Chapter Text
Ted Lasso had never considered the idea of joining a dating app. Of course, one of the primary reasons for that fact might have been that dating apps didn’t really exist in the same capacity as they did now back when he was single. Ted Lasso had also never been a fan of one-night-stands, which is why his evening with Sassy, though absolutely amazing, had shaken him so much. Sex was just something that Ted found to be too important, too emotional, too intimate and close to be had with a stranger. Of course, that didn’t mean that he didn’t miss his wife’s touch, or the touch of any woman, really. But a hook-up just wasn’t Ted’s style. Dating apps, as far as Ted could tell, had always been full of people looking for hook-ups and casual relationships…but then, the Diamond Dogs planted an idea in his head that he just couldn’t get out.
“So, I downloaded Bantr last night,” Nate said, sitting on the unused desk right by the door into the coaches offices.
“Attaboy,” Ted replied, leaning back in his desk chair.
“Hmm, looking for a lady, hey?” Higgins had added, giving Nate an excited smile.
“Oh, God, no. No, I deleted it immediately,” Nate responded, nervous, but smirking, “Besides, I’m very picky when it comes to women.”
“Yeah, I’m not lookin’ for anything romantic right now, either,” Ted replied, trying to avoid an awkward silence, “But, boy, what if I did get on there and I met my soulmate and it changed the whole course of my life. That’d be pretty neato, yeah?” Ted’s voice was almost whimsical, as he briefly stared off into space, wondering.
Later that day, after Ted had snapped out of his Led Tasso persona, he hesitantly opened the App Store on his phone and downloaded Bantr. As it downloaded, Ted tried not to think too hard about it. There was no doubt that he still loved Michelle but he wasn’t in love, not anymore. But it was still so hard to not think of her as his wife, even though he knew she wasn’t. Ted was lonely, and as much as he thought wasn’t looking for anything romantic, he also still believed in love, in marriage, in commitment.
Ted created his profile that evening after downing a shot which he figured would help him loosen up a bit. He had found himself chuckling at his phone when he remembered just how frustrating it was to come up with a username. Ted ended up picking CowboyBoots, went through the personality questions (or at least he presumed that’s what they were), set his preferences, wrote a bio line which ended up being, “Just a fish out of water,” and turned his phone off for the night.
Rebecca ended up caving to pressure to download Bantr, too, but that pressure was mostly the result of being Keeley’s friend and wanting to support her. Keeley ended up helping her pick her username (which ended up being BossGirl) and her bio line (which had just read, “Rich”). Rebecca had chatted back and forth with a few guys but none of them had really struck her. On her third day on Bantr, as she was scrolling through profiles, she matched with CowboyBoots, who only a moment later, sent her a message. Rebecca cringed–she preferred it when the guys didn’t do that, it just rubbed her the wrong way. She couldn’t identify why, but that really didn’t matter. The message hadn’t been bad, though.
CowboyBoots: Rich, huh? Can I assume that means you have a rich mind? ;)
Rebecca actually blushed a little bit before she shook her head in disgust at her reaction to what was so clearly a very dorky pick-up line. She didn’t respond to him until later that day, after her biscuits with Ted which she was coming to enjoy more and more with each passing day, a fact that she didn’t really want to admit, even to herself.
BossGirl: I suppose I might have a rich mind. I’m honestly not sure.
CowboyBoots: That’s fair. Do you like to read at all?
Rebecca continued to find it annoying that he always responded so quickly. When Keeley stopped by her office the next day, Rebecca remembered with momentary annoyance that she had promised to tell Keeley about her experience with the app. It bothered Rebecca how easily annoyed she could get. She never used to be like that, not until Rupert.
“There’s this one guy I’m talking to, Keeley, I swear, he’s like a golden retriever,” Rebecca said, chuckling, showing Keeley her messages with CowboyBoots.
BossGirl: I can’t say that I do, no.
CowboyBoots: Hmm, alright. Let’s see–how about movies? Mine’s Sleepless in Seattle. Or maybe A League of Their Own. I like Tom Hanks.
BossGirl: Hah, interesting! Mine would have to be A Bridge Too Far, I think. My grandfather was a paratrooper during World War II and so that movie became my Dad’s favorite, and well, I guess now it’s mine, too!
CowboyBoots: Not sure I’ve seen that one. That’s really cool about your grandpops. I’d love to know more about him if you want to share! I had an uncle in the Airborne during the war!
