Chapter Text
The thing is, Brienne really hadn’t planned to say yes. In fact, in those moments following Jaime’s last remark, a whole range of expletives danced through her head, mostly involving how exactly he could go and fuck himself.
Then the thought of going home, back to the damp little house with people she doesn’t like, and trying to get through her reading there floats back into her head. Whatever she said to Catelyn, the prospect isn’t great. She’s too tall for her desk so will have to sit on her bed and she’ll get cold and sit under the duvet and will end up napping instead.
Wow, if accepting the invite of an irritating guy she met a few days ago is the most sensible course of action, something is really wrong with her life.
‘Why are you asking me?’ she says, unable to shake her suspicions regarding his intentions.
‘I don’t know, to be honest,’ he says, quite carelessly and avoiding her eye. ‘There’s a troll in the hallway I need help defeating. I’m trying to balance my karma from the atrocities I committed on my gap year. I’m planning to steal your work and submit it as my own.’
‘With that hospitality, you could run a B&B.’
‘People say that a lot.’
Brienne hesitates. It’s clearly the reasonable thing to say no, isn’t it? Except surely the most reasonable course of action is the one that involves getting the most reading done, and if Jaime’s telling the truth about an office room …
‘All right,’ she says. Concentrated stress and sleep deprivation have probably eliminated her ability to make decisions with any kind of clarity. ‘I’ll come.’
Jaime blinks. For all his insistence, he clearly hadn’t expected her to say yes.
‘So,’ Brienne says. She’s made her bed now, she’ll be damned if she won’t lie in it. ‘Where do you live?’
Jaime’s flat could be very nice, if anyone else lived there. Nobody does, and so it’s an absolute tip.
The worst part – as far as Brienne is concerned – is how easily it could be a good living space. It’s in a relatively new building, so has none of the damp or structural issues she’s facing with her house. The furniture is clearly from IKEA’s minimalist range, but that means it all matches. The kitchen even has massive windows, so there’s tons of natural light.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to appreciate all of that when there’s crap everywhere.
‘I’d say I wasn’t expecting to have anyone round,’ Jaime says, kicking an empty Amazon box out of his way, ‘but it always looks like this.’
Brienne is about to say something cutting or polite – she hasn’t decided which yet – when she steps on something that squishes unpleasantly. She jumps backward, to see a broken stress ball where her foot had been.
‘The office is all right,’ Jaime says brightly. He either hasn’t noticed her discomfort or has chosen stoically to ignore it. ‘It’s through here.’
Stepping gingerly, she follows him through the living room. There’s the windowsill lined with whiskey bottles she saw on his Instagram. Most of her uni friends are the nerdy and clean type; she’s been foolish to forget that this type of mess is ordinary.
Coming here was clearly a terrible idea, but she’s in too far to get out now. It’s started to feel like a test of her ability to study in different environments.
Surprisingly, he is telling the truth about the office. It’s crowded, with boxes piled up by the door and some miscellaneous gym equipment shoved next to the desk, but there’s space for a person to sit and work. The desk by the window, too, making it as light as the kitchen.
‘See? I said it was nicer.’ He sounds way to proud, for someone who has narrowly avoided ruining every space in his flat.
‘Yes, you did.’ She tests the desk chair. He must have used it a handful of times; it’s set up for someone of their height. ‘This is alright, actually.’
‘No need to embarrass me with your gratitude,’ he says. ‘But hey, if someone can get use out of it. Oh, and the wifi password is on the back of the printer.’
And with that, he leaves her.
Brienne starts to take her stuff out. There’s an outlet next to the desk, so she plugs her laptop in and starts sorting through her notes. She doesn’t have a hard copy of the reading, so will have to make notes instead of annotating it. Otherwise she’s not going to retain anything.
God, Jaime is a Lot weirder than he initially let on – and a lot harder to predict. She’ll think she’s got to grips with the type of student he is – athletic, partying – and then he’ll say something that will throw her assumptions off completely.
How does anyone get an 87? And, how does anyone who looks like that - because, even if she’s thinking rationally, it would be a waste of time to pretend he isn’t attractive – be consistently this odd when he has more than two braincells? If he were hot and stupid, it would be different.
Right. She needs to concentrate. The whole point of coming here was to get work done. It would be massively counterproductive to get so distracted by trying to figure Jaime out that she doesn’t finish the reading. She takes her phone out of her pocket, intending to set it on aeroplane mode, and freezes when she sees a text from Catelyn.
