steve was doing his best to act normal, but it wasn’t easy. he leaned against the counter at family video, pretending to focus on the stack of tapes he was organizing, but his eyes kept drifting toward you as you chatted excitedly about your upcoming date.

“so, where’s this guy taking you?” steve asked, his tone more casual than he felt. he kept his eyes on the tapes, not trusting himself to look at you without giving something away.

“some new Italian place downtown,” you replied, a hint of excitement in your voice. “he said it’s supposed to be really good.”

“sounds… fancy,” steve said, trying to keep the edge out of his voice. he hated how jealous he felt, but he couldn’t help it. the thought of you with someone else made his stomach twist in ways he didn’t want to admit.

“yeah, i guess,” you said with a shrug, noticing the tension in steve’s voice. “what’s up with you? you seem off today.”

steve forced a laugh, shaking his head. “me? nah, i'm good. just tired, i guess.” he flashed you a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and went back to rearranging the tapes, but you weren’t buying it. you knew steve well enough to know when something was bothering him. “steve, come on. what’s really going on?”

he hesitated, the words he wanted to say on the tip of his tongue. but he couldn’t just come out and say it, could he? that he didn’t want you going on this date because, well… because he liked you. a lot more than just as a friend.