CowboyBoots: Do you like movie dates? :)
“You’ve definitely got a golden retriever there, damn, look at those reply times! And his interest in your family! I’m surprised you were even that open with him. You go, girly! And he’s asked you out–or at least, almost,” Keeley said excitedly. Rebecca raised her eyebrows and shook her head, smiling.
“Keeley, come on, don’t you think I wouldn’t work very well with a golden retriever type? And for the record, I threw my phone across my bedroom after I sent that one,” Rebecca chuckled.
“Rebecca, I think that a golden retriever type is exactly what you need!” Keeley replied, her eyes softening.
“Why?” Rebecca shouted, still smiling.
“Well, you deserve to be loved! And loved well! And if this guy is really the golden retriever type, then you’ll be in excellent hands!” Keeley replied, taking one of Rebecca’s hands. Rebecca just shook her head nervously.
Out of the five women that Ted had been able to have conversations with on Bantr, he had struck out on all five so far. It bothered him. YogaPants67 had ghosted him for the past two days after they had messaged back and forth for nearly 4 hours on his first day on the app, JulesJewels had rejected him straight up after a brief conversation and unmatching him, ThorsGF had been far too sexual far too early in their conversation, 5ret had politely told him that she thought he was kind of annoying, and BossGirl hadn’t responded to him in over a day after he had kind of hinted at asking her out.
Beard’s phone rang on the evening of Ted’s fifth night on Bantr. Almost as soon as Beard answered the phone, Ted began spilling the beans about his Bantr failures, asking for advice. It had taken everything in Beard not to laugh initially because Ted’s behavior was clearly the result of holding in multiple days worth of stress and anxiety coming out all at once. Once Beard had convinced Ted to slow his rate of talking, he finally got a few words of advice in but unfortunately Ted forgot them by the time he had hung up. Beard, knowing Ted for long enough, texted him his advice a few minutes after they ended the call.
Beard-o: Be patient with BossGirl. Try giving her a goodmorning & a goodnight text for the next few days. Tell her a bit about your day. If she doesn’t reply after maybe 2 days or so, just let it be.
Ted ran a hand through his hair as he set out the ingredients for Rebecca’s biscuits for the coming week. He would take Beard’s advice and if he hadn’t heard anything from BossGirl by Tuesday night, he’d stop messaging her.
“Women, women, women,” Ted muttered to himself, and then smiled. It had been a long time since Ted had been cursing the vast mystery of womankind. It made something bloom in his heart, something that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but it was there. That evening, he danced around his kitchen to “Johnny B. Goode.” The vibe seemed to fit the mood he was in. Before he went to bed that night, Ted messaged BossGirl.
CowboyBoots: Hey BossGirl! I hope your day was good! Mine was pretty good! Sleep tight. :)
Rebecca heard the notification from her bathroom, where she was taking her makeup off after an evening out with Sassy. Rebecca saw the message from CowboyBoots and couldn’t help but smile. If only he knew how much baggage she had, how damaged she was. Maybe he wouldn’t be so kind.
BossGirl: Thank you, Mr. Cowboy. Just had a nice evening out with a friend. Sweet dreams!
Ted nearly jumped out of bed when he heard the Bantr notification and saw it was BossGirl. He felt like such a child–he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. Ted went into the ensuite bathroom to see his shit-eating grin for himself in all of its glory. It had been a long time. A long, long, long time. In some ways, it felt new, and in other ways it felt familiar. Ted ran his hands through his hair a couple of times and calmed his heart rate down a bit before he slipped back into bed and drifted off. He had a game tomorrow to be ready for.
The game plan for the Coventry City game had been slightly overshadowed over the past week of training by the team cohesion concerns after Jamie Tartt’s return. Ted ran both of his hands through his hair as he sat up in bed after turning off his alarm. Game days had always been anxious days for Ted, even now after years and years of them. As he dressed himself, ate, brushed his teeth, and fixed his hair, he kept wondering if they were going to draw yet another game.
As the team took the field that day, Ted had to be particularly mindful of his breathing, but he managed. It was when the players began to take off their warm-up clothing that he, Beard, and Nate noticed the black duct tape over the team’s kit sponsor…on every single player’s chest. The first response of the coaching staff was surprise, but that surprise quickly turned into pride that swelled up in Ted’s chest like a balloon. So the locker room atmosphere wasn’t a complete mess, that much was clear. Even when the team lost, Ted couldn’t shake the feeling that things were going right, and Sam’s press conference proved that beyond any reasonable doubt.
