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"Hey, what are you doing Thursday night?" Jackson inquired as he followed April out of the attendings locker room. It was another typical morning at Grey Sloan Memorial. Two weeks had passed since she had dinner with Ryan, but the plastic surgeon hadn't heard anything out of the ordinary post-dinner, which was a good sign for him. "If you're not doing anything, want to go do something together?"

"Thursday, Thursday…" April mumbled to herself, pushing the elevator button. She shook her head and smiled at Jackson. "I'm not doing anything, but my shift doesn't end until after six. Is that okay?"

He grinned brightly at her. "That's completely fine with me. I get off around the same time. Do you want to check out a movie? I heard The Heat was funny and you're a big Sandra Bullock fan, so how about it?"

"Speaking of Sandra Bullock, don't you think Murphy looks a little bit like her?" she asked with a chuckle. "In some angles, they look so much alike that the resemblance is uncanny."

"Uhh, sure," he awkwardly answered. "Anyway, about Thursday. Is it a date?"

The question caught April off-guard and she raised her eyebrow in response. Jackson cleared his throat, running his palm against the short bristles of his shaved head. "Well, not a date. What I meant was… we've got plans for Thursday night then?"

She softly smiled, nodding her head as the elevator doors opened. "Yeah, it's a… plan," she concurred. The trauma surgeon walked into the elevator with Jackson. "So, umm… Webber's retirement party is this Saturday, right?"

After spending over a month recovering in the hospital, the former Chief had been discharged and he also made the difficult decision to officially retire from medicine. Catherine decided to throw a retirement party at his home that weekend to celebrate his storied career and his recovery.

"It is. Are you coming?" Jackson questioned. He knew the answer, but he still wanted confirmation.

"Of course. He's Webber," she replied, playfully nudging him with her elbow. "I'll be there."

The elevator stopped on the fourth floor and more people occupied it, including Ryan. He stood in between the two Mercy Westers and greeted both with a smile. It was silent with the hum of the elevator being the only sound that could be heard until Jackson broke the silence.

"Where ya heading to?" he asked the orthopedic surgeon.

"Consult, downstairs in the pit. You?"

Jackson quickly pointed at the elevator doors opening when it arrived on the third floor. He let their peers exit first before stepping out. "Making sure new interns aren't screwing up morning rounds," he politely answered, turning around and walking backwards as he smiled at April. "Thursday night."

She shyly smiled at him. "Yes, Thursday night."

"Oh, and by the way, there's a nurse who's interested in you, Abbott. She really wants to have a drink or two with you, so let me know when you're free," he added, winking at his roommate. "Don't be a flake, man."

Ryan chuckled. "Uhh, sure. I'll think about it," he hesitantly responded as the elevator doors closed again, leaving him alone with the redhead. His eyes slowly wandered towards April and she immediately glanced back at him. In a split second, he cupped her cheeks and kissed her, pinning her against the wall.

Their dinner date turned out to be more enjoyable than she had anticipated, so they went out on another date… and then another. She initially wanted to resist his charm and handsome face because seeing him always reminded her of their childhood bond, but she couldn't fight it anymore. There were plenty of women in the hospital who stared at him and she knew exactly what they wanted from him. And being two single people who shared mutual attraction towards each other, as Cristina once said, why not?

So they decided to try dating without making it obvious around their coworkers. Out of April's circle of friends, the one person who deserved to know first was Jackson, but she couldn't find the right timing to tell him the truth. However, she didn't want to wait too long because keeping it a secret from him and everyone else was unbearable. She knew she was bound to crack, especially with Mama Avery constantly trying to pair her up with Ryan whenever they encountered each other in the hospital.

"Okay, okay. Wait," she breathlessly said, gently pushing the blonde man away before whispering, "You do know there's a camera in the elevator, right?"

"I know that, but it's just a little makeout session. We're not gonna have sex in here. We're not even having sex," he noted. Ryan leaned forward and planted kisses on April's neck. "What's happening on Thursday?"

"I'm just going to the movies with Jackson. You know, hanging out and stuff." April pushed Ryan away again and stared at him worriedly. "I have to tell him soon. Our friendship isn't exactly how it used to be, but I still care about him. I don't like hiding this from him."

"Then tell him already. I haven't been holding you back," he advised. "Is it because Avery lives with me at the moment? You'd warn me ahead of time if he's the violent type, right?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "He won't kick your ass, I promise. I'll tell him on Saturday at Webber's," the trauma surgeon declared. "And after he knows, then I don't care who finds out next. Jackson just has to be the first person to know."

