Hearing sniffles come from Richards room, Jared was curious but didn't want to overstep his bounds.
"Richard? May I come in?"
Oh crap, Richard thought, that's just what I need. Jared to see me as some weak kid, hell Erlich already saw him crying over that kid who slapped him in the face.
"Yeah, I mean, I guess so. Please shut the door, yeah."
Jared came in and carefully shut the door behind him. Seeing Richard with his sleeves in his face, Jared said
"Richard? How are you right now?"
with growing concern. Wiping his eyes with the edge of his sleeve, RIchard says "I'm...eggshell fine. I mean, that's what I used to say, my mom used to say, it means, um, I'm whole right now but, hah easily broken. I just realized how stupid that sounds."
He looked embarrased and put his hand on his face, the bottom edge of his hand against his jaw as he looked on the floor. Jared put his hand on RIchards shoulder, and said
"I think that's a great term to use, and you feel free to use it anytime."
Jareds voice was soft and non threatening, which comforted Richard. Jareds hand on his shoulder also comforted, but he was weirded out by it too. Jared began to lightly rub it affectionately, the way a mother would to soothe her child.
"Okay, I'm feeling better now. Really, I'm ah-okay."
Richard looked into Jared's eyes, lingering at the gorgeous blue color they had. It was less of an admiration of their beauty, but rather fascination with them. Jared meanwhile was looking at Richard with a puzzled look, his eyebrows slightly turned down. That's when Jared took his hand off of Richards shoulder, and kissed him. Richard freaked out and somehow tripped over nothing, while standing, and fell on the floor. Helping him up, Jared said
"I'm so sorry Richard, I didn't intend for that to happen, exactly."
As he stood up, Richard tried his best not to stutter
"What the hell, I mean, well, what, how could you not intend for that to happen?"
He began fidgeting with his hands more than beofre, and now his eyes were wide and starring at Jared.
"I merely meant it as a comfort, providing reassurance to you."
Jared, retaining his composure, turned away from Richard, who noticed Jared was very flushed with red. Although his mannerisms suggested that he didn't even realize that he was blushing at all.
"Well, I don't want, I don't like that. I mean, I'm not used to that. I don't think we should, um, do that. Again."
Jared nodded, and asked
"Do you want me to leave?"
Richard nodded, and Jared left the room, and closed the door behind him. After hearing his footsteps get gradually softer, Richard lied down on his bunkbed and began to pull at the skin on his back, a nervous habit. He couldn't believe that just happened, and with Erlich and everyone in the house too? Well maybe that's not true, they could have been gone, it was relatively early in the morning, but that didn't matter. They could have seen, even though it was nothing. Jared even said so himself. Richard felt silly, but he lightly touched his lips with the tip of his long fingers and thought about how long it had been since he was intimate with anyone, how long it had been since he was kissed. The last time was probably when he visited his parents for the holidays, but now he was thinking about being intimate and his family and decided to stop thinking about that before it seriously freaked him out. He lied down for a while, at least an hour. He tried listening to music to drown out his thoughts. When he finally came out of his room, he was greeted by Gilfoyle and Dinesh who were sitting by their work spaces.
"Hey princess, didn't mean to bother you but some of us have a serious business to run."
Gilfoyle said while trying to balance a pencil off his desk.
"Yeah, thanks for that, hello to you too. I just have a lot on my mind."
He walked over to the kitchen to grab something to eat when Jared walked in and began talking to Dinesh and Gilfoyle, something about the SWOT chart. Richards heart started beating, and he started reading the suddenly very interesting cereal box. Throughout the day, Richard successfully avoided Jared, although it seemed very easy. Maybe Jared was avoiding him too, it must have been kind of embarrasing being rejected like that. Eventually, Richard felt himself get less anxious and more annoyed. Jared had kissed him, and now he just avoided him? Maybe he should talk to him, get this all on the table. Face to face meetings are always beneficial, he thought. He waited until Jared was alone to meekly tap him on the shoulder. Jared looked as if he was going to say something but Richard interupted him with
"Hi, um, can you, uh, meet me in my room? Quickly? I just needed to talk to you in, uh, private."
He immediately turned and began walking to his bedroom, Jared following quietly behind. Shutting the door behind Jared, Richard lost all of the nerve he had before and was left with an uncomfertable silence.
"I'm going to assume you wanted to talk about our, altercation earlier. I didn't mean to insinuate anything, just a gesture of good will."
"I mean, why?"
Richard blurted out. Jared, looking confused said
"Why-"
"I mean, but I kind of liked it, and I dont' know, if you didn't mean anything by it, then I'm just a fucking idiot who is running his mouth. And um, yeah, I'm done embarrasing myself now."
Richard stood next to his bunkbed and nervously played a drum beat against the rail behind his back while Jared starred at him. His heart was beating and he wasn't looking at Jared, but he was smiling, and said
"Richard, that's wonderful news! To be completely honest, I have noticed my feelings for you turning romantic about a month ago, and the fact that you feel the same way is just, great."
Still smiling at Richard, Richard said
"What, so like, now we're dating? Or we date?"
Suprisingly, Richard was feeling more apprehensive than anxious. Maybe he hadn't JUST realized these new feelings toward Jared. I mean, he was always there for him, a very reliable friend. A stable person, and stability was good for Richard.
"Well, we could go on a date. I know various excellent restaurants that would suit both my extensive pallet and your sensitive digestive system."
Ignoring the fact that Jared just insulted his taste in food and mentioned bodily functions while asking Richard on a date, Richard smiled at him and said
"I'd really like to do you, I mean I'd like to do that, you and me. Together. It won't be so weird, I mean not that it would be or anything, I'm just, I'm looking forward to it."
By now Richard was blushing and could feel his face heat up with embarrasment at his ramblings, but Jared seemed not to notice. Still grinning, he squeezed Richards shoulder, and said
"I'll go make reservations!"
There was something about the inflection of his voice that led Richard to believe that he seemd more excited in making the reservations than anything else, but he didn't care. He was about to go on his first actual date in months. What followed his wave of happiness was a wave of nausea, as he hoped his first date wouldn't involve him throwing up. Trying to ignore his increasingly irritable stomach, he opened the door, and saw Jared on the phone. Richard awkwardly waved at him, why would he wave at him he just saw him, and Jared gave him a thumbs up while writing something down on a sheet of paper.