Go with me

"Maybe, but I think that's it's very important to laugh, or at least smile, even though the situation doesn't warrant it." she said as Nine stopped walking and turned to her.

"Then I guess that is an aspect in which we are different." he replied with a smile that left Jennifer wondering.

"We're here." he said as they stopped right in front of the makeup aisle.

"Ahh yes, we are here, the aisle that makes you feel so uncomfortable." said Jenny as she teased him with a giggle.

"Please don't say it like that, you make it sound like I'm scared to be here." said Nine.

"Well aren't you?" she asked while laughing as he shook his head.

"No, I'm not." he replied as she walked ahead of him to where the lipsticks had been set.

"Yeah right, I'll pretend like I believe you." said Jennifer in a taunting manner as Nine could not help but smile and shake his head.

"So what kind of lipstick does your sister want?" she asked him as she looked through the several varieties reminding herself that she too needed some lipstick as well.

"She said that she wants coral pink lipstick." he replied as she looked at him.

"Are you sure that's what she wants?" she asked as he nodded.

"Don't you think that you should call her to make sure that's really what she wants?" asked Jenny as Nine shook his head.

"No, there's no need to, I have good memory, that's what she says she wants." said Nine as Jennifer laughed.

"Well if you say so here... or do you feel embarrassed holding it as well?" she teased as she tossed him the coral pink lipstick which he caught.

"No I don't!" he replied quietly feeling embarrassed. Jennifer had been teasing him ever since he told her how he really felt and it felt really weird for him because the only person who dared to tease him was Charlie, but that was different since he was his brother. Having someone who wasn't family teasing him was really well, he did not know how tor react.

Usually when Charlie teased him he would ignore it or refute back with something equally bad, but he couldn't do that now.

"Alright, I'm just checking." she replied chuckling as she turned her attention back to the lipsticks.

"Are you looking for something?" he asked.

"Yes, I just remembered that I'm out of lipstick as well, I will just pick one." she replied as Nine nodded when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Nine removed his phone from his pocket as he saw that he had a message from none other than Charlie that read:

"Hehe, I already have a date for the party next week and I'm sure that you don't." 

Nine on the other hand scoffed as he had expected this sort of behaviour from Charlie.

"Don't sound so smug, Lulu already told me that she set you up with one of her friends yet again." he replied instantly.

"So what if she did? At least I have someone to go with and I'm sure you don't, you'll end up going alone." responded Charlie.

"No I won't." replied Nine.

"Yeah right, I doubt that, let's face the truth Nine, you can't trick anyone into going with you, you don't even know how to say the right words wow a woman to come with you, as if you have any women in your life other than Lulu, aunt and Natasha." replied Charlie as Nine felt really furious reading his words.

He really wanted to prove Charlie wrong in this moment.

"I will show you that I'm not like you and I won't be coming to the party alone." replied Nine as he switched off his phone and put it in his pocket with an annoyed sigh.

"Have you found a lipstick you like?" asked Nine as Jennifer turned to him and smiled.

"Yes I have, you didn't have to wait for me to pick one, you could have just left." she said.

"No that would be rude, you accompanied me here, so I should accompany you back." he responded as Jennifer smiled.

"That's really sweet of you." she replied.

"Besides, I don't want to have to pay for this single item alone." he added as Jennifer laughed and hit him casually on the shoulder.

"You are not serious, so I'm sort of like your cover now?" she asked while laughing totally not offended at all.

"Well you did offer to accompany me so you have to accompany me till the end." he said as Jennifer laughed even harder causing him to let out a little chuckle as well.

"You know what, I never knew that you could be so funny, well I guess that I know now." she said as she smiled at him and he smiled back causing an idea to suddenly pop in his head.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" asked Nine as Jennifer looked at him.

"Sure, is it something serious?" she asked.

"Well it is sort of serious but not really." said Nine.

"Alright, ask away." she replied with a smile.

"Well there's this party next week Saturday, it's a joint anniversary renovation event for the company." said Nine.

"That sounds like a really big deal." she said.

"Well it is, Lulu has been planning it for months and the time has finally come for the event to happen, so everything is ready and the invitations are out." said Nine.

"That's nice." replied Jennifer.

"Yes, so we are allowed to bring guests and... I... I guess that what I'm trying to say is that would you like to go with me to the party?" he asked instantly feeling the regret of letting Charlie push him to the edge so much that he would ask Jennifer such a thing.

Yes they were friends, but they were not that close at all, how could he invite her as if it was a date.

"Go together like your date?" she asked as Nine instantly shook his head.

"No, no, not like my date, not at all... I mean... I mean would you like to accompany me?" he asked instantly changing the tone of his invitation, he did not want her to think that he was asking her out or anything, they were just friends, and most of all he was afraid that she would say no.

Nine was already feeling very uncomfortable asking her to go with him and seeing her unsmiling face while she was dead silent, he was starting to get scared that he had made her feel angry or annoyed, he knew that he shouldn't have gone as far as asking her, he really wanted to turn the situation around.

"I mean it's totally fine if you say no, I understand, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable I—" said Nine as while he was panicking internally Jennifer suddenly cut him off.

"Yes." she said.

"Yes what?" he asked confused.

"Yes, I would like to 'accompany' you to the party." she said.

"Really?!" asked Nine in shock as his eyes went wide, he could no longer hide his emotions.

"Yes really, why do you sound like I just agreed to the impossible?" she asked with a chuckle.

"I don't know... I just thought that you would say no since it was sudden and on such short notice." said Nine.

"No, I wouldn't do that, you're my friend and I can't count how many times I've invited you to some event on short notice and you always manage to make it on time, so I would love to go with you." she said as she smiled brightly and Nine felt his heart skip a beat.

"Thank you... I will pick you up at six then." he said with as she nodded.

"But what's the theme of the party?" asked Jennifer.

"Oh it's a coral reef or something like that, so the dress code is basically any colour found there." he replied.

"I see..." said Jennifer.

"So what colour would you be wearing?" she asked.

"Black." he replied as she looked surprised.

"Really?" she asked as he nodded.

"But didn't you say that the theme is a coral reef? I don't think that there's any black coral." she said.

"Oh there is, but it's rare." he replied.

"But you wear black all the time don't you want to wear another colour for a change?" she asked as he shook his head.

"I don't like bright colours." he replied as she giggled.

"I see, well then, we should pay for these lipsticks now shouldn't we?" she asked as Nine nodded, remembering where they were.

"Are you paying or should I?" she asked.

"I'll pay, it's the least I can do to thank you for agreeing to accompany me more than once." he said as he smiled.

"Don't mention it, it's nice hanging out with you." she replied as she walked ahead and Nine felt himself smile from hearing her say that.