As Christmas closed in on the calendar and the air became cooler outside, Ted began to feel more and more lonely. At first, Ted had tried to hide it, but Beard inevitably figured it out a week before the holiday in question when Ted had come over to Beard’s place and spent nearly the entire day working on Beard’s couch.
“I think you’re pushing your previous record of 5 hours without talking, Ted,” Beard said, coming down from a shower to see Ted still sitting on the couch, his laptop perched on his knees, deep in thought. Ted didn’t even seem to hear him at first, and Beard had to go and touch Ted’s shoulder to get his attention.
“Hmm? Oh, sorry, were you talkin’ to me?” Ted asked, pointing to his chest, his eyes tired.
“Yeah, you alright?” Beard asked, standing over Ted and observing, “What’re you working on?” Ted was looking at Beard and should have heard him but it didn’t seem like he did, or at least, not right away.
“I’m fine, just tired, I think! Might need a nap,” Ted answered, gesturing with his head to Beard’s couch as if he was asking if he could nap right there in Beard’s living room.
“Are you lonely?” Beard asked pointedly. Ted’s eyes widened momentarily before he schooled his features back to normal.
“Mmm, yeah, I guess so,” Ted replied, his voice suddenly lighter and happier. Beard cocked his head, but nodded.
“If I’m in your way, let me know, Beard-o. I don’t wanna be a bother,” Ted added, his eyes sincere, his brows raised.
“Nah, you’re fine for now. I think I might need you out of here by tonight, though. Jane’s coming over,” Beard said, leaning back against the wall next to the couch. Ted nodded.
“Have you messaged that girl from Bantr recently?” Beard asked. Ted’s eyes widened again, and then he chuckled.
“Mhmm, haven’t heard anything since the day before yesterday,” Ted sounded a little sad, but still managed a convincing smile. Ted checked his messages again just in case he had been mistaken, but the thread still ended the same way. As planned, Ted left a little bit after 5:30 PM that evening and returned to his own flat, where he unsurprisingly spent most of the evening on his couch before he got his daily call from Henry, which he knew would cheer him up.
On Christmas Eve, Ted had absolutely no idea what to do with himself. Even though he had noticed his declining mental health ever since the weather had gotten colder, Ted had just busied himself with work instead of actually trying to process any of the things he was feeling. Ted realized, with a pang of sadness, as he sat on his couch that night with a glass of whiskey in his hand, that if he had taken some time to think about how he was feeling, there was a chance that he would have had the presence of mind to make plans for the holidays that didn’t involve him sitting on FaceTime with Henry. As things stood, though, that was his plan. Ted considered trying to attend a midnight church service like he had he always had in Kansas but he recognized quickly that that would probably make him more upset.
Ted opened Bantr, took another sip of his whiskey, and read through his recent messages with BossGirl, hoping that it would give him the courage to message her.
BossGirl: Thank you, Mr. Cowboy. Just had a nice evening out with a friend. Sweet dreams!
CowboyBoots: Had a good day at the office today. I’ve been working this new job for about a year and a half and for the first time in a while, I feel like I’m really making an impact. It’s a nice feeling. :) Do you like your job?
BossGirl: I’m glad you had a good day! I’m not sure how I feel about my job. I like it, but it’s something I kind of inherited, in a way. It’s complicated, hah!
CowboyBoots: Hmm. I kinda get that. I’m sure you’re great at your job regardless!
CowboyBoots: What kind of music do you like? Also, do you like theater? Sports?
CowboyBoots: Sorry–a lot of questions. Not sure I’d want to answer all of them at once, either.
BossGirl: Hah, you’re fine. I am kind of odd with my music preferences. I don’t really like a lot of the music of my childhood and I tend to prefer modern music. I do like theater, and I kind of like sports. Depends.
CowboyBoots: Well look at you! I’m the opposite, I love music from my childhood and tend to dislike modern music…but honestly, I think it’s because I just avoid listening to modern music.
CowboyBoots: So, what’re you looking for on here?
BossGirl: Love, I think! You?
CowboyBoots: Mmm, wasn’t expecting you to turn the question around on me. Guess I didn’t think that far ahead. I suppose I am looking for that, too.
CowboyBoots: Knock knock!
