#Jaina is an anxious disaster and I refuse to hear any different

[noodyl-blasstal]

Step by Step

“She’s just so hot and nice and fun and funny.” Jainia presses her cheek to the table and does her best to melt through it. 

“That’s Moonie.” 

“I asked her if she wanted to go to coffee with me.”

“You finally asked? You’ve been trying for months.” He sounds excited, she hates to ruin it, but…

“I panicked and said “as friends” before she could answer.” Hardwon’s hand drops, dap abandoned, as Jaina groans and shoves her arm over her head. 

“My brain vacates my skull every time I try to interact with her. She asks me to help spot her or check on her form at the gym and I can’t even form sentences let alone provide guidance. I’m just some creepy pervert stood next to her, staring and not saying anything!” Oh no... fuck, is she just some gym creep? Jaina raises her head, grabs Hardwon’s collar and looks him dead in the eye. “You have to tell me if I’m a pervert.”

There’s a long beat of silence where Hardwon tries to work out which answer saves him from losing another wrestling match. “Look, Moonshine loves perverts. She lives with me and hangs out with Mav! Plus there’s that weird jeweller guy she’s engaged to.” Hardwon smiled beautifically, clearly convinced the words that had just come out of his face were somehow reassuring. 

Jaina was going to expire. “Why didn’t you tell me sh…. Why didn’t she tell me she was… not that she has to. I mean… fuck. So she’s engaged?” She lets go of Hardwon’s shirt and took a deep, defeated slug from her stein.

“I think so? It was a whole thing. Wait, hang on, was it two guys? Look, it’s hard to keep track of this stuff, you know how it is, but we haven’t seen them in a few years.” Jaina sees the moment Hardwon finally realises he’s adding to the panic, not assuaging it. “She didn’t like them or anything.” He adds reassuringly, patting Jaina on the shoulder.

“Moonshine’s currently engaged to two men she doesn’t actually like, but it’s fine because she hasn’t seen them in a while?”

“Yeah!” He replies happily, clonking his tankard against Jaina’s. “Want another?”

She groans, nods, and hopes her head doesn’t hurt too badly in the morning.