Chapter 9 The Wrong Date
Trying to Move On
The Monday after Alex returned to work felt almost normal.
Almost.
His inbox had multiplied while he was sick, project deadlines had shifted, and three different clients wanted updates on construction schedules that refused to cooperate with reality. The familiar chaos should have been comforting.
Instead, Alex found himself checking the time far more often than usual.
Not because he wanted the workday to end.
Because someone was waiting at home.
Around noon, Chris leaned against Alex's office door.
"You survived."
Alex looked up from a stack of blueprints.
"Barely."
Chris laughed.
"We were starting to think Jamie was never giving you back."
Alex smiled despite himself.
"I don't think I had much choice."
"I've never seen anyone take care of another person the way he took care of you."
Alex's expression softened.
"Neither have I."
Chris studied him for a second before speaking again.
"So..."
Alex looked up.
"So what?"
"You ever going to start dating again?"
The question caught him off guard.
"I haven't really thought about it."
Chris folded his arms.
"It's been over a year since the breakup."
"I know."
"You work too much."
"I also know that."
"Our new architect has a friend."
Alex immediately frowned.
"Oh no."
Chris laughed.
"Just hear me out."
"I don't like where this is going."
"Her name's Rachel."
Alex sighed.
"Chris."
"She's smart."
"I believe you."
"Funny."
"I'm sure."
"And she owns her own landscape design company."
Alex leaned back in his chair.
"You've prepared this speech."
"A little."
"I noticed."
Chris grinned.
"Just one dinner."
"I don't know."
"What have you got to lose?"
Alex almost answered automatically.
Nothing.
Instead, an unexpected image flashed through his mind.
Jamie laughing over breakfast.
Jamie reminding him to take his medicine.
Jamie asleep at the dining table after staying awake half the night to monitor his fever.
Alex quickly pushed the thoughts away.
Chris was right.
Nothing had changed.
Jamie was his best friend.
That was all.
Agreeing to one date shouldn't feel complicated.
"Fine," Alex said at last.
Chris smiled triumphantly.
"I'll tell them Friday night works."
Alex nodded once.
"Just dinner."
"Just dinner."
As soon as Chris left the office, Alex stared down at the blueprints in front of him.
For reasons he couldn't explain, the decision didn't bring the excitement he expected.
Instead, it left him strangely uneasy.
That evening, Jamie was stirring tomato sauce when Alex walked into the apartment.
The familiar smell of garlic, basil, and fresh bread immediately welcomed him.
"You're home," Jamie said with a smile.
"I am."
Jamie looked up.
"You seem thoughtful."
Alex loosened his tie.
"I got ambushed at work."
Jamie laughed.
"By paperwork?"
"Worse."
Jamie turned down the stove.
"What happened?"
Alex set his briefcase beside the sofa.
"Chris arranged a blind date."
Jamie's hand froze around the wooden spoon.
Only for a heartbeat.
Then he smiled.
"Oh."
Alex noticed the pause.
"I haven't agreed to anything yet."
"You said he arranged it."
"I..."
Alex rubbed the back of his neck.
"I kind of said yes."
Jamie forced another smile.
"That's good."
Alex searched his face.
"You think so?"
"I do."
The words came out smoothly.
Far more smoothly than Jamie felt.
"You deserve to meet someone."
Alex watched him carefully.
"You really think that's a good idea?"
Jamie looked back toward the simmering sauce before answering.
"I think..."
He chose his words with care.
"...you've spent a long time focusing only on work."
Alex nodded slowly.
"Maybe."
"And if someone makes you happy..."
Jamie smiled gently.
"...I think that's worth exploring."
Every sentence felt heavier than the last.
Jamie meant every word.
He wanted Alex to be happy.
Even if that happiness eventually belonged to someone else.
The thought hurt far more than he expected.
Alex walked closer.
"You don't mind?"
Jamie laughed softly.
"Why would I mind?"
"We spend almost all our time together."
Jamie kept his attention on the pasta instead of Alex.
"We'll still be friends."
Friends.
The word settled heavily between them.
Jamie had repeated it to himself for months.
Best friends.
Roommates.
Nothing more.
He had promised himself not to expect anything else.
Now he had to prove he believed it.
"When's the date?" he asked.
"Friday."
Jamie nodded.
"I'll help you choose a tie."
Alex smiled.
"I knew you were going to say that."
"Someone has to make sure you don't embarrass yourself."
Alex laughed.
"I've become very dependent on your fashion advice."
Jamie smiled.
"Only fashion?"
Alex looked around the apartment.
"The cooking."
Jamie laughed.
"I walked into that one."
"And probably several other things."
Jamie quietly looked away.
He already knew.
Friday arrived much faster than either of them wanted.
