She made lasagna.

It was his favorite so it was a no brainer.

He was coming home that night, coming back from a business trip, visiting vendors and passing through the wineries upstate to see and decide what they can add to their restaurant’s spring and summer menu.

She could have easily picked up the meal from the restaurant for free since he was one of the owners but tonight was special.

See, in the two weeks he was gone, she had realized something - she missed him.

A lot.

So much.

And she thinks she knows why.

So tonight she was determined to find out if her suspicions were true.

It was a risk but she had to know, she needed to find out.

It just seemed logical though, a natural progression of their relationship.

She has known George since she moved in the apartment across him four years ago after getting hired as a nurse at one of the city’s most prestigious rehabilitation hospitals. Their random hallway and elevator meetings and hellos eventually turned into friendship, especially after she walked into his fine establishmentwith her coworkers after a twelve hour shift.

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.” He smiled, his eyes beamed as he quoted Bogart.

So the simple hi’s and hellos in the hallways became conversations, hanging out, going out with friends, going home together from a night out with said friends or from work when she has the 3-11 shift and it wasn’t his turn to be there for closing. Taking morning runs when her schedule permits, inviting each other for food, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner (where she discovered his love for lasagna) or a movie night or binge watching on Netflix or cheering fortheir favorite baseball team on his 60-inch TVThere had been sleep overs as well, platonic of course, since they were both in a serious up until recently.

By some cosmic coincidence, they are both single now, doing almost everything together and are now closer than ever. And this whole ‘holy-crap-I-miss-him’ business, she’s taking it as a sign.

Thus this dinner invite.

The opening of the door brought her back from her thoughts. Yep, he has a key to her place just like she has one to his, a true testament to her suspicions.

“Zoe, I’m home!” George announced as he entered.

She shook her head, laughing lightly then got up from her kitchen swivel stool to meet him.

“Hey!” He smiled. “It smells good in here,” he made an obvious show of taking a whiff of the air.

“Welcome back.” She gave a hesitant smile, suddenly nervous.

“Why, thank you,” he smiled again. “Sorry I was running late, traffic downtown was terrible.” He apologized. “I hope this would make up for it,” he handed her a bouquet of flowers wrapped in green tissue and clear cellophane then a bottle of wine he brought back from one of the wineries he visited. “I figured it will go good with the lasagna and you can tell me what you think about adding it to our inventory.”

She in fact didn’t hear his babble about the wine. All she cared about were the flowers. “You got me flowers?” She looked up at him questioningly, taking it again as a sign.

“And wine,” he raised the bottle again in the attempt to hand it to her but was once more ignored. Obviously she was more interested with the yellow tulips he got her, making him smile. Shaking his head, he walked passed her and placed the wine on the counter before he pulled the drawer that had the bottle opener. “I saw them at the airport and I thought of you.”

“You thought of me?” She nervously turned to face him, swearing she had turned all shades of pink because she definitely felt that warm flush creep through her cheeks.

Ohh! Homerun!

He shrugged. “Yeah, yellow tulips for my friend who’s all sunshine and rainbow.”

“Your friend?” She frowned.

Okay, maybe first base.

“Yes,” he nodded, eyebrows furrowing. “And my echo.”

Shit. That felt like a strike.

She sighed, mentally hitting her forehead a few times -stupid. Stupid! STUPID! “Sorry, I had a crazy shift this morning at work.”

“I thought it was your day off that’s why you offered dinner?” He asked handing her a glass of the wine he just brought her.

Yes it was. Actually, she purposely took the day off because he was coming home but she wouldn’t admit to it, especially now that he just caught her lie. “Thanks,” she nodded, trying to avoid his gaze. “Oh, someone called out so they asked me to come in.” She was going to roll with it.

“Then you should have told me and we could have done this another day.”

She took a sip of her drink first then waved a hand. “It’s fine, it was for the morning shift, seven am to three in the afternoon. I still had time to cook. And oh, this is good,” raising her glass this time.

“Yeah? Great, I thought so too,” he smiled and her stomach churned although at that point it wasn’t clear to her anymore what the churning was all about.

"So, how was the trip?" She asked trying to shake off the feeling.

He shrugged, watching her take the lasagna dish from the oven using a dish towel, putting it on top of the stove. “It was good. I was able to do what I was supposed to do, discover a few small yet awesome wineries. I swear it will blow Wade’s mind.”

Wade of course was his partner in crime, co-owner of the aforementioned restaurant and bar - The Tavern. Wade was also his best friend.

“Good. Good for you guys.” She nodded, putting her hands to her hips trying to figure out how to proceed

“So, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Get into any trouble while I was away? What’d I miss?”

There you go. That was her opening, her chance to find out because she was still kinda hoping it was her. That he’d miss her the same way that she missed him.

