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Tim Stoker was in love with his boss. And his boss just so happened to be his best friend. Tim didn’t have the best history with relationships; sure he’d had a lot, something his friends often teased him about, but that didn’t mean any of them went well. The thing was, Sasha knew all of this. She had been there for every get-together and every breakup, she had held him when he cried and taken him out to a pub instead of letting him wallow in self-pity. Sasha was his one constant; the person who got him out of bed on his worst days; the person who knew everything about him, his darkest secret and his happiest memory. Maybe, just maybe, it had taken him a bit too long to realize he was in love with her.
It was a Friday, and the whole archives crew was going out together, per Sasha’s request, and she had even convinced Jon to come along. Tim was in a good mood, Jon was disgruntled, Martin was quiet but he seemed happy enough, and Sasha was … bubbly. It wasn’t a word he would normally use to describe her, but he couldn’t deny it. She was chattering excitedly to Martin who was sitting next to her in their booth. Tim almost felt jealous of him for a second, but that was ridiculous; Sasha could sit next to whoever she wanted. Tim was sitting next to Jon, who didn’t seem in the mood to talk, so he occupied his time by watching Sasha. She was mesmerizing, her eyes glittered as she spoke, hands gesturing wildly to illustrate whatever she was talking about; Tim, honestly, had not been paying attention.
Tim had spent more time with Sasha than with anyone else in his life, but somehow, he felt like he was seeing her for the first time. He swirled his cup around without looking at it and raised it to his lips to drink before realizing that it was empty. Sasha noticed immediately, as she always did, and offered to get the next round. Tim opened his mouth to say something, he didn’t want her to leave, but his throat suddenly felt dry. Sasha stood up and held her hand out for his cup, a bright smile on her face. He could at least function enough to close his mouth and silently hand her the cup. She looked slightly concerned but left with Martin and Jon’s cups as well.
Tim watched her go until she disappeared into the crowd of people around them, and didn’t turn his head until someone poked his shoulder. It was Jon, but it seemed Martin had forced him into it as the man looked distinctly uncomfortable and quickly drew his hand back. Martin smiled at Tim apologetically from the other side of the table.
“You alright, Tim,” he asked, “You seem a bit off tonight.”
“Yeah, yeah, I just …” His gaze traveled back to where he had last seen Sasha and then- “Oh, fuck.”
“What? Is something wrong?” Martin suddenly looked instantly more concerned as he leaned further over the table.
Tim barely noticed, however, as he spoke in a near-horrified voice, “I’m in love with Sasha.”
“Uh, yeah?” Martin leaned back now, confused.
“Yeah? What do you mean ‘Yeah,’” Tim had to stop himself from shrieking out of shock - Martin didn't seem surprised in the slightest.
“I mean, I kinda thought that was obvious,” Martin smiled nervously, his gaze flicking between Tim and Jon as if asking for confirmation. Tim’s jaw dropped as he stared at Martin blankly, speechless, “Um, sorry? But also I totally thought you two were dating when we first met.”
Martin was about to send Tim into an existential crisis. He had just realized something life-changing before immediately discovering that everyone else apparently already knew it. He took a deep breath and looked over at Jon, he had no idea what the expression on his face was, but it seemed to terrify Jon who nodded slowly.
“Okay, so, say this is a realization I am just now having. What do I do?” Tim dropped his head into his hands. He felt like screaming.
“Ask her out?” Martin replied. Tim’s head shot up.
“Are you crazy? She’s my best friend, I can’t just ask her out!” Tim put his hands down on the table, staring intently into Martin’s eyes as he tried to ignore his gaze.
“Um-” Martin tried to interrupt him quietly, but Tim kept going.
“It’s completely unfair to ask her out now after being friends for years; she might think I was taking advantage of her the whole time! God, she would think I’m an absolute asshole.”
“Tim-”
“How am I supposed to explain that I just somehow didn’t notice how beautiful and incredible and funny and smart and amazing and did I mention drop-dead gorgeous she is until now?” Tim’s voice began to rise hysterically.
“I think you just did a pretty good job,” An amused voice came from behind him. Fuck. Sasha. He spun around quickly. She smiled as she placed all four of their glasses down on the table.
“Hi, Sasha,” Tim chuckled nervously, “Um, how long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough,” Sasha smirked at him, still standing right in front of him. She seemed in no hurry to sit down.
“I tried to tell you,” Martin whispered, pained. Tim wanted to bang his head on the table, but Sasha was right there.
“So, Tim, is there something you wanted to ask me,” Her voice was sweet, and Tim could tell she was struggling not to laugh.
“There’s no way I’m getting out of this, right?” Tim groaned.
“Absolutely not!” Sasha replied cheerfully as she shook her head.
“Fine,” Tim took a deep breath and looked straight up at her, “Sasha, would you like to go out with me.”
“Oh, come on, Tim. You can do better than that,” Sasha raised her eyebrow, daring him.
Well, if that’s how she wants to play. Tim shook his nerves off; he knew Sasha better than anyone, and from her reaction, it was clear what her response would be. That meant he could go big and bold without either of them getting embarrassed. And who would Tim be if he passed up an opportunity to go big and bold? He smirked and heard Martin and Jon groan simultaneously as they realized what was about to happen.
Tim stood up, and Sasha stepped back, her arms crossed. In one swift movement, Tim grabbed his drink from where Sasha had left it and jumped up on the table. He could see his other two friends shrinking into their seats out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t care. This was for Sasha, and she deserved nothing less than the best.
“Sasha James,” He raised his voice far louder than he needed to and watched half the bar turn towards the noise, “My best friend, the love of my life,” He winked, “It is truly shameful that I have failed to notice how incredible you are after all these years. But fear not! It shall not go unnoticed any longer, as my eyes have now been opened to the wonders before me! Sasha, I am but a man and you are a goddess, but still, I humbly ask you to be mine.”
He looked down at her and saw a wide grin that he assumed matched his own. She shook her head in fake exasperation and rolled her eyes as if this wasn’t exactly what she asked for.
“Come here,” She held her hand out, and Tim grabbed it to help himself down to the ground, “You are an idiot,” She said as she moved her hands to hold Tim’s face.
“Yeah, but I’m your idiot,” Tim smirked at her. He didn’t care if the whole bar was looking at them or not, nor did he care about Jon and Martin still sitting in the booth behind them. He only cared about Sasha, looking into her eyes and memorizing how beautiful they were. His hands wrapped around her waist as he drew her closer to him, letting their chests bump together and simply savoring the moment. Sasha had other ideas, though. Tim didn’t even notice what was happening until her lips were on his, and he was melting into her.
He heard the rest of the bar cheer and could even make out Jon and Martin’s voices among them, but this was his moment, his and Sasha’s, not theirs. He smiled into the kiss, tightening his grip around Sasha, and spun her around until she broke the kiss to laugh. He had never felt happier. Maybe this relationship would be the first to work out.