Chapter 2 Friends Without Trying
Falling Into Routine
Three weeks passed so quietly that Jamie barely noticed when seeing Alex every day stopped feeling unusual and started feeling completely normal.
Their friendship had never been planned.
It simply happened.
One evening turned into another. A beer after work became Saturday grocery shopping.
Casual conversations in the hallway became shared breakfasts before work.
Somewhere between helping Alex unpack the last moving boxes and arguing over which action movie deserved the title of "greatest of all time," Jamie realized they had slipped into each other's daily lives with surprising ease.
For the first time in years, Jamie found himself leaving his apartment without wondering if he would spend another day alone.
Saturday mornings became their unofficial tradition.
Alex would knock on Jamie's door around nine, always dressed in dark jeans, a fitted T-shirt, and sneakers that looked far too expensive for grocery shopping.
Jamie would already be ready, reusable shopping bags hanging from one shoulder.
"You ready?" Alex asked one Saturday morning.
Jamie smiled as he locked his apartment.
"I've been waiting five minutes."
Alex looked genuinely confused.
"You have?"
"You've been exactly five minutes late every Saturday."
Alex blinked.
"I have not."
Jamie laughed.
"You absolutely have."
Alex rubbed the back of his neck.
"You're actually keeping track?"
Jamie shrugged with an innocent smile.
"I notice things."
Alex shook his head.
"That's both impressive and a little terrifying."
They headed toward the neighborhood market together, falling into conversation as naturally as breathing.
Unlike many friendships that depended on constant excitement, theirs thrived on ordinary moments.
They debated which tomatoes tasted better.
They argued about whether crunchy or smooth peanut butter deserved to exist.
Jamie insisted fresh herbs made every meal better.
Alex insisted frozen pizza counted as emergency food.
"It absolutely does," Alex argued while placing two boxes into the shopping cart.
Jamie quietly removed one.
"It absolutely doesn't."
"It takes five minutes."
"It also tastes like cardboard."
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"You always judge my food."
"I improve your food."
Alex laughed.
"There is a difference?"
"There is."
Jamie placed fresh vegetables into the cart.
"One keeps you alive."
He added fresh basil.
"The other makes life worth living."
Alex couldn't argue with that.
By the time they reached the checkout counter, the shopping cart always contained roughly equal amounts of Jamie's carefully selected ingredients and Alex's practical necessities.
Neither of them remembered when they'd stopped separating their groceries.
After shopping, they usually stopped by a small neighborhood café.
The owner greeted them with a smile.
"The usual?"
Jamie nodded before Alex could answer.
"Please."
The older man disappeared behind the espresso machine.
Alex frowned.
"I didn't even order."
Jamie looked confused.
"You always get a large black coffee."
"I do."
"And an extra shot if you had meetings that morning."
Alex stared.
"...I did have meetings."
Jamie smiled.
"I know."
"You never asked."
"You don't have to."
The café owner returned carrying two cups.
One held a perfectly prepared cappuccino decorated with delicate foam art.
The other was a large black coffee with an extra espresso shot.
Alex looked between the drinks and Jamie.
"You've memorized my order."
Jamie suddenly became self-conscious.
"I guess."
"Why?"
Jamie shrugged.
"I don't know."
The truth was embarrassingly simple.
Because paying attention to Alex had never felt like work.
It happened naturally.
He noticed which shirts Alex reached for first.
He remembered that Alex preferred extra pepper on scrambled eggs but hated mushrooms.
He knew Alex always checked the weather before leaving home but still forgot to bring an umbrella.
He recognized the tiny wrinkle between Alex's eyebrows whenever work became stressful.
He knew exactly how many cups of coffee Alex drank before noon.
None of it had been intentional.
Jamie simply noticed.
Alex smiled warmly.
"I've never had someone remember something that small."
Jamie looked down at his coffee.
"I just have a good memory."
Alex wasn't convinced.
"I think it's more than that."
Jamie quickly changed the subject.
"So..."
He pointed toward the gym across the street.
"Ready to embarrass yourself?"
Alex laughed.
"You mean ready to embarrass you."
Their gym routines reflected their personalities perfectly.
Alex loved heavy weights.
He challenged himself constantly, pushing through every set with quiet determination.
Jamie preferred yoga, stretching, and functional strength training.
Watching Alex lift enormous weights while refusing to ask for help amused him endlessly.
Watching Jamie balance effortlessly in impossible yoga poses fascinated Alex just as much.
One afternoon, Alex wandered into the yoga studio after finishing his workout.
