Jaimie Solace and the Unavoidable Affliction of Love

Chapter Five

Jaimie always thought that those scenes in rom coms where the main character was looking in a closet full to the brims with clothes and then complaining they had nothing to wear were unrealistic. She had always laughed, saying that it was ridiculous and that it couldn't really matter that much what you wear on a date.

She supposed Aphrodite was probably laughing at her now, as the intense karma of her not being a girl's girl was really starting to frustrate her. Because seriously, she had nothing to wear.

Since when did all her dresses stop fitting her right? That one was too tight, that one was too loose, that one had one of those built-in bras that made Jaimie want to rip her hair out, and she couldn't wear the pretty blue, off the shoulder one because Bruce had just seen her in it literally two nights ago.

She didn't have to wear a dress either. She didn't even know where Bruce was planning on taking her, so maybe she would be horribly overdressed if she wore a dress. But what if she would be underdressed? Gods, this was impossible.

She felt like she was Jekyll and Hyde, based on how she clearly was acting like two different people. One of which was the confident, flirtatious Jaimie who told Bruce what she wanted straight up, who walked across the lab yesterday morning and kissed him because she got tired of tip-toeing around the clear tension between them.

The other one was the insecure Jaimie, who fretted over what he thought of her, if Bruce regretted kissing her, what he thought of her freaking dress.

She looked at the watch on her wrist and sighed. She had thirty minutes left until Bruce was set to get her, and she would be damned if she was late.

She had been anticipating this all day, and it hadn't been made easier by the fact that she had to stare at him from across the room all day.

Although it was a surprise to both of them that their productivity at work hadn't been affected. It was a relief too, because both of them secretly worried that if they started going out they would find it more difficult to work together, but that seemed not to be the case. In fact it might actually be easier, now that they didn't have to pretend like the tension between them wasn't there.

Bruce now had no problem in letting a hand linger on her waist when he walked by, or brushing by her a little closer than he technically had to. At one point he had to reach up to get something from the shelf above her head, and instead of politely asking her to move like he would've done before, he came up behind her and reached above her with one hand while the other one steadied himself on her waist. And Jaimie would've folded right there and then. She honestly couldn't pinpoint what had been so damn attractive about the action, something about feeling the length of his body pressed so closely against hers, and the way he had whispered a soft apology in her ear for disturbing her.

Who knew Bruce Banner had moves?

Either way, she was thoroughly enjoying this new dynamic, but it didn't take away from the fact that Jaimie had no idea what to wear.

She was about to give up, put on some nice jeans and a blouse, when she heard a knock at her front door.

She rushed to open it, hoping that Bruce hadn't decided to come early or something, but was relieved to see it was only Nat. She was even more relieved when she saw that the red head was holding a garment bag.

"Please tell me that's for me," Jaimie said, gesturing to the bag in question.

"It sure is. I figured Bruce forgot to tell you where you two were going," Natasha explained.

"He very much forgot, yes. But I take it that you know?"

"Of course I do, he came to me last night freaking out over where to take you. 'Nat, what if she hates fine dining?', 'Nat, what if I bring her somewhere and she thinks it's too casual?', 'Nat, what is, what if, what if.' You get the point," Nat rolled her eyes playfully.