"So this nurse he mentioned, you think I should go for it?" He sheepishly grinned after she furrowed her eyebrows at him. "What I meant was, should I go along with Avery's plan, so he doesn't suspect us until you tell him this weekend?"

April slowly shrugged her shoulders. "Depends which nurse he wants to pair you up with. There are nurses here who wouldn't mind dating you." She forced herself to laugh. "Not that it bothers me. I mean, we're not serious. We just started dating, so you're free to test the waters if you want."

Ryan pressed his palms against the wall, trapping April in between his arms after the elevator arrived at the pit. "Is it just me or does it sound like you're already jealous over a nurse I haven't met yet?" he asked, smiling at the sight of her rosy cheeks. "Have you always been this insecure about yourself since we were kids?"

"I try not to be," she softly answered. "It's just I know there are women in this hospital who are prettier than me and probably less annoying-"

"See, that's your problem right there. You worry too much about how other people perceive you when you shouldn't." The orthopedic surgeon gently stroked April's cheek with his thumb. "You're going to the movies with Jackson on Thursday, so how about I meet this nurse on Friday? Then, we'll call it even. Nobody has to get jealous over each other's harmless dates after that."

"Are you jealous of Jackson?" she asked curiously.

Ryan laughed, leaning forward to kiss her lips again. "Why would I be jealous of a guy who broke your heart?" he dismissively replied, kissing her one more time. "Do we have a deal?"

April placed her hand on his chest and smiled back at him. "Yes, it's a deal." She gave him a firm kiss on the lips before she exited the elevator. "You don't want to keep your patient waiting, Dr. Abbott."

Following her out of the elevator, Ryan purposely trailed behind to avoid any possible suspicious coworkers. It also allowed him to get a clear view of a specific asset hidden underneath her lab coat.

"Stop looking at my ass," she ordered without looking back.

"How the hell do you do that?" he questioned in amusement. "You always know when I'm up to no good."

The trauma surgeon glanced over her shoulder at him. "Obviously, I still know you better than you thought," she cheerfully said. "Don't think I never caught you trying to peek under Libby's skirt at church socials. Once a perv, always a perv."

"Oh, so how's that different from you checking me out in the locker room every morning?" Ryan teased.

"Go check on your patient," April scolded him, turning away to hide her embarrassment. She quietly laughed to herself as she rushed towards the nurses' station.

Looking back at him once more, Ryan was already tending to a patient at one of the hospital beds. He could be obnoxious at times, but she found it charming at the same time. And he was a nice break from drama. She definitely needed that.

Alex sat down beside Jackson in the cafeteria, setting his tray on the table as he stared at the annoying looking smile on his face. "What are you so happy about?" he muttered. "Did you finally get laid again?"

"No, but I have a date with April on Thursday night," the plastics man proudly said, then he pursed his lips and slightly furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, sort of a date. I didn't want to make it sound like one, but I'm calling it a date because it's just the two of us."

"So what are you doing?"

"Going to the movies."

"What are you? Sixteen?" Alex scoffed, laughing as Jackson glared back at him. He stuffed his mouth with fries and shook his head. "Dude, why don't you just take her out to dinner? Nobody gets laid after watching a movie – unless you're planning to get laid during the movie. You two are gonna be sitting there staring at a freaking screen instead of talking."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "I don't want to rush things. That's what screwed us over the first time."

The pediatric surgeon snickered. "That's what you said last month. Face it, Avery. Your balls are so small you have no idea how to tell Kepner how you feel about her," he implied. "Trust me. I know what it's like to wait and have it bite you in the ass."

As irritated as he felt about Karev's honesty, Jackson knew he was right. He was waiting longer than he had planned, but he was confident his rekindling friendship with April was taking a turn for the better. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to hang out with him alone. And if all goes well Thursday night, he was going to make his move. By then, he hoped Mr. Hey Man would be out of the equation regardless of the plan he had in store for Ryan.

"I told Abbott I wanted to set him up with a nurse this Friday night," he said, changing the subject. "What do you think about Nurse Ashley?"

"Nurse Ashley? The same Nurse Ashley I'm thinking about from Peds?" Alex watched Jackson nod and smile innocently. He softly chuckled, holding up his fist. "That's awesome."

"I know, huh?" Jackson agreed, engaging in a quick fist bump with his friend. "I need him away from April, at least until she and I are back together. He's literally a cockblock, worse than Sloan when I was with Lexie."

