Work Text:
You absentmindedly ran your fingertips against the cold, supple leather of his jacket. You hadn’t meant to go home with it still on, but after a night of dancing and drinking, you somehow managed to slip away with it still draped over your shoulders when he made sure that you got home safely. It wasn’t until this morning that you even realized you still had it.
Last night had been like any other night out with your friends. All of you had wrapped up work for the day at convention, excited to all be together again, so you had decided to go out dancing. You had slipped on your favorite little black dress; form hugging, accented in lace, and cut dangerously low down the back. It was your favorite dress for going out, and more importantly, you had brought it along for this trip with the intention of capturing Rob’s attention. The only problem, you were sure that it hadn’t worked.
You pulled yourself from bed, making your way to the bathroom where you showered quickly before getting ready for the day. As you set out to do your makeup, you opened your music app, pushing shuffle, ready for some good music to get you started for your day. The first song to play was a bit too slow for your needs this morning, so you reached over to change it until you realized what song it was. You let your finger hover over the skip button, waiting for a moment as the lyrics finally kicked in.
Over and over and over again
I say that we’re just friends
Forget the implications
Infatuations end
If love’s so easy, why is it hard
I can’t imagine ever being apart
I’ll come back to you
It’d be brand new
But I promise
We’re just friends
It was the same song that had played last night at the club. For some reason, the lyrics spoke to you more now than they had last night. You decided against skipping it as you got ready; instead, you let the whole song play through; now thinking about the man that you considered to be one of your best friends and the way he had insisted that you dance with him. He had pulled you close to him, his hand firm against your back where the lace of your dress failed to cover your skin. His other hand gripped yours as he moved you around the dance floor. All you could remember was feeling as if you were floating; head buzzing from the alcohol, intoxicated on the scent of his leather jacket as you rested your head against his chest.
He had whispered the lyrics against your ear as you danced with him, and you couldn’t help but feel a bit sad over it now. It was almost as if he were reminding you that you would never be more than friends.
When it had been time to go home, you stepped out into the chilly night air with Rob and a few of your other friends. You hadn’t considered how cold it would be on the walk home, your main focus had been on making sure that he saw you in that dress. He must have noticed that you were cold, feeling ridiculous over your choice of skimpy clothing; because he slipped his jacket off and draped it over your shoulders as you walked home. You couldn’t help but note the weight; the way it immediately warmed you and felt smooth against your bare skin.
He grinned as he put it on you, “I don’t want my friend to be cold.”
Of course, the small gesture had been him simply taking care of a friend; that’s just who he was. You had to remember that he didn’t look at you as anything more than that. The man was gorgeous and you were nothing special.
When you were done getting ready for the day, you gathered your belongings, making sure to grab Rob’s jacket, knowing that it was his favorite and he was probably missing it by now. You carelessly brought it to your face, almost as if you weren’t even thinking about what you were doing. You inhaled deeply, trying to take in the scent, trying to remember every detail from last night. The jacket was well worn; he had owned it for a long time and it was his favorite. It was also your favorite thing to see him in.
Rob couldn’t stop thinking about her. He usually couldn’t stop thinking of her in general, but last night had left him a mess when he had seen the way she looked in that dress. He was certain that he didn’t take his eyes off of her the whole time. He had probably seen her in that dress before, but he had probably not paid too much attention in the past. They were friends, and he never looked at her as anything else.
Something had changed recently though. Although he prided himself on being a bachelor, the ultimate flirt with every woman that he hung out with, she hadn’t been any different. Well, that is, until recently. Until last night to be exact.
She walked into that bar; that dress hugging every curve, the lace giving small glimpses of skin that he only now wished he could see more of. It was classy, yet sexy enough to catch his attention. He had always been attracted to her, but he had been on his own for so long, reveling in how freeing it was to be a single man, he never considered dating her. That wasn’t who he was, and he was sure that’s not what she wanted. They were good friends, the type of friends who would talk to each other about potential love interests or, on lazy nights, hole up in a hotel room together to watch bad TV in their pajamas. They were comfortable around each other, and they usually joked with each other the same way he and his guys friends would joke.