BossGirl: Who’s there? XD
CowboyBoots: Avenue.
BossGirl: Avenue who?
CowboyBoots: Avenue heard this joke before?
BossGirl: Did you just come up with that one?
CowboyBoots: Oh, no, I’m flattered that you’ve asked, though. Heard it somewhere.
CowboyBoots: Do you like winter? The holidays and stuff?
CowboyBoots: If you celebrate, that is.
BossGirl: I celebrate Christmas, yes. I’ve never really liked winter, though. It’s always made me feel lonely.
CowboyBoots: Well, would you look at that! Same here.
CowboyBoots: Hey, would you want to meet sometime? I’d love to take you on a date sometime, Ms. BossGirl. ;)
BossGirl: Hah, maybe!
CowboyBoots: I’ll be at Nando’s in Richmond tomorrow night at 6:00 PM. I’d love to see ya! :)
Ted had taken his shot when he had sent that last message about a week ago. He had shown up at Nando’s and waited for an hour and a half. BossGirl never came. At first, he thought maybe it was because he hadn’t been clear enough that he had asked her on a date. The more he thought about it though, he had been very talkative and maybe even a bit pushy. Michelle sometimes told him he could be pushy with his kindness. Perhaps he was just too much for this particular woman, just as he had been for Michelle. He had tried not to let it bother him too much, but he couldn’t help it. Ted walked home to his flat that evening pretty drunk.
Pulled back to the present by the sound of a notification on his phone, Ted took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say to BossGirl. He typed, erased, retyped, erased, and retyped the same message over and over again. Then he stopped and checked his email hoping that it might snap him out of his inability to form a cohesive thought. It didn’t work very well. Was there anything to say, really? He ran a hand through his hair. Ted set his phone down on his coffee table with his whiskey glass and got up to get himself some peanut butter when there was a knock on his door. He put his jar of peanut butter back on the counter, his brows raised and his shoulders tense, having no clue who could possibly be knocking on his door at nearly 1:00 AM.
Ted made his way over to the door and opened it a crack. It was Rebecca. Rebecca Welton. Ted’s eyes widened with surprise as he pulled the door open and made eye contact with her. Rebecca had a small smile on her face, but her eyes looked sad.
“Rebecca, hey,” Ted said softly, gesturing for her to come in, “Everything okay?”
“You’re up too, then,” Rebecca said, so quiet that Ted barely heard her as she stepped into his flat. Ted nodded. When the door closed behind them, Rebecca didn’t move, and just stood motionless in front of Ted whose back was to the wall after having closed the door.
“Can I hug you?” Rebecca asked, her voice soft. Ted was just noticing the tears building up in her eyes, and he nodded, trying to push a bit of his love and adoration for Rebecca forward with his brown eyes as they stared into hers momentarily. Rebecca practically fell into him, and Ted actually had to help her a bit to keep her on her feet, but he wasn’t planning on mentioning it. The pair stood there, holding each other for almost five minutes before Ted began to shuffle them towards his couch and Rebecca unwrapped herself. There were tears streaming down her face, and Ted put his hands on Rebecca’s shoulders, squeezing. As much as he wanted to stay strong and figure out what was bothering her, his eyes were beginning to water, too.
“Sit, I’ll be right back, gimme a second,” Ted croaked, fighting the urge to cry. He walked into his kitchen and propped himself up on the counter for a moment, taking a few deep breaths before filling a glass with water and pulling out Rebecca’s biscuits that had been packed into his bag for the next morning.
“What’s up, darlin’?” Ted asked, not even realizing the endearment as it slipped from his mouth. He tensed for a moment and then looked away.
“Sorry ‘bout that, Rebecca. Just–just meant it as a term of endearment,” he turned back to face Rebecca. Rebecca was smiling gently, her eyes still wet.
“It’s okay, Ted, I liked it,” Rebecca whispered, taking the glass of water he offered to her. Ted blushed a little bit, not sure what to make of what she said, and placed her biscuit box on the table.
“It–it’s just…it’s my second Christmas divorced, and I thought I’d feel better than I did last year. But I don’t, I really, really, don’t,” Rebecca’s voice began to waver as she finished, and she swallowed hard, beginning to cry again. Ted sat down next to her on the couch as Rebecca turned towards him. Ted put his hand on Rebecca’s leg, regarding her with a warmth that Rebecca hadn’t seen anyone ever look on her with.