Remember to take breaks! Rest is important too xx
She should tell Catelyn that she’s here. She should tell anyone that she’s here; it would be monumentally stupid to go to a strange guy’s house and not leave any kind of trail. At the same time, the thought of prompting that conversation is about as appealing as taking on a bear one-handed.
Brienne puts her phone down and opens the reading.
To his credit, for the next two hours Jaime leaves her to it. She can hear him occasionally, moving about and then sounds of a TV, but he neither interrupts nor reveals a plan to kidnap her.
(She would be quite impressed if a plan did exist. For all his bravado, he’s not going to take her in a fight, and even if he’s got backup, what would they do with her then? She would be a very boring hostage).
She’s two-thirds of the way through the reading – which isn’t bad, given its length and density – when he wanders through the door, carrying cups of jelly and two spoons.
‘Snack?’ he offers one. It’s bright orange, according to the lid it’s pineapple flavour. Brienne politely shakes her head.
‘Making progress?’ there aren’t any other chairs in the room, so he pulls a large inflatable ball out of the pile of gym equipment and sits on that.
‘Some,’ she says. It’s quite disconcerting to watch him eat Jell-O and bounce slightly at the same time. ‘I have to ask, though.’
‘What?’ He must have taken his jacket off because he’s just wearing a T-shirt now. It looks good, damn it.
‘Do you usually invite people round to use your office?’
He stops bouncing. ‘No.’
‘Why, then? It’s been helpful and I’m grateful but it’s still … weird.’
‘I haven’t invited anyone else because I don’t think any of my friends know how to read,’ he says, with a slight laugh. ‘I mean no, that’s not true, but like, none of them are going to read for fun.’
‘You do know this is uni work, right? I don’t pick articles like this for my holiday reading.’
‘And yet you’re so dedicated to your studies that you’re up all night.’
She blinks. ‘I was working during the day. I guess you can’t relate, but some of us have jobs.’
‘How come you’re here now, then?’
‘It’s not every day. Why did you ask me here?’
‘Call it a random act of goodwill. I’ve pushed a lot of nerds around, aren’t I allowed to give something back?’
‘So this is meant to make you feel better about being a shitty person?’
‘Yeah. Something like that.’
‘Great.’
‘Plus, you’re like, an inspiration.’ He says it with such forced sincerity that she realises, with a jolt, that this whole conversation is intended to wind her up. ‘Seeing you so hard at work reminds me of my own laziness and – ’
‘All right, I get it. Very funny.’
‘I’m not horrible,’ Jaime amends, now ripping open the second jelly cup and eating it. ‘You keep looking at me like I’m some type of supervillain.’
‘Well, you seem to swing between wanting me to hate you and being offended that I might,’ she counters.
‘Mmm,’ he says, in vague assent. ‘Have fun with that.’
Brienne looks at the desk. Two-thirds of the reading is better than none. If she commits, she can finish the rest at home. ‘I should go.’
‘I’ve got other snacks,’ he says quickly. ‘And I was thinking about ordering a pizza at some point.’
He’d be the despair of any personal trainer, with the amount of crap he eats.
‘I’m good, thanks.’ She closes her laptop and unplugs it, keenly aware that he’s watching her. She didn’t get a lot of stuff out, though, so collecting it all doesn’t take long.
Jaime gets up just as she starts towards the door, as though to walk her out. She hadn’t expected him to move, so only just stops short of walking into him.
‘Sorry,’ she says automatically, suddenly aware of how close to her he’s standing. She’s a little taller, but only a little. At this proximity she normally towers over people, whereas his face is just there.
He makes an inarticulate noise, and is staring at her – at her eyes – which is not horrible, but not really ideal either.
‘Well, uh, thanks,’ she says, touching his forearm lightly and squeezing past him to get out the door.
This is going to make an interesting story, at least. Not one she can tell to Catelyn (that way a lecture lies) but Asha’s bound to get a kick out of it.
‘Hey!’ Jaime’s followed her out of the office. She stops. Is this the point where he reveals he’s been filming for a prank YouTube channel? She’d hardly be surprised.
‘What?’
‘I…’ he’s having some trouble. ‘You’re welcome, uh, to come round again. If you need a study space.’
