Jared's Just a Friend Ch. 02

// Hello everyone! Thank you for the kind words on Chapter 1. I want to try switching perspectives with this story, so the next part will be from Jared's point-of-view. Again, any comments are highly appreciated, and I hope you enjoy! //

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It had been a long time since I felt so attracted to someone the way I was attracted to Jared. Sure, I had been around cute guys before. In fact, the months after Shawn broke up with me were filled with a myriad of cute guys; most of whom, I can't recall their faces if I tried. They were all just an attempt to lessen the pain I felt from having my heart ripped from my chest. Shawn and I had met and dated in secret during high school. The college we decided on was too far for his parents to regularly visit, so it was like a haven for us -- a place we could wholeheartedly be in love.

I think I stopped the bed hopping when I realized that it wasn't doing a damn thing to help me move on. Especially once I noticed all the guys seemed to have a little bit of Shawn in them; some with his brown hair that curled at the nape of his neck, some with his doe brown eyes that swallowed me whole, others with the dusting of freckles on his chest that I worshipped with my tongue. I broke the habit by throwing myself into my school work. It was a lonely existence, one that David didn't help by getting me hopelessly addicted to gaming on the weekends where the urge to go cruising was at its strongest.

My heart wasn't completely healed, though. I avoided relationships like the plague. My sex life was practically nonexistent as well (as David often reminded me how lucky I was to have a clean bill of health after my destructive tendencies). I suppose that would explain why I decided that staying away from Jared was the best course of action. I flirted with guys here and there, sure, but it was just for fun. None of them made me feel like a sweaty palmed school boy just from a night's walk across campus.

So, I stayed away. Now that I was aware of him, though, it was difficult not to see him everywhere. One place I always saw Jared was in the dining hall -- presumably after class. It was always in the afternoon at the same time and he always sat at the same table. He kept his head down as he ate, so I was able to look my fill. It felt weird, but I found him irresistible. I wanted to comb back the locks that brushed his forehead. I wanted to get lost in his bright blue eyes. I wanted to press kisses to his perpetually furrowed brows, his pouty lips, and other places that I just knew would make him blush all over. More than anything, I wanted to stop being such coward and just ask him out. I was too scared to do it though. I was convinced he thought I was a creep for propositioning him that first night.

I threw myself back into school work with the hope of getting him out of my system. I forced myself to stop stalking the dining hall. I even begged off game nights with David for fear of running into Jared again.

Finals came and went without a hitch. I decided to get back to the gym, since I had a whole month or so to myself. I signed up to the one nearest to the campus and started going in the mornings. There were less people willing to get up before sunrise now that school was out, which meant I often had the gym to myself. It felt great to get back to clearing my mind and just pushing my body to the limit.

It was on one of these occasions that I found myself face to face to with Jared once more. I usually walked since it was just far enough that walking was almost a workout itself. This time I decided to take the scenic route; I wanted to incorporate more cardio into my training and a jog to the gym would work perfectly. I had only been going at it for about 10 minutes when I spotted him right on my path. Despite my intent to avoid Jared, I found myself calling out his name. His turned to look at me, something he would regret a short time later. His lower body didn't quite catch up to his upper body, so -- almost as if in slow motion -- I watched in horror as he tripped over one foot to land squarely on his face. I yanked my earbuds out as I jogged closer.

"Hey, you okay?!"

Those big blues never ceased to make my heart race. I felt a wave of concern once I noticed they were tearing up.

"Jared!" I knelt to help him sit up comfortably, "Hey, where does it hurt?"

He sniffed before responding, "My, um, my ankle. I think I twisted it..." He inhaled sharply. I felt my insides twist at the pain I knew he had to be experiencing.

"We need to get you to the hospital," I pulled my phone out to get an Uber. Thankfully, it wouldn't take too long.

"She'll be here in a little bit. If you can stand, we can go sit on a bench and wait."

I offered my hand to help him up. He bit his lip, presumably gathering the courage to stand, before accepting.

I felt so bad for him. He was wearing track pants, so I couldn't see the full extent of the damage. But, I imagined it must've hurt pretty bad to bring him to tears.

"Okay, we can sit here until the Uber comes. Whatever is most comfortable for you, alright?"

He nodded. I couldn't resist reaching forward and wiping away the tears staining his cheeks. They immediately flushed at my touch. He didn't say anything about it, but I still mumbled an apology as a I pulled back to sit by his side. He took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"It's okay." He whispered through clenched teeth, "Thank you for helping. No one really comes out this early, since finals are over. This isn't my first time tripping on a run, but it's never been this bad. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here."

I cocked my head. "Don't you have your phone with you?"

His eyes met mine as he gave a sheepish grin. "I took the case off yesterday, so..." His hand dipped into his pocket and pulled out a phone with what looked like a million cracks on the screen.

"Ooh." I winced. "Rest in peace."

"More like, rest in pieces."

I couldn't help but crack up at that one. He watched me try to get my giggle fit under control with amusement.

"How far away is the Uber?"

I looked down to see that the driver was nearby. I searched the road before spotting her grey hybrid. "She's right there."

