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Little Daydreamer
“Chris! Chris!”
Chowder broke off his conversation with Jack and looked over his shoulder to find Nursey hurrying across the bar to him. It wasn’t particularly busy, but there were still plenty of hazards that might trip his new friend up. He grimaced as Nursey weaved around a group of girls and almost tripped over his own feet. He survived without falling and seized Chowder by the bicep as soon as he reached him.
“Chris!” He said again, slightly breathless from his haste. His eyes were bright from the couple of beers he’d had, and he wore a wide, innocent grin. “Chris. I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend.”
“What?!”
They had been friends for a few weeks now. Nursey was the new apprentice at Jack Zimmermann’s prestigious flower shop, and Chowder had met him when taking over a freshly baked pie from his boss at the tattoo parlour. Nursey had been arms deep in big white lilies, his apron dusted with orange pollen and dirt, and had looked up with such a dishevelled expression that it had made Chowder snicker. Chowder had put the pie aside and went over to help him carry them to the right place, admiring his handsome profile at the same time.
They’d hit it off well, and five weeks later they had become close friends. Once they had both finished their shifts they would hang out together, catching movies or playing video games. The staff from both the tattoo parlour and the flower shop would often spend time together too, more so now that the owners of each were dating. Chowder found himself wanting to be with Nursey more and more with each day, and was well aware of the crush that was starting to develop.
“Please?” Nursey begged him, purposely widening his green eyes and giving him an imploring look.
“Why?” Chowder asked, raising an eyebrow at him and sounding baffled.
“Because that douche by the bar won’t leave me alone,” Nursey whined, even going as far as pouting his lips at him. “I told him you were my boyfriend so he’d back off.”
Chowder’s eyes flickered over to the counter, where there was a preppy looking guy eyeing them both suspiciously, as if he suspected Nursey’s story was fake. Their friendship appeared unlikely to most, especially as Nursey usually looked smart and clean cut with not a hair out of place. Chowder, on the other hand, sported punk styled hair with a long fringe, along with piercings littering his face and elaborate tattoos decorating most of his body. So, he could understand why the guy doubted them.
Chowder’s first instinct was to say no. Dating Nursey had been a pipedream for a while now, and he’d spent many nights dreaming about those big eyes and soft looking lips and careful hands. Pretending to date him would just be torture. He’d get a delicious taste of romance with him just for one night, and then have to return to being friends. He didn’t hate himself that much. He loved being Nursey’s friend, and he didn’t want to jeopardise that.
But Nursey was looking at him like that, and it was so difficult to resist. He couldn’t say no to him, and honestly? A little voice in his brain was telling him that if this was all Nursey could offer him, then he should be pleased. He’d happily put aside his own discomfort if it meant Nursey would be happy, and safe. He didn’t think the guy would try anything, but he didn’t want to risk him being pissed off because Nursey had lied to him.
“Okay,” Chowder smiled. Nursey’s face lighting up happily made Chowder’s heart flutter.
“Yes! Thanks, C. You’re the best,” Nursey grinned, flinging his arms around him.
Chowder laughed and returned it with one arm, the other safely lifting his drink out of harm’s way. He had a sudden whiff of Nursey’s cologne, strong and spicy, and his head momentarily spun. Damn. He was so gone already. Nursey pulled away, still grinning stupidly, but there was already something different between them. His hands lingered on Chowder’s biceps as he stepped back, as if reluctant to let go. Like a switch had been flicked, they were dating.
Fake dating, Chowder reminded himself. But if he was going to do this for Nursey then he had to do it properly. He casually slung an arm around Nursey’s broad shoulders as he resumed his conversation with Jack, as if it were a regular occurrence. Jack easily played along with an amused smile on his face. Nursey looked positively thrilled and if Chowder wasn’t smitten with him before he certainly was now.
