Summary: When friends move, you help out in exchange for pizza and beer. Those are the rules, even when you donât like beer and you like your friend way more than just a friend.
The offer had been simple enough. Jason offered you pizza and beer if you helped him move. You werenât sure how much help you could actually be, but you werenât about to pass up the chance to spend the day with your friend. Deep down, though, you wished this was a moving in together kind of move instead, but for as well as Jason knew you, he was no mind reader, especially when it came to your feelings for him.
You were surprised when you got out of the moving truck heâd rented to find all of the big furniture had already been moved in. You assumed that meant heâd already moved his gear to avoid any wandering eyes as well. Together, you spent all morning moving all of the smaller boxes in tandem. The time flew by as you both joked around with each pass in the hallway and stairwell.
Before you knew it, every last box was upstairs and you were busying yourself unpacking them while Jason took care of grabbing the pizza heâd promised you. This may not be your home, but you tried to add your personal touch to the apartment.
âHelping rewardâs here,â he announced as he set the pizza box and a couple of beers on the empty coffee table. You made a mental note to grab some large decorative books for him to put there. With a smile, you got up from your spot in front of the bookcase and joined him on the couch for a well deserved break.
The two of you had finished most of the pizza, and were quite satisfied youâd found the best pizza spot in the neighborhood, before Jason noticed he was the only one with an empty bottle. When he looked a little closer he realized you hadnât even touched the beer heâd grabbed for you.
âYou good over there?â he asked. You almost thought he might still be joking around and about to make some crack about some pizza spilled on your shirt. When you looked down and confirmed nothing had fallen onto your shirt, you couldnât hide the confusion that painted your face and furrowed your brows together.
âYeah,â you confirmed cautiously. âWhy?â
âI mean youâve busted your ass all day and now you wonât touch your beer,â he explained. âYou usually go drink for drink with me and now youâre not so it seems like somethingâs wrong.â
âIâm fine, I promise. I just donât like beer,â you explained. His puzzled look begged you to continue. âWhen weâre at the bar I always get mixed drinks or wine. Now if youâd made a pitcher of margaritas, you never would have had a chance to even try them. But a blender really isnât the top of the list to unpack.â
You may have answered his question, but you left him with so many more. He brought his own drink to his mouth in an attempt to hide his visible confusion. It almost worked, but you caught the way his brows furrowed from above the bottle.
âItâs probably safer this way anyway,â you remarked, trying to inject a bit of humor. âYou know me and tequila are a dangerous combination. Just like the song, sometimes it just means clothes start falling off.â
Jason hummed in absent agreement, but you could tell youâd already lost him. Heâd jumped down the rabbit hole of questions, and he wasnât going to be really listening, or at least processing what was said, until he reemerged.
âSo whyâd you come today?â he asked. âWhen I asked you, I told you Iâd get pizza and beer, so you knew I didnât have anything else to offer, but you still accepted.â
It felt like a now or never kind of moment. One of the ones where you could be bold or you could be practical. You mulled over your options for what felt like an eternity, and while you wanted to be bold, you didnât want to lose what you had. Instead of answering, you grabbed another piece of pizza to buy a little time. The eye roll you got in return told you Jason knew exactly what you were doing.
âI thought I could be helpful,â you finally answered as you finished your slice.
âThat doesnât feel like the whole answer,â Jason scoffed.
âMaybe,â you confirmed. âBut it also begs the question why you asked me to come help today if you already had everything moved in up here but some boxes in a half empty moving truck, or why Iâm the only person you asked to come help you?â
Taking a page out of your book, Jason snagged your untouched beer to avoid having to answer.
âYou want a full answer? Iâll give you as full an answer as youâll get for right now,â you began. Now it seemed you may have finally found the courage to be bold. âI wanted to spend time with you. Youâre always off wrangling supervillains and drug lords, which donât get me wrong is great and all. It has dropped the number of break-ins in my building to almost none. But that doesnât mean I donât miss you, because I do. I always do. A lot.â
He started to choke on his drink, telling you youâd given a little more of an answer than youâd wanted to give. You couldnât say you were a fan of this emotional vulnerability, but your chest did feel ever so slightly lighter. You tried to read his face for a moment for some sort of reciprocation, but feeling the heat rise in your own face forced you to turn back to your empty plate. Your eyes only darted back over to him once you heard the bottle connect with the table.
âMaybe I wanted to spend time with you too. Maybe I didnât want all of the noise with my brothers and Roy around, especially when they manage to break something.â With each âmaybe,â his voice grew a little more pointed and defensive, and you thought you could see a vulnerability that mirrored your own in his eyes. âMaybe I wanted this place to have your touch and feel like you. Maybe -â
You cut him off, leaning across the couch and kissing him. It was too rare in life that you got a second chance on a now or never moment, and you didnât want to squander it. You could only describe the feeling as a wave of excitement followed by a rush of relief when he raised his hand to your face and pulled you closer, returning the kiss.
âMaybe,â his voice was softer now, almost cracking, âMaybe Iâve wanted that to happen for a very long time.â
You felt breathless, but that didnât stop the smile from growing across your face. This time when you looked in his eyes, they seemed to share your mixture of excitement and relief. You couldnât help yourself as a small chuckle broke through.
âYou like me, you really, really like me,â you teased in a sing-song voice, only pausing to make kissy noises in the air. âYou like -â
Having had his own feelings confirmed, Jason cut off your teasing as he pulled you into another kiss. When you both finally let go, he kept his forehead pressed to yours, watching as your eyes shifted back into focus. He wore a self-assured grin as he said, âThereâs no maybe about that.â
âNo, I donât think there is,â you agreed. You sat back a little, trying to sear this moment into your memory forever. âWho wouldâve thought a stupid beer could make this happen?â
âI should have brought you some beer to not drink ages ago,â he joked, pulling you into his side and wrapping an arm around your shoulders. You settled into your contentment in his arms, knowing now you may never have to leave this feeling again. âNext time Iâll have tequila, it sounded like those consequences are fun.â
You rolled your eyes in response as you wiggled a little closer into his side. Yeah, some post-margarita consequences now sounded a lot more appealing.
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