When You Least Expect It

Part 8

An hour after the Saturday Night Special ended, the taxi Rob had hailed brought himself, Y/N and Jensen to a small blues club on Armitage Avenue called Rosa's Lounge. That night Rob had been able to reserve three tickets to see Lurrie Bell and Melvin Smith kick around some old blues songs.

The lounge was longer than it was wide, with a smattering of tables along the one long wall. The bar spanned half of the other, with the small stage to towards the front of the room. The place was nearly packed full. By the time they arrived, the music was well underway, so they found a table in the far back corner and settled in.

"Drinks?" Rob asked before he sat, intending to head to the bar.

"Whatever they got on tap for me, man," Jensen said and looked to Y/N.

"Same," she said and leaned back in her chair. Y/N could feel Jensen's eyes on her and did her best to not meet them. They'd only been around each for less than half a day, after months of little to no communication. So when Rob walked away, it was uncomfortably silent at their table.

Y/N focused on the music, telling herself that since they walked in late, it was the polite thing to do. Watching Bell and Smith play was why they were there, and she didn't feel like it was the time and place for small talk. Rob came back a minute later and rejoined the table, listening and tapping his foot to the music. After another song or two, the duo took a break and Rob excused himself to make a quick call.

It didn't take more than a second for Jensen grab her attention. "So, fill me in. How've things been?"

"Things? What things?" she asked with feigned ignorance. She knew what he wanted to know.

"You know... its been a while since we actually got to talk. Even before New Year's," he paused at the mention of the ill-fated evening but continued when Y/N didn't seem to flinch at it. "Feel like I haven't seen you in a long time."

Y/N leaned her elbows on the table and stretched out her arms, clasping her fingers around the cool bottom of her glass. "It has been a long time, Jay."

"I'm sorry for that."

"Moving on, remember?"

"You're right..." he put his hands up in relent before picking up his beer and taking a long sip.

She felt his eyes stay on her, even over the rim of the glass. When he put it down he drew in a deep breath and Y/N knew he was ready to ask her what he really wanted to know.

"So, uh... Rob told me you guys did the whole FaceTime thing from time to time."

"Mhm," she hummed, knowing exactly where he was going in his way of getting there. She could've just gave him the answer he was looking for, but part of her wanted to gauge his expression as he asked.

"Said he got to see your friend, Nate."

"He did." Y/N sipped at her beer and watched him try and find the guts to get to the question.

He could read her so well and snorted a laugh when he came to understand just by the expression on her face, that she already knew what that question was. "Your friend... that's the ex, right? The same guy who visited on Christmas."

"Yes, Nathan, my ex. He stopped by one afternoon when Rob happened to call."

"Ex, huh? Hm. Ex, boyfriend? Or are we talking ex-fiance?"

"Why, Jay? Why do you want to know?" she asked, slightly exasperated.

"Because I do." He locked in with her gaze and held it without wavering.

The way he stared into her made her stomach flutter and her uncertainty fluctuate. "Boyfriend of many, many years. And to answer the next question, no. We are not back together. We reconnected as friends... didn't know if that would be possible, but, we did. I told him in no uncertain terms that's all we would ever be again."