Nursey fit neatly into his side as if he belonged there. He was always warm, and Chowder could feel his body heat seeping through his shirt already. He wondered if it was going to smell like Nursey’s cologne now, and if it did would it be creepy of him to never wash it again? Shit, probably. He felt Nursey’s fingers on his hand, and looked to see him curiously tracing the flowers inked across his knuckles with tender, weathered fingertips. Chowder suddenly didn’t give a fuck if not washing his shirt was creepy.
He sneakily glanced over at the bar to find douche guy still staring at them, a harsh frown on his lips. Chowder looked away again, the happy fluttering in his chest making way for annoyance. Who did that guy think he was? Once Nursey had made it clear he wasn’t interested he should have backed off. Chowder decided to step up his game. If he made it absolutely clear that they were a couple, then douche guy would hopefully get lost.
It took a couple of minutes of mentally psyching himself up, then Chowder leaned over and softly pressed a chaste kiss to Nursey’s chiselled jawline. Nursey looked momentarily stunned, before grinning super wide at him again. It made Chowder’s heart jump into his throat, and then when Nursey returned the gesture with a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth, his heart practically soared. He laughed quietly to himself and forced himself to act casual, though it was difficult when Nursey looked like all his birthdays had come at once.
Chowder had to remind himself that this was fake. It made his heart sink again, but he kept the smile still in place. This was important to Nursey, and he could do this for him. After all, Nursey wouldn’t hesitate to do the same for him if their positions were reversed, of that he was sure. So he sucked it up and pretended that Nursey lazily playing with his fingers was nothing new and wasn’t making his stomach do flip flops.
After a few more minutes, he spared another glance to the bar. Douche guy was still looking. It wasn’t enough. He gently nudged Nursey’s empty glass and then nodded towards the bar.
“Why don’t we get another drink?” He suggested lightly.
Nursey must have understood what he was getting at because he nodded sincerely like it was a great idea. They excused themselves from Jack’s company, and began making their way towards the bar. There were a few more people filling the floor now, making it harder to walk through the bodies. Nursey shrugged out of his hold but before Chowder could be disappointed, Nursey took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Chowder’s breath caught in his throat and he stumbled slightly as Nursey led him through the crowds. He was so screwed.
There was only one clear spot by the bar, and Nursey snagged it quickly. Chowder inserted himself between him and a tall girl, taking advantage of the squeeze by pressing tightly to Nursey’s side. Nursey’s smile only grew slightly wider when Chowder placed a delicate hand between his shoulder blades. He didn’t know why he did it. It just felt like the right thing to do.
Nursey seized the cocktail menu, perusing it seriously despite having tried them all in the few months he’d been living in Providence. Chowder leaned and pretended to study the list with him, but he was actually trying to sneak a glance at douche guy. They accidentally locked eyes, and Chowder squashed down the rising protectiveness in his chest to give him a warm and friendly smile instead. The sour look on the guy’s face made it all worth it.
Nursey ordered his favourite, a pina colada, and asked for a bottle of beer too without any prompting from Chowder. They knew each other’s preferences well by now, and Chowder wasn’t sure what that said about them. He didn’t think about it, and leaned forward to peck his cheek again in thanks. It felt natural, and the smile he received in return was dazzling. He glanced up to see if douche guy was still watching, and was satisfied to see he’d disappeared. He’d probably realised it was a lost cause.
While waiting for their drinks though, someone big and burly took the tall girl’s place next to him at the bar. They both looked to see douche guy leaning on the counter beside them, an arrogant expression on his face. Chowder instinctively drew himself up to full height, and even puffed out his chest a little. He raised an eyebrow as if silently challenging him. Is there a problem, dickweed?
“So, is this your boyfriend, Derek?” Douche guy asked in response to Chowder’s display. He attempted to be casual and friendly, but Chowder saw his knuckles turning white as he rested them on the bar.
“Yep!” Nursey chirped happily, wrapping a proud arm around Chowder’s shoulders. “This is my Chris. Chris, this is Patrick.”
“Nice to meet you,” Chowder replied, extending his hand and trying not to look too smug.