Alex took a bite out of his sandwich before he responded, "Dude, Jo's been nagging me to work out more, so I'll have Abbott's physique. I don't know when or why she was watching him change, but she's totally enamored by his body or whatever. Hell, most of the female residents are. Does he freaking walk around the hospital shirtless when we're not around?" Lifting up his scrub top, he showed his coworker his bare torso. "I have a nice body, right?"

Jackson stared at him with a puzzled expression on his face. "I'm not sure if I'm comfortable answering that," he slowly replied. Spotting Ryan in the cafeteria, he smugly grinned when his roommate walked towards their table. "And the man of the hour is here. What's up, Abbott? Make a decision about the nurse yet?"

"Sure. It wouldn't hurt to meet more people," the orthopedic surgeon approved. "You said Friday night?"

"Yes. I'll set it up for nine o'clock at Joe's. Cool?"

"That's perfect, man," Ryan replied, fidgeting with the banana and water bottle in his hands. "Anyway, I have to meet up with Torres in the lab, so I'll catch up with you guys later."

Alex waited until their coworker was a decent distance away before he blurted out, "Dickwad." He shrugged his shoulders when Jackson smirked at him. "What? Look, I don't hate the guy. He's actually pretty cool, but my own freaking girlfriend drools over him more than she does with me, so I gotta despise him a little bit."

Smiling to himself, Jackson was glad to have Alex on his side even if he didn't loathe Ryan as much as he did. "Thanks for having my back, Karev."

"Whatever. Grow back your balls," he bluntly replied.

Walking out of the movie theater, April couldn't contain her laughter as she recalled her favorite scene from The Heat. Truthfully, Jackson hadn't paid much attention to half of the film. He spent that time watching the redhead beside him let out her infectious, high-pitched chuckles after almost every joke said by one of the actors. Listening to her laugh nonstop easily became one of his favorite characteristics about her. It brought out the single dimple on her face and he thought she was so cute when her cheeks turned red from laughing so hard. Even in a dark theater he could see her rosy cheeks.

They had driven their own cars to the movie theater, but Jackson offered to buy their tickets. April decided to return the favor by paying for their snacks, despite his protests. He had to remind himself that it wasn't supposed to be a date, so she was doing the non-date gesture by splitting the costs with him. It bothered him to see her hand resting on the armrest beside him. All he wanted to do was hold her hand, but the friend zone was still in play.

"So, you're headed home now?" he asked, slipping his hands inside of his pockets.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm pretty tired. I think I exhausted myself from laughing so much during the movie," she sheepishly replied, sharing a laugh with Jackson. "I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Did you like it?"

He quickly shrugged and grinned at her. "I appreciated all of the Boston Celtics memorabilia in the background of some scenes."

"Of course you would," she teased. They decided to sit down on a nearby bench before walking to their cars. April was curious to know how Jackson felt about Ryan as a person in general. "So, how's living with Ryan been? Have you two been getting along?"

"Aside from his Yale decorated bedroom, we're good. We give each other space when we want it and we kind of just hang out on the couch watching sports when we're lazy," he admitted. Jackson internally felt sick complimenting Ryan even though it was the truth. "He's not a bad roommate. Way cleaner than Karev ever was for sure."

April nervously picked at the loose string on her coat. "Would you… would you consider living with him permanently even after your apartment is fixed?" she asked inquisitively. "I mean, he does live closer to the hospital, so it would be convenient and Ryan doesn't mind having you as his roommate."

"He did agree to meet the nurse I set him up with. He's single and I thought I could help him out, you know?"

"Yeah…" she murmured. "Which nurse did you pick for him?"

"This nurse from Peds. I think she'd be perfect for him," Jackson answered, then he softly smiled at April. "It's premature of me to assume they'll hit it off, but don't you ever get that vibe when you're with certain people? Like some magnetic force constantly pulls you towards somebody no matter how hard you fight it?"

The trauma surgeon stared at her shoes and sighed. "Yes. It's frustrating, isn't it? Especially when one person's feelings aren't the same as the other's," she glumly responded. Glancing back at Jackson, he opened his mouth to speak, but he remained speechless. "Matthew loved me, but the feeling wasn't mutual."

He shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat. "Oh. I can see how that complicates things. Umm, Stephanie wanted to step it up a notch, become a more serious couple, but I wasn't ready," he lied. Somewhere, Alex was likely rolling his eyes at how pathetic he sounded. "I'm not sure I truly felt anything when I was with her. That sounds awful because there was attraction for sure. I just don't think feelings were involved from my side."

"She gave you what you thought you wanted at the time. I understand."

"What do you mean by that?"

April softly laughed to herself. "C'mon, Jackson. It's not difficult to figure out. Let's say you're snowboarding and you have to choose between the bunny slope and the expert slope. The bunny slope doesn't carry any danger and you know you'll survive that run. But the expert slope is exciting and dangerous at the same time. You're not sure what to expect, but-"

"Just get to the point," the plastic surgeon interrupted, folding his arms in frustration.

"I carry too much baggage for you to deal with," she stated. "And you know, it's okay. I had a very long and eye opening conversation with my sisters during my vacation. Not everything works out the way you want them to and I've accepted that. I forgive you for rejecting me."

Jackson was completely caught off-guard by April's comments. He instantly felt guilty that she thought he pushed her away because he refused to put up with her neurotic behavior, her never ending rambling and everything else that made her intolerable to most people. She seemed to fully blame herself for what had gone wrong when he knew he had his share of flaws as well.

"April-"

"I should go home. I have to be up at five in the morning for work," she immediately intervened, standing up and reaching for her car keys inside of her purse. April smiled at Jackson, who remained seated. "Let's hang out again soon, okay? I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

After she left him alone, Jackson stayed glued to the bench with his arms spread out and resting against the top of it. Their fun, laid back night had suddenly taken an awkward turn for the both of them. "What the hell just happened?"

April wasn't pissed at him, but she hadn't given him encouraging vibes either.

"Dude, it's past nine. I think he flaked," Alex insisted and sipped his beer.

"No, he's coming. There were some complications he had to take care of with one of his post-ops, so he's running late," Jackson explained while he scanned the bar for his roommate.

The following night, he and Alex decided to hang out a Joe's to share a pint and entertain themselves by watching Ryan's date with the nurse he had been set up with. Little did the orthopedic surgeon know, Jackson hadn't been entirely honest with him about who his blind date was. And after the abrupt ending to his night with April, he needed to cheer himself up.

Five minutes later, Ryan arrived at the bar searching for his date. All Jackson had told him was Nurse Ashley would recognize him immediately because he provided a detailed description of his roommate. Both Jackson and Alex partially hid their faces by throwing their hoods over their heads as they observed from the farthest corner of the bar.

"Yoo-hoo! Dr. Abbott, over here!"

The blonde surgeon heard a masculine voice call out his name. He raised both of his eyebrows when he noticed a man dressed up for a date waving at him. Slowly approaching his table, he forced himself to smile. "Do I know you?"

"Hello? It's me, Nurse Ashley. Dr. Avery set us up, remember?" He playfully giggled, grabbing his hand. "You are much more handsome and macho in person. How about we start off by buying me a drink? I'll take a mojito, please."

Ryan wasn't one to blow people off easily, but after realizing he had been duped, he preferred searching for Jackson and kicking his ass. Nurse Ashley seemed like a nice person. However, he was led to believe his date played for his team, which obviously wasn't the case.

"Uhh, I will be right back with your drink," he politely excused himself, walking to the bar.

Jackson and Alex were hunched over laughing at their table. Ryan appeared dumbfounded as he bought Nurse Ashley his drink. For the plastic surgeon, he felt satisfaction in his foe's embarrassment. If his rival wasn't going to play nice with him, then he wasn't either. A little competition never hurt in his mind.

The scene felt surreal. A banner that said, "Happy days are here at last. The days of 9 to 5 are past" in elegant cursive letters hung in Richard Webber's living room. Although, he wasn't the Chief of Surgery anymore, everyone continued to call him the Chief. It just came natural to his Grey Sloan Memorial family. While the surgeons had expected him to announce his retirement, many of them were still gutted by the news, especially Miranda Bailey. They had built a connection since she was an intern. He was like a second father to her. It hadn't completely hit her that she wouldn't see him in the hallways of the hospital every day anymore.

Mama Avery wandered through the living room, checking on guests and stopping by the couch to gush at Bailey Shepherd. Meredith remained on maternity leave, but she refused to miss Webber's retirement party.

"Oh, look at this precious angel," the urologist cooed at the latest addition to the surgical family. She waved at Jackson, who was standing nearby mingling with his coworkers. "Baby, you see this little boo? When are you going to hop on this train?"