Right now, he was scrambling around the room, trying to find his favorite leather jacket that he had worn last night. He was sure he had left the bar with it on, but now, he had no idea where it was. Almost as soon as he realized it was gone, he thought of her again. The way she looked in that dress, the way she had wrapped her arms around herself when they left the bar to offset the chill in the night air.
He remembered how he had noticed that she was cold, laughing to himself over the fact that she had neglected to bring her own jacket. Then, he remembered how he had seen every man in that bar look at her all night long. That dress was an attention getter. A part of him thought she had done it on purpose. So, he had taken his jacket off and slipped it over her shoulders, mostly to keep the other guys from staring at her like they had been doing all night long. He wasn’t one to feel jealous really, especially over someone who wasn’t his, someone who was a friend. But, last night, she certainly had him feeling very differently. He now thought about that dress, and the way it looked on her with his jacket resting carelessly over her shoulders.
By the time you were downstairs, Rob’s jacket had inexplicably found it’s way onto your body. You had slipped it on as you walked, trying to memorize the way that it felt on your skin. You imagined this is what it would feel like to be in his arms; warm and comfortable. You took in the scent again; a hint of spice, that intoxicating musk, and faint smell of sweat that you associated with him to begin with.
You hadn’t meant to wear it downstairs, but it was right there in your hand and you had fallen for the man so long ago, it was a comfort to feel him right now. He had told you on many occasions that you were one of his best friends. He often talked to you about other women that he met, and while you wanted to be a good friend, it was difficult to separate that friendship from the way you really felt about him. Not wanting to risk losing him as a friend, you pushed aside your feelings the best you could.
“Hey, Y/N,” you heard his voice come from behind you. You spun around, taking a deep breath when you saw him. “You do have my jacket. I was looking everywhere for it, I almost forgot I let you wear it.”
“Oh yeah,” you blushed nervously, now aware that you were wearing it again as if it belonged to you, “ sorry. I went back to my room with it still on. I didn’t mean to put it on just now, I guess I was cold.”
“You seem to be cold a lot,” he replied with a grin, “you should consider getting your own jacket.”
You felt your blush had intensified; unsure of whether he was joking now or actually upset that you kept wearing his jacket. You nodded, forcing a small laugh as you quickly began to remove the jacket.
“Hey,” he began, stopping you in your tracks, “why don’t you hold on to it for a while? I mean, until you’re warm or whatever.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’ve got soundcheck anyway, I’ll just get it back from you later.”
“Okay,” you mumbled, bringing it back over your arms until you were wearing it again. You eyed him nervously, but he only gave you side smile, looking at you almost approvingly.
“It looks good on you,” he pointed out before he turned to leave.
You stood there for a moment, smiling to yourself as you watched him leave.
Later that night, you sat backstage as the band played through their set. You were still wearing the leather jacket, listening as they played some of your favorite songs. It wasn’t until about halfway through the set that Rob announced that he wanted to play something a little different.
“This one is for someone who is very close to me,” he had said before the band went into the song. You recognized it almost immediately. How could you forget? It was the same song that you and Rob had danced to last night. Hearing it now, coming from him, made your chest ache a little. Again, it was as if he were reminding you of what you were to him.
You sat through the song regardless; listening to the words and feeling like an idiot over everything. Why had you bothered with the stupid dress? It hadn’t been meant for anyone else but him, and he didn’t even care. You wondered why you were still wearing that damn jacket; the same one that you had been in all day that only reminded you of him, that made you think about what it would be like to have him hold you.
Over and over and over again
I try to make amends
For everything that I’ve done wrong
My whole world just spins
Make some coffee, hold me up
Try to talk me out of giving up
I’ll come back to you
It’ll be brand new
But I promise
We’re just friends
You stood as he worked through the last half of the song, removing his jacket and leaving it draped over the back of the chair before you walked out of the theater. You didn’t bother to listen to the final refrain, you wanted him to stop reminding you.
All these years you had foolishly tried to hint to him that you cared for him more than as just friends. You had dropped cues that you wanted him, and all for nothing. All he could do was constantly remind you that he wasn’t interested.
