Page 3 of Friend Me

“Sure, but…” I paused for effect. “That opens up a manager position. And I know a talented programmer who’s ready for a promotion.”

“Who, Grant?”

I snorted. “No, you dork. You.”

He rocked back on his heels. “I’m not ready. I’ve been here less than a year.”

“It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been here. What matters is how much you know about programming and how good you are with people.” And Tyler was good with people. Unlike most of his colleagues, he didn’t look down his nose at me because I was an admin.

His eyes narrowed, uncertain.

“Think about it. HR will post the job next week.”

He gave a noncommittal grunt. Plucking a peppermint from my candy dish, he twisted the ends tighter. He opened his mouth, took a breath, and then let it out slowly.

“Oh, right. The fuel-burn module. Want me to schedule a meeting with him tomorrow?” I clicked to Jackson’s calendar and searched for a free slot. “How’s two-thirty?”

A soft drumming was my only answer. His long fingers tapped out a rhythm against the side of his jeans.

“Tyler?” I prompted him again.

“Right. Sure.” He dragged his gaze off my desk and met mine. “A few of us are—I thought you’d like, maybe, to, uh—”

“Yes?” I typed up the meeting invitation and sent it while he hesitated. I glanced at the clock in the corner of my screen. If Jackson was leaving now, I could just make the early train. Definitely a good idea, considering the problems we’d had lately. A few weeks ago, Dad had tried to help out by making dinner but had ended up burning through a pot on the stove and setting off the smoke alarm.

“It’s three-dollar pint night, and…”

We both startled when Jackson slammed his office door and shouted down the hall, “Coop, get your ass in gear!”

Cooper emerged from his office, duffel bag thrown over his shoulder. Like Jackson, he wore a T-shirt that skimmed over his chest and ended just below the hip of a pair of tight-fitting bike shorts. My eyes trailed up his toned leg to the hint of a bulge just under the hem of that shirt. I swallowed.

“See you tomorrow.” Jackson waved lazily in our direction before he jogged to the stairs and held the door for Cooper. “After the ride, let’s—” The door shut behind them, cutting off Jackson’s words.

I blinked hard and then turned back to Tyler. “Sorry, what did you say?”

He took off his glasses and rubbed them on his T-shirt. Without his glasses, his eyes were dappled with specks of brown, blue, green, and gold, like Earth seen from space.

“I was thinking about going to the pub on the next block after work. Want to come with?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t tonight. Who’re you going with?” When we hung out together at the quarterly Synergy parties, the other programmers orbited Tyler like satellites. Most of them were okay, but a few wouldn’t even speak to someone without “developer” in her title. They scanned past me like I was some sort of exotic pink insect, completely beneath their notice.

“Oh, um. I hadn’t invited anyone else yet.”

I paused my packing. It was just like Tyler to build the gathering around me and my preferences. Such a sweet guy. If I were anyone else, I’d have jumped at the opportunity to spend time with him after work.

But I had responsibilities. And plans. “Maybe some other night?”

As soon as he nodded, I strode to the elevator and jabbed the button.

The doors slid open right away, and when I turned to press the button, I glimpsed Tyler’s downturned mouth as he watched me go. I gave him an apologetic smile and finger-waggle.

He’d be fine. He’d go out tonight with his other friends. He was like most people our age who worked at Synergy—dedicated and hardworking with few responsibilities outside the office, and with plenty of cash to party when the work was done.

Even though we’d been friends for the better part of a year and best buddies for more than six months, Tyler didn’t know I wasn’t like him. I hoped he didn’t think I was making up a fake excuse, like all my friends from college had. They’d slowly dropped out of my life after too many refused invitations, too many last-minute cancellations.

But from the moment he’d rescued me from that evil beer tap, Tyler had been different. He’d kept asking me places even though most times, I refused. He was a good friend. One worth keeping.

I’d take him to lunch the next day. But right then, I needed to woman up for my second job.

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