Her son pursed his lips, forcing himself to smile. "What was that, Mom? I couldn't quite hear you," he sarcastically replied.

Before she could repeat herself or drag him towards Little Shepherd, Jackson swiftly escaped the living room and hid in the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator to grab a beer until he remembered there wasn't any alcohol in the Webber household. When he closed the door he slightly jumped back at the sight of April standing in front of him.

"Holy crap, don't do that again," he gasped, placing his hand on his chest. "What's with the stealthy entrance?"

April sheepishly grinned at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized, pointing back at the kitchen door. "I saw you walk in here and I thought we could talk alone. Can we talk, please?"

Jackson leaned back against the kitchen counter and loosened his tie. After Thursday night's awkwardness, they hadn't interacted as much, but he agreed that they needed to talk. "Yeah. First of all, I didn't mean for things to be uncomfortable on Thursday. Actually, I'm still trying to process what happened."

"I think we were being honest with each other."

"I wouldn't say that exactly," he responded, grimacing at her. "I haven't been completely honest with you, April."

"Like about Ryan's date with a male nurse?" She folded her arms, raising her eyebrow at him. "Why would you do that? I mean, he was a good sport about it and let the guy know he wasn't interested, but that was cruel – for the both of them. He's been nice to you since you two met. What do you have against him?"

He shook his head in disgust. "Nice? Like how he purposely waited for me to be drunk to ask me if I'd be okay with you going out with him? If he was such a nice person, he would have faced me like a man and asked me when I was sober. He's not only a douche but he's a coward too."

"We're dating, Jackson," April blurted out. His face dropped in response and she frowned. "It's only been a couple of weeks, but I'm dating Ryan. I wanted to tell you first before anybody else found out. It's just like when you told me about Stephanie. You shouldn't have to hear it from someone else. That's fair, right?"

Jackson's stomach felt like it was in knots. All of his efforts to win her over had been pointless because she had been sneaking around with the enemy the whole time. "Are you sleeping with him?"

"Excuse me?" she retorted. "Not that it's any of your business, but no, I'm not sleeping with him. And why do you care if I was? You didn't see me asking about your daily sexcapades with Stephanie. It wasn't my business to know."

"Fine, I'll admit it. I don't like Ryan. He's fake, a liar and he went to Yale," he confessed, eliciting an eye roll from the redhead at the last part of his comment. "And I don't trust him with you. He may have been your best friend growing up, but people change and you know very well that I know you the best."

"Oh, okay. If that's the case, then you wouldn't have bothered asking me if I was sleeping with Ryan." She pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Listen, I don't know what will happen between us, but I like him. If you're going to act immature about this, then I don't know how we can be friends. Either grow up or leave me alone."

Jackson bit his lower lip, avoiding eye contact with April as she left the kitchen. Now he desperately needed a beer.

Fortunate to have snuck out of Webber's house unnoticed, Jackson drove back to Ryan's apartment. He had grabbed a case of beer out of the refrigerator and locked himself in his bedroom to sulk. Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" blasted from his iTunes playlist as he lay flat on his back on the inflatable mattress. Three empty bottles rested beside him and he reached for a fourth unopened bottle.

Initially, he was pissed at April for not telling him about Ryan sooner, but he eventually grew upset at himself for acting like a horribly jealous douche to her. Their friendship had been steadily becoming better as each day passed and he was certain he sent them back to square one. She was aware of the fact that he loathed her new boyfriend, who would soon find out his true feelings about him. His apartment wasn't ready yet, so he needed to search for another place to stay until then.

How the hell am I gonna get myself out of this one?

He didn't trust Ryan, but the woman he loved likely didn't trust him anymore. A lot of self-blame hovered over him like a single rain cloud that followed him everywhere.

Why couldn't I have just said it sooner, that I love her?

Everything was a mess again. He had his chances to forgive April and start over with her, but he thought taking it slow would work to his advantage. And he felt like a total idiot for not stepping up when he should have.

Why doesn't life have a rewind button?

He absolutely would have done things differently with her if he knew their dysfunctional relationship would lead to this. Staring at the ceiling, the song ended and the sounds of a faint pop and air wheezing out from underneath him caused him to groan. The inflatable mattress started deflating and he pounded his fist against the floor when all of the air was out. Even Ryan's furniture had turned against him.

Great. Now I owe the bastard a new mattress.

I know you want your Japril, but remember good things come to those who wait ;)