Stuart Twombly x reader

13

You GUUUYYYS I WATCHED AGE OF ULTRON AND CANNOT HANDLE. Amazing film <3

 That seemed to be the last time you and Stuart spoke properly, as from that day he didn't speak another word to you. For the next week, Stuart acted like you didn't exist, barely raising his head from his phone held close to his face whenever you joined the interns for lunch. At first you brushed it off, barely giving it a second thought, as you knew the interns were stressing about their tasks, but as the days passed by and he seemed to refuse to acknowledge you, you felt that tiny flicker of warm hope for some kind of friendship die within you, leaving your skin prickling with confusion - what had you done?

 You didn't try to speak to him; there was nothing to say, and no real friendship before, so you were driving yourself crazy with obsessive questions, cursing internally when you found yourself craning your neck to stare at the doorway of the library, waiting for him to slip in and at least throw you a dirty glare.

 You caught yourself and refused to allow it to shake you, spending your lunches with a forced smile and your eyes anywhere but on him. You knew that all you would see him do anyway is concentrate on his phone, only speaking willingly to anybody but you.

*

 You get up from your seat at the table and mutter some kind of drink-related excuse, stumbling as you stand from the bench and walk away quickly, wanting a break from seeing Stuart purposely ignore you. Yo-yo was speaking to Stuart about one of your favourite programmes which he hadn't seen, and had briefly mentioned that you were interested in the show. However, the silent invitation for him to talk to you was denied, Stuart bringing up another topic with his head deliberately angled away from you.

 You fiddle with your shirt as you wait for your bottle of drink to be passed to you, lingering in the dark and noticeably colder environment indoors, the sun's heat still lingering on your hair and clothes, your eyes adjusting to the shadowy darkness and quiet mumbles inside. You take your time going back outside, fighting the mingling emotions of aggravation and tearfulness brewing inside, and within the few seconds it takes you to walk through the door back into the beating sun, your table in plain view, you are stopped by a guy, who flashes you a toothy smile.

 You blink at him in surprise as he cocks his head at you, smiling broadly and pointing at you. "Hey, don't I know you?" he asks, still smiling. You shake your head warily, clutching your bottle in case you have to use it as a weapon - a ridiculous idea.

 "I'm pretty sure I do," he replies, hands on hips. Your eyes flicker to the table with yearning, and your eyes narrow slightly when you notice Stuart finally looking at you properly, something that makes you want to fall to your knees and scream "It's a miracle!" ironically.

 "No, I've never seen you before in my life," you reply uncomfortably, taking in his brown wavy hair and cheekbones scattered with stubble. He comes across as a guy who considers himself way too good looking, his ego almost as big as the smile on his face.

 "Ah, I guess you're right," he sighs dramatically, looking down at the ground before looking back at you with 'soulful' eyes. "I must've seen you in my dreams."

 Before you can ask him why the hell he picked such a rubbish chat up line, you hear Graham calling him over, waiting with his team with a prestige arm fold. You look back to the table again and see Stuart still staring with an irked expression, his limbs tense as if he is about to get out of his chair. The weird guy looks down on you again and raises his eyebrows.

 "Catch you later..." he mutters before leaning close and whispering in a supposedly attractive way, "sexy."

 You chew the inside of your mouth to keep from bursting out with laughter, cheeks going red from the effort and your shoulders already shaking as the sleazy fool walks away from you towards Graham. You catch Graham's eye and see him look back with an expression of loathing, responding with your own expression of distaste, and turn away from him, walking back to the table with a throat tight with contained laughter.

 "You'll never guess what happened," you snigger to Neha, finally letting out the first few bubbles of laughter. After recounting your story, the two of you laughing and cringing about how creepy he was, you notice Stuart with his tongue pressed in his cheek and scrolling emphatically, repressing either entertainment or pique, his downward eyes somewhat relieved.

'Pique', there's a word that reminds me of Stuart. Kind of random bit but eh.