He tried to stand, apparently forgetting the situation, before gasping in pain and buckling at the knees. Before I knew it, I was up and holding him against me for support. I could've sworn I felt an electric current run up my arm the instant his body pressed against mine. Our eyes met briefly and the way his darted away told me he felt it too.

"Here," I ducked under his arm and wrapped my left arm around him. "Lean on me, should take enough weight off that ankle for you to walk a little."

He tried not to press into my side too much, but I was incredibly aware of his closeness regardless of his efforts. All I could smell was the decidedly fruity aroma of his shampoo. I took a step forward with him hopping along. He grimaced some but didn't seem too bothered otherwise as we made our way to the car.

"Hey, is he alright?" She asked as soon as I opened the back door.

"I'll be alright as soon as I get to the doctors'." He hissed as I helped him in.

"Okay, I'll try to get you guys there as fast as I can."

I eased him into a somewhat comfortable sprawl in the backseat before dropping in beside the driver. True to her word, she went as fast as legally allowed (although some of the signs were whizzing by at times) and before I knew it, I was scooping Jared out of the car and hobbling through the hospital doors. They sent us to Rapid Care and before long a doctor came by to examine him. I couldn't help but gawk at the size his ankle had swollen up to.

"Well, it's not the worst thing I've ever seen," the doctor joked. "Nothing broken, thankfully, but you definitely won't be doing any running on this ankle for about 4 to 6 weeks. We'll have you out in a sec, we've just got a few forms for you to fill out."

10 minutes later they had Jared all patched up, gave him some meds, and sent us on our way with him on crutches.

"I don't know if I said it already..." Jared started as we were leaving. "But, thanks for helping me out. I guess it goes without saying that if you ever need anything from me, just ask."

"No problem, Jared. And I'll hold you to that." I winked at him, just to see him blush. "Alright, let's get you back to your dorm."

Another short Uber and we were back on campus. Eventually we hobbled to his room, where he collapsed on the bed with a sigh.

"God, it feels so good to get off my ankle."

I chuckled, "Yeah, I bet. I would've carried you, if you would've asked."

"Oh really?" He squinted up at me, "You didn't feel like telling me that before I wasted all that time struggling out there?"

I shrugged with a smirk, "You didn't ask."

Before I could react, he hurled one of his pillows at my chest, I exaggerated a huff of pain. I held it before tossing it gently at his face. He batted it out of the way.

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just try to kill the guy who saved your life. "

"Somehow, I think you'll be okay."

"Let's hope, huh?" I smiled before a thought came to me, "Hey... I want to apologize for, you know, making you trip- "

"Hey," He sat up, waving off my apology, "Don't' -- "

"Wait, I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't say sorry, so can I?" He paused before nodding, "Thanks. Uh, yeah, so like I was saying I want to apologize for distracting you and making you fall. I guess I wasn't thinking and I hate that my carelessness ended up with you in the hospital. If you need anything just let me know, okay? Seriously, just think of me as your next door nurse or something."

He smiled up at me, "Thank you, Josef. It's sweet of you to offer to take care of me. I just might take you up on that since I'm gonna stuck in here for a while."

"Please do, I feel terrible about what happened. Let me give you my number too, just in case you need me and I'm not in."

We went to exchange numbers before remembering his phone was smashed to bits. I wrote it down on a notepad for him instead, though he warned that he probably wouldn't be doing too much calling until he got his phone fixed. Apparently, his roommate--much like my own actually—vacated the premises the moment he finished his finals, so he wouldn't be able to contact me that way. Neither of us had plans to leave for a while—at least until Christmas or so, which is why I brought up a plan that was, admittedly, spur of the moment.

"Hey, why don't you just come bunk with me?"

"What?"

"Oh sorry, it would probably be better if I settled in over here."

"Wait, you're serious?"

I let my eyes settle on a speck on his blanket as I felt my cheeks start to burn, "Well, yeah... I figured it would make it easier for me to help you..."

He was silent for a moment, long enough for me to start regretting suggesting such an impulsive plan. I suddenly remembered Jared and I barely knew each other. I realized he was probably trying to assess whether I would try to take advantage of him or something.

"Actually, forget I said that. You and I just met a like a week ago, so I completely understand- "

"Okay."

"- if you're hesitant to... to... Wait, what?"

He chuckled, "I said okay. Yeah, you and I don't know each other that well, but you did stick around at the hospital and made sure I got back here okay. Plus, David's like the nicest guy I've ever met, so I imagine you guys wouldn't be friends if you were a weirdo." He shrugged, "So yeah, if you're offering to be my personal servant, who am I to refuse?"

"Wow, well, alrighty then. And if it'd make you more comfortable, I can keep sleeping in the other room."

"That's up to you, big guy. I'm a bit of an insomniac, so—if anything—I'd be keeping you up all night in here anyway. That's why I liked to jog early in the mornings."

I was warmed at how quickly he gave me his trust. It looked like my plan to avoid him was a complete bust. But, I wasn't too sad about it—Jared was someone I found myself wanting to get to know better and, perhaps, even become good friends with. The smile he gave me though, with those cute dimples and sparkling eyes, made me wonder if being just friends was something my heart could endure.