#because truth

James sighed when she disappeared down an aisle after giving them both a smile.

“You gotta talk to her tonight, James,” Jack muttered. “You’ve been pining over her for months now.”

“I… that’s… I have not been pining.” James felt his cheeks turn pink.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Well what would you call it then? You go to her coffee shop twice a week and sit there for an hour.”

James raked his hands through his hair. “Studying! The caffeine wakes me up, and the shop is quiet!”

“Considering you have a new story each time about how brilliant Rose is, I think I know what you’re studying.”

James groaned. “I know, I know,” he mumbled. “And I’ve tried to talk to her, but you know how I get when I’m nervous. I talk about everything except whatever I actually want to talk about.”

Jack tilted his head. “Well, you have a few minutes right now to plan it out. Think of something to say. Ask her about her art. Tell her you’d like to see her sometime other than Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at three. Just… say something.”

James pressed his tongue to the back of his teeth. Chatting up girls has never been his strength. Just talking to a girl he liked was a disaster, more often than not. He rambled and stuttered and went off on the most ridiculous tangents, about pointless things like John Mark carrying the torch in the 1948 Olympics, or the brilliant invention of edible ball bearings.

But Jack was right. After four months, he needed to work up the nerve to actually talk to Rose, or just let his crush go.

He spent the next few minutes remembering the effortless way Jack talked to women. Somehow, he always managed to say exactly the right thing, and in a voice that just seemed to make women melt.

When Rose came back up to check out, Jack played the good wingman and immediately found something to make him look busy. James wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers when she came over to him and set her basket down on the end of the conveyor belt.

Rose smiled at him as he started scanning her purchases. “Is it always this quiet at night?”

He bobbed his head. “Oh yes. The only people who come in after ten are…” Behind Rose, Jack shook his head furiously, and James shut his mouth with a click before he could set off on a ramble. “I mean… most people are asleep,” he finished lamely.

She nodded and twisted a piece of hair around her finger. “That’s true.”

There were only three things left in her basket—tea, milk, and biscuits. James cast about frantically for something to say, anything at all.

Finally, a line from his cashier training returned to him. “So… did you find everything you were looking for today, or… did you need some help with that?”

James wanted to die as soon as the words left his mouth. It should have been a completely innocent question, but instead, he’d mixed up his customer service training with his earlier musings about Jack’s chat-up style, turning it into a horribly inappropriate attempt at seduction.

Really, James? “Or… did you need some help with that?” What were you expecting, that she’d flutter her eyelashes at you and say, “Well actually… I was looking for you.”

Even from ten feet away, James could hear Jack choke on his laughter. His face was burning up, and he just wanted to sink into the floor and never come out.

He hit the total button, but couldn’t bring himself to repeat the number out loud to Rose. Thankfully, she seemed willing to leave the store without talking to him again, because she put her card in the machine and typed in her pin without saying a word to him.

The wait for the machine to approve her purchase seemed interminable, but finally, the register dinged and printed her receipt out. James tore it off and handed it to Rose, along with her bag, all while avoiding eye contact.

When he realised she was still standing in front of him, even though she had all her things, James took a deep breath and looked up at her, an apology ready.

But Rose was smiling at him, the tip of her tongue peeking out. “Actually, there is something you could help me with.”

The studied nonchalance on her face made his heart beat faster. “Oh?” he said, not trusting his runaway mouth with more than a single syllable.

Her smile widened. “Yeah. There’s this bloke who comes into my coffee shop every Tuesday and Thursday. Gorgeous, really great hair, and always holds the door open for everyone coming in and out. I’ve been wanting to get to know him better… think you might be able to help with that?”

“Maybe?” James squeaked, then cleared his throat. “I mean, absolutely. I happen to know he’s been wanting to get to know you, too.”

Rose lit up, showing little gold flecks in her brown eyes. “Maybe we could get chips together tomorrow afternoon? One o’clock, at the chippy around the corner from our building?”

James’ cheeks hurt from smiling. “Rose Tyler, I promise you he will be there.”