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35
LEO
“Jas,I told you not to write that article,” Ethan says, staring him down.
Jasper leans back in Ethan’s swanky office chair like he owns the place, putting his feet on the desk and his hands behind his head like a real pain in the ass. He makes himself at home in Leo’s office every chance he gets, imagining the day when he’ll be moved from cube-life to his own private spot complete with a kick-ass view of the city. Problem is, that will never happen. Only the rain-making sales guys atSports, Inc. get offices.
Jasper’s not on track for that, just like I am not.
We could win Pulitzer prizes and still be stuck with cubes.
And Ethan clearly wants his seat back.
Jasper throws his hands up like it’s no big deal. “Look, how the hell was I to know Ava would see it? Why would a woman who doesn’t even know who the New York Knicks are readSports, Inc.?”
In an effort to get his seat back, Ethan places his hands on the chair back and shoves it forward, nearly spilling Jasper to the ground.
I try not to laugh.
Several times a week, Jasper sits his ass in Ethan’s office, and Ethan boots him right back out.
“I don’t know, man, but maybe, just maybe, she read it because she works for the same company that publishes it, and is hanging out with three guys who work there?” I say.
He shrugs. “Okay, fine Leo. I get that. But it’s not like any of the three of us are rushing to readGlisten, right? I mean, that would be a bridge too far.”
Ethan clears his throat loudly while he reclaims his seat.
“You did not,” Jasper guffaws.
“Well, we are, um, sleeping with her, Jas. Aren’t you a little curious about her? And her work?”
His eyes widen. “You too, Leo? Holy shit, both you losers are readingGlistennow. You’ll have to report back to me on the ‘best tampons’ and ‘how to get your guy’,” he laughs.
“Whatever, dude,” I say. “Look, you got yourself into the dog house and getting back out is not my problem. She asked us not to send any more flowers to her office, so you can’t fall back on that for yourmea culpa.”
Jasper stares out Ethan’s office windows, generally looking anywhere but at the two of us, denying to himself what I’ve known all along.
He likes Ava. Always has. He tried to fuck his crush on her out of his system by bedding every beautiful woman in New York. Didn’t work. He pretended she was just some uppity, annoying chick with too many scented candles and pillows. He’s bitched endlessly about the ugly green easy chair in the corner of the living room she likes to read in, but I think he was just upset she pays more attention to her books than him.
Truth is, he normally would not even have noticed an ugly green chair unless it caught on fire. The man has terrible taste and wouldn’t know a decent piece of furniture if it bit him in the ass.
No. I can see right through my friend. Unfortunately, what I see, he doesn’t. After all this time, he still has no freaking idea about his feelings for her.
I’m not exactly mister sensitive guy or some sort of relationship expert. I just know what I know. And I’m not nearly the Neanderthal Jasper is.
I say that with great affection. The man’s my buddy.
Ethan pinches the bridge of his nose like a headache is coming on. “Jas, just pick up some of her favorite ice cream. Fill the freezer with it. It’s not that hard. Start thinking with something other than your little head for a change. She’ll love you forever.”
Oh shit. The ‘L’ word.
That word is forbidden, dangerous and toxic as it is. Hey, we might be trying not to be complete assholes, but with do have our limits.
And Ethan just slipped past one of them.
But Jasper chooses to ignore it. “I guess I could do that. But I’m not sure what kind of ice cream she likes.”