“This is my first one, and gosh, it’s hard,” Ted muttered, his voice wet, as two lone tears fell from his eyes, “Being alone is freakin’ awful.” Rebecca nodded her head vigorously, and put her hand on top of Ted’s on her leg. Ted averted his gaze, but welcomed the contact.
“Well, how about you stay here,” Ted said, rather than asked. Of course, it was up to her, but Ted had a feeling that that’s why she had come in the first place. Rebecca smiled through her sadness, meeting Ted’s eyes.
“Would that be okay?” she asked quietly.
“Of course it would,” Ted answered, standing up to show her the way to his guest room. Rebecca followed him up the stairs, pausing to show her the guest bathroom before pointing to the room at the end of the hall.
“That’s the guest room, this door right here is my room,” Ted said quietly, gesturing to the closed door right beside him, “The room on the left side of the hall is a little office space that I use from time to time. Can I get you anything? Tea?” Rebecca nearly melted at his kindness. She wasn’t sure exactly what she had expected when she turned up at his door, but she realized as she stood in front of him, ready to turn around and walk back to the guest room, that she should never expect anything less than kindness from Ted Lasso.
“Do you think you might have something l–less…formal?” Rebecca replied weakly.
“Yup, gimme a second,” Ted replied, doing little finger guns in Rebecca’s direction before he walked into his bedroom to grab a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Ted handed them to her in the hallway with a smile and then turned to walk back down the stairs to put his whiskey glass in the sink and grab his phone. By the time that he had settled into his bed and went to check his phone, he had completely forgotten about the message that he had wanted to send to BossGirl…until she sent him one.
BossGirl: Hey CowboyBoots. I owe you an apology. I’m sorry for standing you up last week. The holidays are more difficult for me than I guess I’d like to admit. Any chance you can forgive me? Happy Christmas, by the way.
BossGirl: If you celebrate it. I realize you asked me if I did but I never asked you.
Ted stared at the thread for three minutes before he was able to get his brain working again. A warm feeling filled his chest as he read and reread her message. He wanted to send her some essay, but he knew that that was mostly because of all of the feelings rushing through him, so he settled on something much more appropriate.
CowboyBoots: Hey BossGirl! Thought I’d lost ya! I hear your apology. I’m not sure I’ve got the right to say it hurt since we really barely know each other, but it did hurt. I know exactly what you mean, though. The holidays are tough. I can forgive you. :) And to answer your question, yes, I do celebrate Christmas! Merry Christmas to you, too.
Ted laid awake for another hour, just staring at the ceiling. He had tried desperately to get himself to fall asleep but he just couldn’t manage, and it seemed that the more he focused on it, the harder it became. Right as he was considering getting up again and going downstairs to read, there was a soft knock on his door. It was Rebecca, obviously. He froze momentarily as Rebecca gently opened the door a crack, and found him propping himself up on his elbows.
“Hey,” Ted said softly, a smile forming on his lips as he saw Rebecca step into the room, “What can I do for ya, Boss?”
“Did I wake you?” Rebecca replied, as Ted reached to turn on his bedside lamp. The light blinded both of them for a few seconds, and they tried to act as if it hadn’t, which earned a chuckle from both mouths. Ted shook his head to answer her question.
“C–cou–could I join you, Ted?” Rebecca whispered, her cheeks flushing with nervousness. Ted was surprised by her request, and for a moment he wanted to say no. He had something of a crush on Rebecca since they had first met, and the closer the two friends became, the more Ted had begun to struggle to deal with it. Ted also finally began to process the way his clothes looked on her, and for a moment he was scared that his heart had stopped, his cheeks matching Rebecca’s.
“If not, that’s okay, Ted, I know that might be a bit too–too much,” Rebecca added, her voice shaking. He had been quiet for long enough that she was beginning to think she had made a massive mistake.
“Mhmm, come on,” Ted said, patting the spot in bed next to him, his head nodding.
“Are you sure, Ted?” Rebecca asked, wondering if he was just being nice.
“Sure,” Ted replied, nodding again, finding her eyes, trying to reassure her. Rebecca slid under the covers next to him and Ted reached to turn off the lamp. After he had, he laid back down and stared at the ceiling again for a moment, trying to calm himself down. Rebecca Welton was in his bed…wearing his clothes. God, she was gorgeous. Ted looked over at Rebecca, who was facing away from him.