Brienne stares. ‘I’ve got shit to do. I can’t be your motivational guide, or whatever the hell you’re trying to get out of this.’
‘Right,’ Jaime says. ‘I know, I mean, that’s cool; nerds aren’t really my thing anyway. That’s good, whatever.’
Yeah, Asha will love this.
‘What, exactly,’ Brienne says, knowing if she doesn’t clarify this now it’s going to annoy her forever, ‘did you want to get out of this? Was “studying” meant to be some kind of euphemism? Because if so you definitely picked the wrong person.’
‘Yeah, getting girls to “study” with me is the number one way to get laid,’ he says, so acidly that she flinches.
‘God, I’m not – if I thought you were hitting on me, I wouldn’t have come.’
‘Well now you’re hurting my feelings.’
‘And why do you keep offering me food? Have you spiked it? I know you’re doing something but that would be – ’
‘Spiked it?’ his incredulity sounds genuine enough for her to doubt her suspicions. ‘Jesus, it’s not that inconceivable that someone would want to spend time with you.’
‘Right. It’s quality time you’re after. Can’t possibly get that from anyone else so you’ve decided to fixate on me.’
‘That’s different. You’re not – ’
‘If you’re about to say I’m not like other girls I will punch you,’ she says, furiously. This would be the first time she’s been someone’s manic pixie dream girl – and maybe grumpy study goblin would be a better name – but that doesn’t mean she’s happy about it.
‘Fuck’s sake,’ Jaime looks down, and then back up at her. ‘I don’t know why I like you. You’re insufferable.’
‘Thank you. I’ll be sure to come by next time I want to be insulted.’
‘Did you hear what I said? We spent what, a few hours being stressed in a café and now I…’
She falls silent, unsure where this is going.
‘I keep thinking about you,’ Jaime says, as though dredging the words out of him are a tremendous effort. ‘And I just want, I don’t know, to know you better or some shit like that? But you look like you’re always busy so I thought – oh, never mind. Doesn’t matter. You can go. It’s fine.’
‘You could have just asked if I wanted to hang out,’ Brienne says. No part of this conversation is making the slightest bit of sense.
‘Would you have said yes?’
‘I don’t know, because you didn’t ask.’
‘Fine.’ He sets his jaw. ‘Do you want to get a drink – or a coffee – at some point?’
‘Would you spend the whole time insulting me?’
‘No. Unless you have pineapple on pizza, in which case you’ve brought it upon yourself.’
‘All right, then.’ She takes a breath and the motion makes her realise how tense she is. She can feel the air between them. None of her university experience has primed her to deal with a situation like this.
Jaime’s chest falls slightly as he lets out the smallest breath. ‘I don’t know why I like you,’ he says, again.
‘That’s not a compliment,’ she says, though the technical part of her mind is fussing over how he’s defining like here. Granted, he probably doesn’t have any friends similar to her, but he has to realise how that sounds…right?
‘I just want to…’ he says, but doesn’t finish the sentence. He’s gone back to looking at the carpet. She had no idea somebody that tall and good-looking could be so awkward.
‘Want to what?’
He looks at her, and something seems to snap inside him. He steps forward, so quickly that his foot collides with a bag and he trips, hurtling forward and colliding with her. Brienne reacts instinctively, catching hold of him and stopping him from falling any further. He isn’t light, but she’s strong enough to pull him upright.
There’s an awkward pause as Jaime regains his balance.
‘That was dramatic,’ she says, with a controlled calm that doesn’t betray how fast her heart is thudding in her chest. ‘You already had my attention, there was really no need.’
He looks at her, somewhere between amused and annoyed. ‘I was trying,’ he says, making a very deliberate show of stepping forward more carefully, ‘to do this.’
And then all of a sudden he’s right there, leaning in and kissing her with the same urgency as he’d first started forward with.
Brienne’s surprise is twofold: first at Jaime and then at herself. That is, once she gets over the shock of being kissed (and by this beautiful yet absolutely ridiculous guy) she’s surprised at quite how much she’s enjoying it. She’s had enough half-hearted kisses to know when someone really means it, and, well – he does. His mouth is insistent against hers, his broad arms wrapping around her and his chest is warm through his shirt to her hands, which have taken matters into their own accord and are pressed against him.
‘So I was right,’ she says, when he pauses, ‘studying was a euphemism.’
