He was an idiot.
Jim Hopper was a lot of things. He was mostly known for being a badass around town. Carrying a gun like it was an extension of his arm. He was often spotted with a cigarette in one hand and a pastry of some sort in the other, a scowl firmly planted on his lips. He was a take no prisoners kind of guy. And people respected him for that.
But he did fumble sometimes and that seemed to happen with the fairer sex quite often. His past liaisons never let him forget that in this small town. He sometimes felt like he was back in high school, gossip clinging to the nearest person and onto the next like some sort of virus.
Along with being an overall badass motherfucker, he was also an experienced man, both in life and in the bedroom. He could maneuver women well when it came to sex; he’d been told and shown that sentiment on more than one occasion. But the emotional stuff was where shit got tricky. That was where he faltered and usually ended up sabotaging himself. And that was his current predicament.
Claudia was the station’s newest secretary. And she interested him in a more than working boss-employee relationship. At first it had been a basic primitive thing. He’d liked the way she looked…a lot. She was attractive and carried herself well. But then he got to know her.
He started to pay attention to her a little more every day. She was shy at times but proved that she could hold her own in a station full of brutes. She was funny, and often rivaled the dirty locker room humor of the male officers. She was kind. And she liked to show that kindness to anyone she could. Those who came into contact with her often left with a smile on their face. She was a great addition to the team. But she was stirring up some shit inside of Jim’s head that he was not prepared for.
He treaded carefully around her. He didn’t want her to think that he mistook her kindness for something more. Plus, there was the little detail of them working together. But the more time they spent together, the more he got the impression that she may feel a certain way about him as well.
He was a goddamn chicken though. And he’d decided that he wasn’t going to put himself out there. Then his failed date happened.
Being stood up was an eye opener and when he’d had a moment of vulnerability and opened up to her about it, she’d handled it in a way that made his pants feel tighter than they already were. She’d brushed it off with simple humor and a statement of the no-show date being a dumbass of huge proportions, careful not to make a big deal out of it for his benefit. He was more thankful for that than she’d realized. She was the only person he’d told and he’d regretted it the moment he did, but she’d handled him the way she knew Jim Hopper liked to be handled: with a little bit of attitude and inappropriate humor. And he was a goner because of it.
He quickly surmised that she might have an interest in him, and why she did he would never know. She was way out of his league and entirely too good to be hanging with the likes of him. But ever since El had come into his life, he realized he was allowed to have nice things…good things. He could have those things and not break them into pieces. He was worthy of having a life…a happy one.
But again, he was a goddamn chicken.
And that was why he currently felt like a creep as he stared at her from across the fair grounds.
It was Fourth of July and it seemed all of Hawkins was crammed into the grassy lot filled with questionable carnival rides and greasy, sugary foods. Jim had brought El to meet up with the rest of her friends, though he’d stipulated that he had to stay to keep an eye out. El had of course rolled her eyes at him, but she’d agreed.
