making a really stupid joke.
He made some good points though. They basically were in a relationship. A relationship that she liked too. One where their lives meshed together really well.
The warm flutter in her chest really enjoyed hearing him say how much he liked her. This was... not what she’d expected. Yeah, she’d had a few thoughts that maybe there was something more developing between them than fuck buddies, that maybe Jake was starting to like her more than that, but there had also been a part of her which hadn’t really let herself it.
Yet here Jake was, saying he felt it too.
Wanted it to.
At the very least, she could be as brave as him about admitting it. She looked him straight in the eye and smiled ruefully.
“Our friends are going to give us hell. You know that, right?”
“Is that a yes?” he asked, sliding his hand across the table toward her. Sharon reached out and took it, his skin warm and comforting against hers.
She took a deep breath. “That’s a yes.”
They smiled at each other and – as much as Sharon hated to be cliché – it really did feel like the entire world stopped for just a moment. Her heart was pounding in her chest as Jake’s thumb swept across the side of her hand, their gazes locked, and it might be the most romantic moment of her life. Heat rose in her cheeks as she blushed, breaking their eye contact so she could pick up her fork, her appetite abruptly returning.
“So,” she said, clearing her throat a little awkwardly. Neither of them had relinquished hands, which meant Jake was eating with his left hand, but that wasn’t her fault. “Ah... how you doing?”
He laughed, as he was meant to, and Sharon felt herself relaxing again.
Surely, at some point, they had to stop having awkward moments, right? If not, at least they were getting used to them – and better at dealing with them.
“What do you want to do when we get back?” he asked cheerfully. “Do you have any plans?”
“No, I deliberately didn’t make any plans. I kind of figured I’d need some downtime after the weekend.” Catching his eye, she quirked her eyebrows at him, her head tilting to the side to indicate her crazy family.
Jake grinned at her. “Want to come over and have downtime with me?”
“Sure, sounds good.” It really did too. The last thing she needed was to go home alone where she’d just sit and overanalyze every moment
from the weekend and likely start second guessing herself. Plus, if they went to his place then she didn’t risk ambush by bestie, because she was sure Kate was going to want an update. Sharon would give her one soon, but she’d rather spend the afternoon with Jake and see how that went first.
Now that they had a plan – and food growing cold in front of them – they quickly finished their brunch.
Sharon couldn’t help but keep an ear and eye out for everything going on around them. She noticed that Courtney and Riley were sitting at a table with several other people, but that Joseph was nowhere to be seen. Melinda and Mark had reserved one of the other two-person tables, so they were present but so totally wrapped up in each other that they might as well have not been there. It didn’t stop people from stopping to talk to them for a moment, but no one stayed very long to keep chatting.
Her parents were at a table with several of her family members. More than once she saw them glancing over at her and Jake, her mother frowning when she saw Sharon and Jake holding hands, but that didn’t bother her. Honestly, her parents approving of a guy made her automatically wary.
As soon as they were done eating they stopped to say goodbye to her parents. Her mom gave them a hard look. “Would you like to sit down with us?”
It wasn’t really a question; the order was clear in her voice. Sharon just ignored it, smiling. She felt Jake’s hand gripping hers a little tighter and she could practically feel his worry she would say yes.
Fat chance.
While she was going to do her best not to embarrass him again this weekend, that didn’t mean sitting down for a breakfast lecture with her parents.
“No, sorry mom, we both have plans this afternoon we need to get back for.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jake shake his head, a small smile on his face at her claim. Her mother opened her mouth to protest, but Sharon was already leaning down to give her cheek a kiss. “Talk you later.”
Her mom’s mouth snapped shut, obviously realizing Sharon wasn’t going to be cooperative.
“Bye pops,” Sharon said, moving around her mom to give her dad a kiss too, dragging Jake behind her.
“It was nice to meet you,” her dad told Jake, shaking his hand.
Huh. Seemed like her dad might like Jake a little after all. Otherwise he would have just ignored him like her mom currently was.
“You too, sir,” Jake said seriously.
Then they made their escape.
They were still holding hands, all the way out to his car... and then the several hours all the way back to his place... Sharon could get used to this. Yeah, she and Jake had been acting like they were in a relationship for the past few weeks, but they definitely hadn’t been holding hands like this the whole time.
In fact, now that things were ‘official,’ he was being much more tactile, period.
Sharon totally approved. Of course, coming home meant they were going to have to face the next difficult task – their friends.
Chapter 18
Jake and Sharon had just settled down on his couch with a tray full of snacks, a beer for him, and a hard root beer for her, when someone knocked on his door. Frowning, he raised his head and turned to look, even though he obviously wasn’t going to be able to see anything. He just couldn’t imagine who would be showing up right now.
“Who is it?” Sharon asked. She was tucked into his side with his arm around her shoulders.
“No id-” he started to say when the person knocked again and called out. He groaned as he immediately recognized his sister’s voice.
“Jake! Jakie-poo! Let me in, let me in!” Lexie called out, the words only slightly muffled by the door.
Sharon giggled, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Is our line ‘not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin’?”
"Shh," Jake whispered back. "Maybe if we're really quiet she'll go away." They hadn't turned on the television yet, so there was a chance.
More knocking, this time even louder than before and then she started pushing the doorbell.