“That’s enough,” you said to yourself as you walked out, trying to tell yourself that you were being stupid.
When Rob left the stage, adrenaline running high from the intense show that they had just put on, he immediately scanned backstage for her. He couldn’t see her among the crowd of people gathered.
“Hey, Rich,” he said when he found his friend, “have you seen Y/N?”
“She was here. She left about halfway through your set though,” Rich explained. He pointed over to the chair where he had seen her sitting last, “she left your jacket.”
“Oh,” Rob said softly. He walked to the chair, picking it up, wondering where she had gone to and why she had left it behind. He quickly slipped it on, noticing that it was still warm from her body heat. He took a deep breath, frowning that it still smelled the way it always had. The only difference was the subtle hint of of her perfume that seemed to be fading fast.
He knew he had to find her, and he knew where she would be.
You were startled from your thoughts by a knock at your door. You got out of bed to answer it, checking the peephole only to see that Rob was standing there. You hesitantly opened your door to greet him.
“Rob?” It was all you could manage to say upon seeing him. He had obviously gone straight from the show to your room, and he was now wearing his jacket that you had left behind.
“Hey, Y/N,” he said softly, blue eyes staring at you, “can we talk?”
“Um, sure,” you moved aside, allowing him to enter your room. You were nervous again, just waiting for the moment when he decided to tell you to just back off, stop whatever it was that you were trying to do. You waited for him to tell you that he didn’t think of you the same way that you thought of him.
“You left my jacket,” he said after a moment.
“I figured you’d want it back.”
“Yeah, it’s my favorite one.”
“Well, I know you didn’t mean for me to end up with it all day.”
“I said you could wear it,” he reminded you, “I said I’d get it back later.”
“Did you really come here to discuss your jacket?” You asked.
“Sort of,” he mumbled. “I was hoping you’d wear it long enough so that when I did get it back, it would smell like that perfume you always wear.”
“What?”
“I could smell it when I put it on, just barely,” he continued, “by the time I got to your room, it seems to have worn off already.”
“What are you talking about?” You questioned him, now confused by what he was getting at.
“I mean, I like you, and I miss you when you’re not around.”
You felt your breath catch, even more confused over what he was saying to you. On one hand, you sometimes felt like the flirting was mutual, but that’s how he was with everyone. On the other hand, the man had literally just sang a song directed at you about being just friends.
“Rob,” you began, feeling a bit upset now, “I don’t understand… that song…”
“I know,” he cut you off. He ran a hand against the back of his neck, looking suddenly very guilty. “I know what I was insinuating with that, but it was mostly me trying to convince myself, to convince you that we are just friends.”
“Well, you did a great job of convincing me.”
“But, I went backstage to see you, and instead, I saw my jacket just sitting there, my jacket that looks so fucking good on you and it drives me crazy to see you in it, and you were gone.”
“I don’t understand,” you replied, shaking your head.
“I mean, you are my friend, you always have been. But, last night… seeing you in that dress, dancing with you, seeing you in my favorite jacket… I-I can’t keep pretending that I don’t wish that we could be more.”
“I’ve been flirting with you for so long,” you began, “I’ve constantly dropped hints that I was into you, and you constantly friend zoned me.”
“I know,” he replied, “because you scare me a little.”
“I’m scary?”
“It scares me how into you I am. I’ve been single for so long, I don’t know how to handle the way I feel about you.”
“What changed?”
“Everything changed when I saw you in this,” he said as he removed his jacket. He reached around you, draping the the smooth leather over your shoulders the way that he had done last night. You took in the way that it felt against you, the warm scent hitting you immediately.
“I’m really confused,” you said.
“That’s because you don’t see what I see when I look at you,” he replied. He smiled warmly at you, studying you as you tried to make sense of what he was doing. “Will you hang onto it for a while longer? I meant it when I said I just wanted something to remind me of you when you’re not around.”
“Rob, we’re just friends,” you reminded him.
He shook his head as he stepped closer to you, placing his hands at your hips as he pulled you closer to him. “No, we’re not just friends. No matter how much I try to tell myself that we are, I know that I’m falling for you.”