Her hands are still on him; she feels rather than hears the laugh run through his body.
‘You got the reading done,’ he says. ‘It’s win-win.’
Brienne traces a finger along his jawline. There’s something satisfyingly powerful about him; even if guys are as tall as she is, she’s still worried she might be too strong or too heavy and break them somehow. Leaning against Jaime, she’s balanced.
‘I didn’t finish it,’ she says. ‘I’ve got twenty pages left.’
‘Please tell me you’re not about to leave so you can read them.’
She really should. It’s only twenty pages; if she makes a cup of tea, turns off her phone WiFi and sits up in bed it ought to be manageable. But to let go of Jaime, to turn her back on him and walk calmly from his flat – right now, that’s beyond her.
God, it really has been a long time since she’s had a decent kiss.
‘I’ve been doing a lot,’ she says. ‘I think I deserve a break.’
‘Tell me something,’ she says, some time later. The rest of the afternoon has proved interesting. Jaime’s bedroom, it transpires, is the only part of the flat to not be a mess.
‘What?’ Jaime looks over at her. His bed is big enough for both of them to spread out, but he’s only inches away.
‘If you can afford a flat, you can afford a cleaner. Unless you have one already but after this room they all quit out of despair.’
‘You really think I should subject someone to sorting through week-old crisp packets? I’m a slob, not a monster.’
If she hadn’t had such a good time, Brienne would be very disappointed in her life choices right now.
Well, she’s still the smallest bit disappointed. This type of impromptu hookup is about as far away from her regular habits as skydiving would be to an emu. She only met him a few days ago. He could still turn out to be a taxidermist or a Tory or something like that. She’s very slightly worried that she might not mind if he were one of those things when he’s this good in bed.
‘I’ll be honest,’ Jaime says, still conversationally, ‘I didn’t think you’d be up for, well, ’ he nods at the bed.
‘I didn’t think I’d be up for it,’ she admits.
‘Guess I’m just that irresistible,’ he says.
‘Don’t let it go to your head.’ She pushes his face away playfully with one hand.
‘Oh, I intend to.’ He grabs her hand and kisses her, first on the mouth and then on the neck. ‘Thought you’d be too sensible to sleep with me, didn’t you?’
‘Mmh,’ she mumbles, too distracted to respond properly. Then, when he finally releases her, ‘You didn’t plan this, either.’
‘Maybe I’m just being modest.’
‘Yeah, sure.’ There’s a clock on his wall; she angles her head to read it. ‘Crap, I should go.’
‘I thought you were about the all-nighter lifestyle,’ he says, nudging her shoulder.
‘I need dinner.’
‘I can order a pizza, remember?’
She shakes her head, and forces herself to get up. ‘No, I’ve got loads of vegetables I need to use up. I was going to do a curry.’
He groans. ‘I thought you’d finally stopped being reasonable.’
‘Don’t know what gave you that idea.’ Her bra has managed to wedge itself under the bed. She retrieves it and dresses hastily.
‘Let’s get your number at least.’
She unlocks her phone and passes it to him. ‘Add yourself.’
‘You’re sure I can’t tempt you to pizza?’
Brienne sits on the edge of the bed to pull her shoes on. ‘I think you’ve done enough tempting for one day.’
She’s not even all the way home when the first text appears in her inbox. Jaime doesn’t identify himself but the content – so when’s round 2?? [devil emoji] – speaks for itself. She doesn’t respond immediately, mostly because the bus is going over a particularly bumpy patch of road and there’s no way she’ll be able to type legibly.
After a few minutes, she writes you’re going to have to buy me another coffee first and then sends it before she can change her mind.
The reply is almost instantaneous. fair enough. when are u next in the library?
This has been a strange week, Brienne thinks, starting to type a reply. Oh shit, she’s going to have to tell Catelyn – this is too big to keep from her – and Catelyn is going to kill her. What’s Brienne going to be able to offer as a defense? “Yeah, he’s a bit of a dickhead, but he’s also weird as hell and the sex was great?” Something tells her that’s not going to hold up.
Asha, at least, should be on her side. Brienne makes a mental note to tell her first.
Another text from Jaime arrives. u still there? didn’t think youd be the sort to love em and leave em.
Maybe I am, she writes back, adding before he can get mock-outraged, Monday works for me x.
If nothing else, this whole thing has stopped her worrying about that bloody essay.