“How the hell should I know what you missed? I’m not a mind reader, you idiot!”

George picked a grape from the fruit bowl on the counter. “That’s not what I meant, stupid.” He laughed. “I meant with you. What have you been up to while I was away?”

He gave her the opening again.

And so she took it.

Right after she finished her glass of wine, she poured another one and drained it again, took a deep breath and said, “I was missing you,” she muttered apprehensively, wincing.

“What … what are you …” George asked, obviously surprised with her confession.

"I ...." she stopped as soon as she saw his worried and perplexed look in his face. She instantly knew the answer. She didn’t even have to ask him, that and the fact that she felt like she needed to cry.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

“You know what?” She bit her lower lip thinking it would help with tears. “I think you're right. We should re-sched this…” She wasn’t sure what to do next so she took the lasagna dish and said, "But here, take the lasagna!"

She felt ashamed and again, stupid, three or four or a bazillion times over.

This was not what she had in mind when she planned this. None of the romance novels she read had this kind of situation so now she was kicking herself in the ass for not playing this scenario in her mind because of course she thought this was a sure thing because … she missed … she wasn’t ... she is now swearing off romance novels from here on end.

How could she even think …

“Zoe … what’s going on? Are you…. are you crying?”

“No.” She denied, turning around to wipe the offensive tears

He didn’t believe her. “Zoe, you’re crying.”

She took a big, long, calming breath, willing her tears to stop before she said anything again. “ It’s a stupid…” she shook her head. She made the mistake of looking at him and she turned red or maybe purple, she wasn’t quite sure. “Just leave, George. Please.”

“Come on Zoe, you know you can talk to me.”

Yes she could and she could also humiliate herself silly.

“I am not leaving until you tell me what’s going on.” He insisted.

Great! She thought. “George..”

“Zoe,” He got that stern look and she knew he was not going to step back.

“Please?” She hoped the damsel in distress pouty look would work.

“No.”

Darn it!

“Fine! But, I’m telling you its ugly and that maybe you don't want to be friends with me after I tell you and really I don't want to lose you as my friend…”

“You’re scaring me, Zoe. Are you about to tell me that you are dying or something?”

“What? No! It’s not that tragic although it could be depending on how you look at it.”

“Then what is it?” This time his voice was projecting more of a demand than a request.

“Okay, fine. I’ll tell you but promise me you won’t laugh.”

“I won’t.” He nodded. “Scout’s honor,” he said, raising three fingers.

“Were you even a scout, George?”

“Zoe!” He warned impatiently.

“Okay, okay!” she raised both hands as if in surrender. Blowing out air as if it will give her courage, she began her confession. “You know how we have been hanging out a lot lately? And how after all these years we’ve known each other, we are now both single at the same time?” She nervously looked up at him and he simply nodded in response. “Well, for some strange reason, like I told you earlier … when you left for your business trip two weeks ago, I missed you. A lot. Like a lot, a lot…so I thought that maybe it meant something … like I had …you know?”

“Do you?” He looked at her warily.

“It wouldn’t matter because obviously you don’t ...”

Gorge sighed, definitely caught off guard by her admission. “Oh Zoe! You know that I think that you are amazing and beautiful and you are one of my best friends…” he said careful with his words not wanting to hurt her.

“Yup, your best friend,” she nodded.

Confirmed.

Friendzoned.

Awesome.

“Zoe…”

“It’s okay, George. It’s my fault anyway for assuming things.”

“I’m sorry,” he said earnestly.

“Me too.” But surprisingly her heart didn’t break. “So now do you understand why I want you to leave? I’d really rather be alone so I can lick my bruised ego.”

George held out his hand to her but she shook her head. “Please? You can take the lasagna like I said, after all I made it for you, share it with Wade or whatever. But can you leave the wine? I think it will go great with my bruised and humiliated ego. Oh and I might be avoiding you for a bit on the account of I shamed and embarrassed myself thinking that I was in love with you, my best friend. Because I think you really are my best friend, unconventional, but yeah.” She nodded.

“It is but it’s good,” George smiled reassuringly. “And I must admit, us together … it’s a good thought.”

“On paper, yeah … or on a romance paperback novel, which I have completely sworn off now after this debacle and hey, can you also tell Wade that I might need some free booze because I might need more than just the bottle of wine you’re leaving me so I can drink my feelings away.”

“And maybe free food too since you’re making me take the lasagna home?”

“Chicken wings would be awesome.” She smiled.

George smiled and when he held out his hand to her this time, she accepted and allowed him to take her in a hug. “You know I love you, Zoe.”

“I know.”

Friend zoned and strangely it felt right.

Into You © 2016 SimplyJessie73