"Open up, Jake, I saw your car in the parking lot, so I know you're in there!" Lexie said the words in a kind of sing-song voice. Then she rang the doorbell again.
And again.
And again.
With a low groan, Jake slid his arm away from Sharon and stood up. His sister was stubborn; there was every chance that she would just keep it up until he answered. Since he didn't want the neighbors complaining about the noise, the only solution on his end was clear.
At least Sharon didn't seem to mind. She had her hand over her mouth, muffling her giggles as she looked up at him, her dark eyes filled with amusement. She would think this was funny. With a growl, Jake stalked away from the couch and over to the door, yanking it open and glaring down at his sister.
Despite being petite, both in height and size, Lexie was not at all intimidated by his scowl.
"What took you so long?" she demanded to know even as she wrapped her arms around him for a hug. Sighing in resignation, Jake returned the hug and transferred his glare to her so-called-Dom, who was standing behind her.
"Aren't you supposed to control her?" he asked crossly.
Patrick shrugged, grinning at him. "Only when I want to."
Pulling away from Jake, Lexie pushed into the apartment.
"Hey Sharon, what are you doing here?" Her voice went from surprised to sly and pleased. He didn't have to look to know she was making a bee line to the couch.
It looked like all their friends were going to find out about this new shift in his and Sharon's relationship sooner than they’d anticipated. Raising his eyebrows, Patrick stepped forward so they could exchange a hug as well - more of a bumping of chests and slapping each other on the back than the hug he'd just had with Lexie.
"He what?!" Lexie's excited shriek was audible all the way down the hall, even though Sharon's answer hadn't been. "Patrick, Patrick, come here! They're going out! Officially!"
"What is this, middle school?" Jake muttered under his breath, stepping back so Patrick could come into the apartment. He shut the door firmly behind them so they could stop bothering the neighbors. He doubted Lexie was going to get much quieter.
The deep rumble of Patrick's laughter didn't help.
******
Almost as soon as Lexie had gotten confirmation from Jake that yes, he and Sharon were officially together, she'd practically dragged Sharon down the hall to Jake's bedroom. Sitting down on the neatly made bed, Sharon couldn't help but be somewhat amused at how much neater Jake's room was than her own. She couldn't remember the last time she'd made her own bed.
Maybe it was an Army thing? Or maybe Jake was a little bit of a neat freak. It was something she hadn't really thought about before, but it seemed to matter a little more now that they were together.
Shutting the door and cutting off the sound of the men's deeper voices, Lexie squealed, taking a running leap and jumping onto the bed. Even though she felt a little nervous, Sharon laughed at her friend's antics.
They might be siblings and have the same black hair and bright blue eyes, but Lexie and Jake were nothing alike in so many ways. She was a bundle of mischief and energy and looked like a little pixie, whereas Jake tended towards being serious, calm, and looked like the brawny soldier that he was. It was no surprise that Sharon and Lexie had hit it off right away.
"Oh my God, I'm so excited, you have to tell me everything! No, wait, I mean, not everything everything, but everything that's not going to traumatize me!" Lexie's eyes were sparkling, and Sharon felt her nervousness melting away as she realized that Lexie was one hundred percent thrilled about her and Jake making things official. This wasn’t going to be a sisterly interrogation, just a friendly one.
Happy warmth bubbled up in her chest and her excitement started to rise. Yeah, she hadn't even told Kate yet, but... Kate would understand. Lexie had gotten to her first, and she was Jake's sister.
"Well, let's see... Friday night he was a total dick - he said he talke
d to you about that?" Sharon asked, and Lexie nodded, still practically bouncing in her seated position next to Sharon. "I was a bitch too, so it kind of evened out. Saturday morning we talked and made up, but then we had to get over to the hotel and we didn't really get any time together until the wedding was about to start. We may have snuck away during the reception."
Sharon smirked as Lexie made an enthralled noise. She looked torn between asking for the gritty details and wanting to remain in the dark.
"Coat closet," Sharon added on, making Lexie squeal with delight.
"Okay, I have to stop you there, just because he's my brother, but holy fuck!" Lexie smacked Sharon's arm. "At your cousin's wedding too! Dirty girl!"
"Hey, he's the one who insisted," Sharon retorted. "I wasn't sure, but he went all Captain Caveman on me and... Well, I went with the flow."
Giggling, Lexie bounced again in excitement. "Is that his new nickname? Captain Caveman?"
"Yes, and it totally works. Your brother has the whole manhandling alpha male thing going on and it is hot."
"I can agree in theory although not in specifics, since he is my brother." Lexie laughed. "Patrick does the same thing sometimes, but since I'm so small compared to him it's not like I'm hard to manhandle."
"Exactly." Sharon wiggled a little, not quite bouncing like Lexie was, but just her own little happy dance. She'd gone from feeling kind of wary about having to share with her friends, especially Lexie, to being able to really enjoy the excitement of officially being with Jake. "Anyway, so Saturday night went really well and then this morning at brunch he said we needed to talk. I totally thought he was going to say that when we got back here we should go back to just being friends, although we were never really friends exactly, but instead he said he wanted to make things official and be boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Hey, he's not a total idiot," Lexie said laughing. "It might have taken him longer than it should have, but he realized he needed to lock that shit down."
Sharon burst out laughing. "That's almost how he phrased it too!"
Suddenly Lexie’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh... I just realized, you have a magic vagina!”
