A/N: Thank you so much for all your reviews! What with writing fanfic and waiting for ER to get its act together with the roomies, being the loon that I am I even had a dream about them last night! Crazy indeed... but we all have to get our happy ending somehow! That and with fanfic! Too bad that alarm had to go off... Anyway here's chapter 10 enjoy! x
Chapter 10:
"Dude, don't you see it. She's crazy about you".
Ray heard these words coming out from Brett's mouth but somehow didn't quite register them. What…how…
"Dude, didn't you hear me. She's crazy about you."
"What…what are you talking about", Ray said finally looking at Brett with a confused expression on his face.
"You know for a doctor you seriously are an idiot sometimes", Brett said shaking his head at him.
When Ray continued to stare at him dumbfounded, Brett carried on.
"Haven't you seen the way that she looks at you. The way she talks to you, hell the way she talks about you", Brett laughed, "seriously her eyes just light up".
Ray could feel a tingle run through him at Brett's words. Does Neela really have feelings for me? For some reason the thought made him feel warm with happiness. But suddenly the warm feeling faded. Neela's smart, sexy, funny…what would she want with a guy like me. God, even Melissa didn't want me and look at what she turned out to be!
"Earth to Ray!", Brett said waving a hand in front of his face, "didn't you hear me?"
"I heard you", Ray said finally, "your just mistaken". As he said these words he felt his heart sink. For just a moment he had believed that an amazing girl like Neela could fall for him and it had felt wonderful.
"No I'm not", Brett said defiantly, "She does! I know it!"
Ray looked at him disbelievingly, "Look I live with her, if she felt that way about me I'd know".
"No it just makes you all the more stupid", Brett said exasperatedly, "she head over heels".
Ray shook his head unconvinced. He turned away to face the sink and muttered under his breath, "I'm not that lucky".
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Brett had long since left to go home leaving Ray with only his thoughts for company. Brett's words kept spinning around and around his head. Could it really be…no…but…maybe…? Thoughts of whether Brett's words might actually be true both raised his heart and plummeted it within seconds.
There was only one solid conclusion that he had come to after trying to sort out his head. He finally realised why thoughts of Neela and Brett bothered him so much, why he was choosing to spend nights in more and more just to watch scary movies and poker. Why his heart jumped every time she came into the room, why the mere thought of her made him smile.
He, Ray Barnett, had fallen for Neela Rasgotra.
There was no doubt about it. He was completely smitten. This revelation had been enough of a shock to his system itself. He didn't know exactly when these feelings had developed but now that he recognised them he realised they had been there for some time.
The problem now was, what to do next. As much as Brett had tried to persuade him otherwise, Ray knew that he couldn't have been right. It was impossible. Wasn't it?
Despite trying to shrug of any thoughts that Neela might like him as more then a friend, the hope that there could even be the slimmest chance that she could, burned bright in his heart.
Ray groaned burying his head in his hands. He just didn't know. He wished for it so much that he felt as though the power of his desire could actually make it happen, although one of the arguments that he had given Brett seemed too convincing to ignore.
"I live with her, if she felt that way about me I'd know".
It was true. They had been roommates for over a year now. If, as Brett had claimed, Neela did like him in that way, why had he not realised sooner. He certainly wouldn't wasted his time going after silly groupies.
He remembered the times that he had come home dejected and moping about Melissa having knocked him back. It was Neela who had comforted him. Neela who had been there for him. Neela who had made him feel better about himself and made him forget about his miseries and enjoy himself. He always had fun with Neela.
He smiled thinking about how much he enjoyed spending time with her. She truly was his best friend, bar Brett of course when he could be bothered to show up. As he thought about this he came to a conclusion. He couldn't mess things up. She was his best friend and he didn't want to loose that. He didn't think he could bear it if he messed up something so precious to him because of his one sided feelings.
No, it was best left alone.