After work, Alex stood in his bedroom staring at three different shirts spread across the bed.
Jamie knocked gently on the open door.
"Need a second opinion?"
Alex looked relieved.
"Please."
Jamie studied the options.
"The blue one."
Alex nodded.
"I was thinking that too."
Jamie stepped closer and adjusted the collar once Alex changed.
"You seem nervous."
"I haven't done this in a while."
"That's normal."
Jamie reached for the familiar navy tie.
"This one."
Alex watched Jamie knot it with practiced fingers.
"You've tied more of my ties than I have."
Jamie smiled.
"I know."
The room grew quiet.
Jamie smoothed the tie into place before stepping back.
"There."
Alex looked in the mirror.
"Think it'll work?"
Jamie met his eyes in the reflection.
"You look handsome."
He meant it.
That somehow made the compliment hurt.
Because someone else would be the one sitting across from Alex tonight.
Someone else would hear him laugh.
Someone else would discover the thoughtful, caring man hidden beneath the serious businessman.
Jamie swallowed the ache before it reached his face.
"You should go."
Alex hesitated.
"You'll be okay here?"
Jamie forced another easy smile.
"I've got editing to finish."
"You don't have to wait up."
"I wasn't planning to."
It was a lie.
The apartment felt strangely quiet after Alex left.
Jamie wandered into the kitchen and stared at the ingredients already waiting on the counter.
He had planned to make Alex's favorite lemon herb chicken.
Instead, he quietly returned everything to the refrigerator.
Cooking for one suddenly felt pointless.
He settled onto the sofa with his laptop open in front of him.
The photographs blurred together.
His attention never stayed on the screen for long.
Every few minutes he glanced toward the clock.
He hated himself for doing it.
He wanted Alex to enjoy the evening.
He truly did.
So why did every passing minute feel like another reminder that someone else might soon become Alex's favorite person?
Across town, Alex arrived at a quiet Italian restaurant fifteen minutes early.
Rachel greeted him with a warm smile.
She was intelligent, confident, and easy to talk to.
Their conversation flowed politely.
They discussed work.
Travel.
Favorite books.
Family traditions.
Everything a first date was supposed to include.
She laughed at his jokes.
He admired her passion for landscape architecture.
Objectively, the evening went well.
So why did something feel missing?
Rachel smiled as the waiter refilled their glasses.
"You seem like someone who doesn't spend much time talking about himself."
Alex smiled.
"I've been told that."
"So tell me something most people don't know."
Alex opened his mouth.
Then paused.
The answer that came to mind wasn't a story.
It was Jamie.
He almost said...
"My roommate makes the best chicken soup I've ever tasted."
Instead, he quickly changed direction.
"I used to rebuild old motorcycles with my grandfather."
Rachel smiled.
"That's a much cooler answer."
Alex laughed politely.
Yet throughout the evening, it kept happening.
Rachel mentioned loving bookstores.
He remembered spending entire afternoons helping Jamie browse cookbooks.
She admitted she couldn't cook.
He thought about Jamie dancing around the kitchen while baking bread.
She asked whether he preferred mountains or beaches.
He remembered the cabin by the lake and Jamie laughing beside the fire.
Every topic somehow circled back to the same person.
By dessert, Alex realized something unsettling.
The conversation wasn't bad.
It simply wasn't...
Easy.
With Jamie, silence never felt uncomfortable.
With Jamie, conversations wandered naturally from one subject to another without effort.
With Jamie, he never had to wonder what to say next.
For the first time, Alex found himself comparing another person to his best friend.
And no matter how hard he tried...
No one seemed to measure up.
Candlelight
By the time dessert arrived, Alex already knew there would not be a second date.
Rachel was kind.
She was intelligent, ambitious, and easy to talk to. Any of his coworkers would have described the evening as a success. There had been no awkward arguments, no uncomfortable silences that stretched too long, and no obvious incompatibilities.
On paper, she was exactly the kind of person he should want to know better.
Yet every smile felt politely measured instead of effortless.
Every conversation felt like two strangers carefully trying to impress each other.
Alex realized he was working far harder than he ever did with Jamie.
When Rachel excused herself for a moment, Alex leaned back in his chair and quietly watched the candle burning in the middle of the table.
He wasn't thinking about the date.
He was wondering whether Jamie had remembered to eat dinner.
The thought startled him.
He almost laughed at himself.
You're on a date, he thought. Why are you worrying about your roommate?
Rachel returned with an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry. My sister called."
"No problem."
She sat down again and looked at him for a long moment.
"Can I be honest?"
Alex nodded.
"Please."
She smiled kindly.
"I don't think you're really here."
Alex frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean..."
She searched for the gentlest words.