Patrick narrowed his fishy eyes just slightly but did take Chowder’s hand. In a wordless battle of testosterone, they clenched their hands as they shook, never breaking eye contact. Chowder felt his knuckles crack, but didn’t let go until Patrick the Douche grimaced slightly. He tried even harder not to look smug (and failed) and put a victorious arm around Nursey’s waist.
“Same,” Patrick grunted, looking a little put out. “So how did you guys meet?”
“At work.”
“At college.”
Chowder inwardly winced at the slip up and tightened his fingers on Nursey’s hip as a silent apology. Nursey didn’t let that phase him though, and let out a tinkling, amused laugh.
“What Chris means is, he worked at my college library,” he explained, waving his hand dismissively. “So, it was college for me but work for him.”
Patrick gave them both a suspicious look, clearly unconvinced. Chowder grabbed his beer and took a large gulp, letting the icy liquid cool his growing anxiety. This was a bad idea. Patrick was going to see straight through them. He decided to let Nursey do the talking instead, vowing to be the silent but supportive protector should Patrick choose to be an asshole.
“Right,” Patrick said slowly, looking between them both. “So how did you get together?” He asked shiftily, hoping to catch them both out again.
“I was taking a poetry module,” Nursey said without hesitation, almost as if he’d rehearsed the answer. “I went into the library to study and do my assignment, and all I could seem to write about was the gorgeous, tattooed library assistant with the floppy hair.”
Chowder turned his head to watch him, trying to keep the awe from showing on his face. Nursey didn’t look back, but there was an almost dreamy expression on his face that made Chowder’s heart skip a beat.
“I tried writing about different things, but they’d always float back to Chris. We’d spoken a few times but not anything substantial. So, I just took one of these poems, signed my name and left it on his desk. He found me in the poetry section an hour later and kissed me behind the shelves,” Nursey laughed quietly, a hint of a blush darkening his cheeks.
That was too perfect, Chowder realised, too detailed for Nursey to have just improvised it. He’d put careful thought into that, and the realisation made his heart want to burst. Nursey had written poetry about him. Nursey had thought about kissing him. He swallowed and looked back at Patrick, his brain running at high speed to try and process this information and what he should do with it.
“Nice,” Patrick grunted, though he sounded like he didn’t think it was very nice at all. “So, you’re a romantic or something?” He asked Chowder in a challenging tone, staring at him in a way that made Chowder bristle defensively.
“I wrote him a poem back,” Chowder responded before he could even think about it. He drew himself up again, his sincerity and determination written all over his face. “I’m not very good at writing or speaking nice words like Derek is. But I told him that I think he is beautiful, and funny, and kind. And that I spent so much time just watching him because he’s fascinating. And that I treasured every moment I had with him, because he’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”
He stuck his chin out defiantly, silently daring Patrick to argue with him or say something stupid. He didn’t notice Nursey openly staring at him with an awed and moony expression on his face. Patrick glared at the both of them, then muttered something ugly under his breath that sounded like ‘fucking whatever man’. He grabbed his beer arrogantly and stalked off, roughly brushing Chowder’s shoulder.
Chowder whirled angrily, prepared to give Patrick the Douche a piece of his mind. A firm hand on his shoulder stopped him though, and he turned back to face Nursey. His mouth was poised to speak, but the look on Nursey’s face made him soften. He closed his mouth, wishing his heart would stop hammering against his ribcage. He lost his words, unable to think of anything to say other than ‘I like you’.
So, he said it.
“I like you.”
A slow smile spread across Nursey’s face, and at that precise moment, the busy bar seemed to go silent, as if someone had muted the scene. Chowder swallowed and held his eyes, feeling like he’d just placed his heart in his friend’s hands.
“I like you too, you dork,” Nursey laughed softly, squeezing his shoulder.
Chowder let out a laugh too, a wave of relief washing over every part of him. He relaxed, his hands naturally finding their way to Nursey’s waist once more.
“So, did you really write these poems?” He grinned bashfully, consciously leaning a little closer. “Yeah. Did you really write yours?” Nursey smirked playfully, lifting an eyebrow at him.
“Nope, but I meant every word.”
And then he kissed him.
The End