Librarian Blues❄Troy Barnes

hold on loosely - chapter 3

"Okay, calm down, Maisy. Is there any chance he might have thought you telling him not to tell that guy your first name was a joke? I mean, I wouldn't have taken it seriously," Jess said, plopping down on the couch next to me.

"I don't know. Maybe? Either way, he was being an ass," I groaned, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to my chest.

"How is saying he isn't trying to score with you being an ass? He was trying to be nice to make up for them, right? Isn't that what he said? Or am I misunderstanding?" she asked, shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"I don't know. It just felt backhanded. He compliments me and then says he was just being nice?" I scoffed.

"You're throwing out red flags like a referee, Maisy. For the love of God, not everyone who compliments you is into you," she sighed. She put her bowl of popcorn down before turning towards me, "What made you think he was into you? I need details."

"I don't know, just the way he talked to me. He would stumble over his words, give me weird compliments, and then when he messed one up, he would say he was messing this up and leave. Even Connor said he liked me," I explained.

"Connor? Who the hell is Connor?" she asked.

"Oh, that's my library assistant at work. This entire thing happened where he told me that if Troy didn't ask me out, he was going to," I added. Jess sat and stared at me for a moment, her facial expression shifting into one of pity the longer we sat in silence.

"Are you stupid?" she asked, covering her mouth.

"What?" I asked.

"So, your assistant likes you. He tells you the boy you've kind of been crushing on for a week likes you. He's worked with you for a while, or so I assume. So, he knows when you probably take an interest in someone. And he's probably figured out what makes you tick. He'd know you would make the first move just to take the chance and see where it would go. Do you see what I'm getting at?" she explained.

I sat for a moment and thought about it. I've worked with Connor for a while, so it would only make sense for him to figure out a lot of my quirks. Just like I've figured out a lot of his. Jess did have a point, I guess.

"You're saying Connor might have gotten me all worked up to try and blow my shot with Troy?" I asked.

"Ding, ding, ding! So, in an effort to score with you, he made you think it was time to ask Troy out. You're rushing it and overthinking," she shrugged, picking up her popcorn again.

"Okay, then, that doesn't explain why he would've shrugged me off," I sighed.

"Maybe because he isn't trying to get in your pants? There's a difference between trying to get laid and wanting to get to know someone to pursue a relationship. Maybe you should take a step back, let Troy call you Maisy, and maybe try not to give Connor the time of day," she laughed.

"Alright, I'll try my hardest. Thanks, Jess. You always know what to say," I smiled, reaching over and hugging her.

"Anytime, Maisy. If you don't mind, I do need to head out. Garon just got off work, and we're having our anniversary dinner. I wanna make it home before he does," she said, hugging me back before getting up.

"For sure! Thanks for coming over to let me vent. I appreciate it and all your help. Tell Garon I said hi!" I said, getting up with her. She thanked me, and I helped her gather her stuff and opened the door. After she left, I sat for a while and just thought about what she said.

Maybe I was too harsh. Troy probably did think that I was joking about him not telling Jeff my name. I mean, that is an odd request.

"Just let go, Maisy. You're holding on too tight and trying to control the situation," I mumbled to myself as I grabbed my phone. I hadn't checked it since I got home, but unsurprisingly, I had no notifications. I didn't really have a lot of friends besides Jess, so I didn't talk to many people.

I tossed my phone to the side and stared at my ceiling for a bit, finally deciding just to get up and get ready for bed.

Tomorrow, I would apologize to Troy if he talked to me. I would make up an excuse that I was just in a bad mood, and he was free to call me Maisy. And I would take things slow. That would be the best path. It had to be.