“Sorry for hesitatin’ when you asked me, Rebecca,” Ted said softly, “Was surprised that such an amazin’ woman would wanna sleep in my bed.” Rebecca turned to face him, chuckling, and making a mental note of the fact that his accent was stronger when he was sleepy. Ted and Rebecca both fell asleep not long after their exchange. When Ted’s alarm sounded at 9:00 AM, Rebecca was resting her head on his pillow, right next to his shoulder, one arm across his chest and one leg tangled up in his. Both sets of eyes opened, as Ted reached over to turn the thing off.
“That’s bloody loud,” Rebecca muttered into Ted’s shoulder. Ted chuckled, and she could feel it under the arm she had over his chest. Ted moved to prop himself up on his headboard, using one arm to hold Rebecca roughly where she was, her head now resting on Ted’s flank.
“So, you’re a cuddler, Boss?” Ted teased.
“Yes, and you’ve got some morning glory, mister,” Rebecca said, “We’re both learning things that are perhaps slightly uncomfortable about each other.” Ted stiffened, his face turning a light shade of pink before finally letting himself laugh.
“I’ll just go handle that,” Ted replied, pointing to the obvious tent in the covers.
“Wanker!” Rebecca said, her voice raised slightly as she moved to get out of bed and he moved towards the ensuite bathroom. When the bathroom door closed behind Ted, Rebecca realized that she had pretty much just flirted with him…and she had liked it. She didn’t even want to start to consider the size of the tent he had pitched, either, and she silently thanked God that she hadn’t looked at him as he walked to the bathroom. She brought her hand to her head, wondering what in the hell was wrong with her.
“I mean, it’s Ted fucking Lasso, Rebecca. Fucking hell. He’s one of the sweetest men you’ve ever met. Don’t spoil that because you’re lonely and fucking horny,” she thought to herself. Rebecca tried to ignore the question of why he seemed to make her momentarily horny. The more she thought about it, the worse it seemed to get. Rebecca distracted herself by getting up and grabbing her phone from the guest room and opening up Bantr. She wanted to send a message to CowboyBoots or something but she just couldn’t come up with something to say, so she closed the app and set her phone back down on the side table and began changing into the clothes she had had on the evening before.
When Ted had gotten out of the bathroom, Rebecca had disappeared and he was grateful for that small mercy. He quickly rifled through his closet trying to find something comfortable but formal enough for the half-day of work which was really just a Secret Santa party for players who didn’t necessarily have family in town that they wanted to or were able to spend the time with. Ted made his way downstairs with his backpack and found Rebecca in his kitchen.
“There ya are. Thought you may have disappeared on me,” Ted exclaimed, a smile on his face, “Merry Christmas. And thank you for the company. I think I needed it as much as you did, if not more, honestly.” Rebecca blushed and looked down at the cup of tea she had managed to make.
“Why do you even have tea in your flat, Lasso?” Rebecca asked, smirking at him. Ted cocked his head, his eyebrows raised.
“I’m not followin’,” Ted replied.
“You have a lady friend who drinks tea, perhaps?” Rebecca asked, wondering if she had actually caught him. She wondered momentarily if it was for Sassy, but Ted answered her before she could let that thought really go through.
“Mhmm, her name is Rebecca Welton. She’s just the most amazing girlfriend, ya know? She doesn’t snore or nothing,” Ted teased back, which made Rebecca blush.
“Too much? Sorry,” Ted said quietly, starting to make his own coffee since Beard was going to be meeting him at work instead of walking with him.
“No, no, you’re fine,” Rebecca waved him off, still smiling, “And Happy Christmas to you, too, Ted. And thank you.” She tried not to let her blush show but there wasn’t really any hiding it. Ted saw it too, and blushed a bit himself before busying himself with his coffee.
“Shall we head to work together?” Rebecca asked, smiling over her cup of tea. All Ted could think about was how beautiful she looked, sitting at his dinette in his apartment after having spent the night wrapped up in his arms, smiling at him with a cuppa in her hand.
“Earth to Ted?” Rebecca chuckled.
“Oof, sorry ‘bout that, Boss, yeah, sure!” Ted cleared his throat which only made him sound more awkward. Within ten minutes, the pair were walking to work, something that Ted had never thought Rebecca would agree to. He had assumed by going to work together that meant that perhaps he’d ride along with her in her car, but no, she was walking with him barefoot, carrying her heels.