Doug Tries Again

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Paige finally turns the last corner in the homestretch back to the mansion, feet pounding on the pavement. Her eyes are closed, running the course through memory alone, but there is anything but black behind her eyelids and she pushes herself harder to go faster if only to clear them away. She remembers that there are steps coming up soon and she opens her eyes, not wishing to break her ankles quite yet. To her surprise, Doug sits on the steps she was just about to climb and Paige skids to a stop with a gasp.

Doug lowers his paperback at Paige's gasp. "Um, hi," he says slightly awkwardly.

Paige’s breath comes hard and she waves before bending over, resting her hands on her knees. “Hi.”

Doug tries not to too obviously enjoy the view while trying to make idle, non-emotionally charged conversation. "Good run?"

Nodding, Paige straightens and stretches out her legs to cool down. “Great run. It’s nice out today.”

Doug stands up, sticks his paperback in his back pocket, and scratches the back of his neck. "So, um, you probably guessed that I'm here because I wanted to talk to you, huh?"

“Unless you’d like to pretend you’re just enjoying the great weather,” she replies with a smile.

Doug smiles wryly. "Well, actually I kind of am, but still. Um, is now okay to talk?"

“Sure. Go right ahead. I’m all ears.”

Doug hops up off the stairs and starts to pace, slightly agitatedly. "Um, can you sit there? And kinda not say anything until I'm done? Because if I don't get it all out at once, I probably won't."

Paige nods and sits herself down the stairs, resting her hands on her knees.

Doug stops and whirls abruptly, taking a deep breath and gesturing with his hands. This is probably the least withdrawn and shy Paige (or anyone, for that matter) has seen him. "Okay. I'm really no good with girls. I like them, but I'm not good with them. I got here, and Jamie introduced me to you. And I thought that you were really cute, and seemed kinda interesting. But then I kinda was an idiot."

"I built up this ideal of you in my head. And, probably not surprisingly, I developed a crush on that ideal of you. And when I have feelings like that, I'm not exactly very subtle about them. So that night, when I was sitting there talking to you, I could tell the moment you figured it out."

"And I was embarrassed. Embarrassed because my feelings weren't really for you, but this made-up person in my head. I mean, I'd only known you for like, two days. And I barely knew anything about you, except that you're Sam's sister, you don't sleep much, you like tea, you're friends with Ms. Blaire, you live with Sarah and Rogue, and you run a lot."

"And I could also kinda tell that you didn't think of me like I was thinking of you. Which is totally fair, because it's not like you had really gotten a chance to know me, either."

"And then I was a bigger idiot."

"I ran away, rather than try to figure everything out and set it straight. And you, Jamie, Marie-Ange, Lorna, Artie, and Illyana were so nice coming in after me, and making me face things. And I'm really grateful for that. And then I talked some with Jamie, and I realized something."

Doug takes another really deep breath. This is the hard part. If she shoots him down after this... "I realized that I really wish that I could do this whole thing over. I would like to get to know you, because you seem really nice. And maybe that will lead to feelings, maybe not. But if they do, they'll be actual feelings for you, because I'll know you, not the imaginary you in my head. So I want...no, I need...to try this again."

Doug smiles shyly and holds out his hand. "Hi. I'm Doug Ramsey."

“Hello. I’m Paige Guthrie. Nice to meet you.” She takes his hand, shaking it firmly once before letting go, a smile lighting her features. There is a pause before she starts again. “Doug, I can’t promise you anything more than friendship. I really shouldn’t say anything, jinxing it and all, but no matter what, I would be honoured to have you as a friend.”

Doug tries to suppress a giant sigh of relief. "That's fair. Like I said. Maybe feelings will still happen, maybe they won't. I'm trying not to make any assumptions or have any expectations. But at least I'll be getting to know you, and not that imaginary Paige. Because the real Paige seems like a really cool person, who I would be honored to have as a friend."

Paige stands, brushing off her shorts. “Sounds good to me. Now, I need some water or I’m going to keel over from dehydration. You’re welcome to join me, but I can’t promise that I won’t hit you in the head with a refrigerator again.

Doug smiles at Paige, actually somewhat natural for about the first time around her. "As tempting as that sounds, I'm actually supposed to go meet this guy John."

She tries not to blanch and instead just nods. “Sure. See you soon then!” She turns and bounds up the rest of the stairs and back into the mansion.

Doug finally lets all of the tension drain out of himself once Paige is inside. "That could have gone a lot worse," he mutters to himself. "Thank God it didn't."

And with that, he wanders inside the mansion himself, looking for John.