Jamie stood balanced on one foot with effortless grace.
"How are you doing that?" Alex asked.
Jamie smiled without losing balance.
"Practice."
"I'd break something."
"You'd probably break the floor."
Alex laughed.
"Very funny."
Jamie finally lowered himself onto the mat.
"You spend an hour lifting impossible amounts of weight."
"And?"
"You think standing still is harder."
"It is."
Jamie shook his head.
"We should trade workouts one day."
Alex immediately answered.
"No."
Jamie burst into laughter.
"I wasn't even finished asking."
"I already know the answer."
Despite teasing each other constantly, they never competed.
Instead, they quietly encouraged one another.
Alex praised Jamie whenever he mastered a difficult yoga pose.
Jamie celebrated every major project Alex completed.
Neither man realized they had become each other's biggest supporter.
Evenings belonged to the apartment balcony.
After dinner, they often carried mugs of coffee or tea outside and watched the city lights slowly appear beneath the fading sunset.
Sometimes they talked for hours.
Other nights they simply sat together in comfortable silence.
Jamie discovered silence wasn't awkward when shared with the right person.
One cool evening, Alex leaned back in his chair.
"I used to hate coming home."
Jamie turned toward him.
Alex stared at the skyline.
"My apartment always felt empty."
He smiled quietly.
"It doesn't anymore."
Jamie's heart skipped.
"What changed?"
Alex answered without hesitation.
"You moved in next door."
Jamie forced himself to smile naturally.
"I'm pretty sure I was already living there."
"You know what I mean."
Jamie did.
He simply didn't trust himself to say anything.
Instead, he sipped his tea while pretending the warmth in his chest came from the drink.
As the weeks continued passing, game nights became another tradition.
Alex usually lost.
Jamie never let him forget it.
"I think you're cheating," Alex complained after losing yet another racing game.
Jamie looked genuinely offended.
"I am deeply insulted."
"You should be."
"I beat you because I'm better."
"Lies."
"Excuses."
Alex narrowed his eyes.
"Rematch."
"Again?"
"I can still win."
Jamie grinned.
"I admire your optimism."
Hours later Alex lost again.
Jamie laughed so hard he nearly dropped the controller.
"You know..."
Alex sighed dramatically.
"...you're impossible."
Jamie smiled.
"So I've been told."
Alex looked at him for a long moment.
"I'm glad."
Jamie blinked.
"Glad?"
"You'd be boring otherwise."
The words stayed with Jamie long after Alex returned to his own apartment for the night.
Lying in bed, Jamie stared at the ceiling instead of sleeping.
When had this happened?
When had Alex's laugh become his favorite sound?
When had grocery shopping become the highlight of his weekends?
When had simple messages saying Good morning or Did you eat lunch? become the best part of his day?
Jamie already knew the answer.
It hadn't happened all at once.
It had happened one ordinary day after another.
One shared coffee.
One conversation.
One laugh.
One quiet evening.
Until suddenly Alex wasn't simply the neighbor next door.
He had become the first person Jamie wanted to tell good news.
The first person he looked for when coming home.
The first person he missed after only a few hours apart.
Jamie closed his eyes and smiled to himself.
He also reminded himself of something important.
Alex was his best friend.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
That was enough.
It had to be.
Even if every morning now began with wondering whether Alex would knock on his door.
Even if every evening felt brighter because Alex was somewhere nearby.
Even if seeing him smile had quietly become Jamie's favorite part of every single day.
The First Wife Joke
Monday mornings usually began with Jamie making coffee while the city slowly woke outside his kitchen window.
By eight o'clock he had already watered his plants, answered a few client emails about upcoming food photography projects, and pulled a loaf of fresh bread from the oven.
It was a peaceful routine that helped him ease into the week.
A knock interrupted the quiet.
Jamie smiled before opening the door because he already knew who it would be.
Alex stood in the hallway looking unusually tense.
His white dress shirt was neatly pressed, but the top button hung open, and a navy suit jacket rested over one arm. A leather portfolio was tucked beneath the other, while his expression carried the unmistakable look of someone whose mind had been working long before sunrise.
"You look like you've already fought three meetings," Jamie observed.
Alex sighed.
"I've got the biggest presentation of my career in two hours."
"The Riverside Development project?"
Alex nodded.
"If I get this contract, it'll be the largest project Carter Construction has ever handled."
Jamie stepped aside.
"Come in."
"I don't want to interrupt your morning."
"You already did."
Alex looked apologetic.
"I meant..."
Jamie laughed softly.
"I know what you meant. Coffee first. Worry later."