"N, would you go out with me?" J blurted the practised line out, right before the library door. The guy, N looked at her, perplexed for a second, then tapped his student ID at the door.

The door's buzzer blipped obligingly, and the door opened as cued.

"Ok," N said and went through the door after her. "Bye J," bid N, and left. He's running late for a class.

Did I or didn't I just asked a guy out first... and he just left me hanging? thought J to herself,  more surprised than hurt.

N was after all her crush since Semester 1. Even with the rejection she couldn't find any hate for the guy. N is a nice guy, a good friend and fun to hang out with.

But she honestly thought she saw signs that he liked her too.

J didn't dwell in sorrow long. Girls with killer looks like J didn't have to. An admirer came and asked her if she'd like coffee. She accepted his invitation and ate pie.

Pie always made her feel better. It helped her move on. Maybe, she and N were just not meant to be, she resolved her sadness quickly.

Then 10 years passed before N made J mention the library door incident.

They met again after years of online-only, post-university days friendship.

"How come you're not dating anyone? You're gorgeous. I thought you'd be the first among our gang to be settling down," he asked earnestly over lemongrass fried clams.

"How come you're not married yourself, weren't you the one with a flock of girls waiting by the basketball court throughout eight semesters at uni?" J retorted without malice.

Her snarky response made N laughed.

J had gotten over her crush years ago. N is still a cool friend, but she is no longer a love-struck teenager.

"I was kinda hoping you'd ask me out," N said, dropping hints.

He always found J attractive. She has been a kind, honest and supportive friend all these years. To be back in the country after years abroad and finding her still single... N thinks this time he may have a shot at starting something.

J dropped a clam shell. "Oh please tell me you didn't forget. I did ask you out, remember?"

N stopped chewing. "No, you didn't."

"I did! During our last semester. At the library door, remember?" The look on J's face told N that she honestly did.

Flabbergasted, N shook his head. "No, that was you not carrying your ID and unable to tap yourself out, right?"

"You thought I needed help getting out of the library?" J checked, finally understanding why N simply left right after tapping her out.

She found the whole thing hilarious!

J laughed. At first it was ladylike sounds but the more she looked at N's stunned face, the noise became full-fledged guffaws.

"Hey J, how could you laugh? I'm devastated!" N protested. He rinsed his hands and nursed his drink.

And J cackled even harder.

J tried to reign her amusement. "This is tragically funny! You know, I was sad that you rejected me, but it turned out that you didn't even realised that I had asked you out on a date."

"Hey," N was purely feeling sorry for himself now. "Look, J, I'm sorry I didn't understand your question," he apologised.

"Ask me out again, please. I'll make sure I'll answer your question with the answer I would have given you 10 years ago," N requested.

"Oh no, I'm not gonna ask you out on a date again. That boat sailed away years ago," J declined.

Desperate, N pleaded again. "I honestly thought you had friend-zoned me back in Semester 3. It was all my fault. I want another chance. Please, ask me out again?"

His regret was written all over his face. It was obvious that he was kicking himself internally. J's heart softened a bit. 

"It doesn't matter now, N. I no longer believe in dating, relationships and all those frills."

He refused to give up. "I'll be the one who will keep asking you out on a date then. Like today..."

"Oh no. Today is just two friends who have not seen each other for a long time, catching up over clams," she insisted.

"Picked you up from your doorstep. And I got you flowers just now. Romantic dinner..." N insisted.

J showed her fingers, all 10 plastered with fried clam grease. "This, is hardly romantic."

"I think it is," N disagreed. 'I'll just keep asking you out till you ask me, you know..."

"We can hang out like this anytime, N. It doesn't have to be a date." J's face showed an expression of sadness tinged with fear.

Not wanting to scare her off, N smiled. "J, let's not fight. I have your friendship and that already means a lot."

The girl in front of him heaved a sigh of relief. 

"Thank you! Here's a clam for you!" J shoved a shelled piece into N's mouth. 

N's heart vowed there and then he'd make her fall.

"And ... you had to do that," complained N, but smiling a tad too broadly. "You're just messing with my feelings now. Cause that's romantic."

P/s: J and N is a couple I don't get to do a proper one shot of, cause their story is interwoven with a lot of history.P/p/s: The library door incident is a real incident. Happened to my schoolmate years ago. She married her N and they now have 3 boys.

5:37 PM Mar 28, 2020