Crossing the River

Jordan watched Liara and Kaidan talking at the bar, while he sat down at Maxie’s table. He wondered what they were talking about. Watching them together was incredibly distracting, and he never knew what he was really thinking at those moments.
Kaidan laughed, touched Liara’s arm, and Liara smiled back at him. Jordan wasn’t sure if he was jealous, or hungry, or intrigued. Or by which one. Or both – if that was even possible, he asked himself, wondering.
“Jordan. Wake up, man, I need your help.”
“What?” Jordan turned back to Maxie, who was holding out an OSD. “What do you need from me, Mr. Diplomat Guy?” Jordan took the OSD and uploaded it to his omni-tool.
“I need lyrics.”
Jordan grinned. “What is this?” He put in one of his earphones, and started playing the song that Maxie had handed him.
“I’m trying to get into a pair of pants. She likes this style, so I whipped up a good beat and some rhythm, you know how I do. But I can’t do lyrics for shit, not the kind that will get me into her pants.”
“I’m not really in a pants mood, Maxie,” said Jordan. The song was good though, and it would be fun to play. His mind was filling in the missing notes, and his hands itched to hold his pen and notebook.
“Get in one!” urged Maxie. “I need this, Jordan! You can do it! C’mon, there’s got to be someone here whose pants you haven’t been in already.”
Jordan laughed. “I don’t sleep around with my crew.”
“Then you’re an idiot. Isn’t that one of the perks of being in command? Just don’t be an ass about it.”
“Seriously, Maxie, is picking up chicks all you ever think about?”
“Yes! Pants. Now.”
“Shepard? Your drink.”
Jordan looked up in shock, almost dropped the OSD. “What?”
Kaidan smiled. “You ordered a drink, but never came back for it. I had Doran make you a new one.” He handed the fizzy drink to Jordan. “Here you go.”
“Thank you. I totally forgot about it,” Jordan confessed.
“Anytime, Shepard.” He looked curiously at Jordan’s companion.
Jordan suddenly remembered his manners. “Consular Secretary Binh Rossolovich, Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, SSV Normandy.” They shook hands. “Sorry, I’m a little distracted.”
“I’m blackmailing him,” said Maxie cheerfully. “Hey, Alenko, could you do me a huge favor?” Maxie smiled, in his most convincing and friendly fashion.
“Sure,” Kaidan replied.
“Could you ask Doran to make me another drink? He knows what I want. Oh, and tell him to put all the Normandy’s drinks on my tab.”
“Sure,” said Kaidan happily, and walked back to the bar to let everyone know they were being treated by the Commander’s friend.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m helping,” Maxie grinned. “I gotta say, if I was going to cross borders, that’s what I would go for.”
“What?”
“You have good taste, that’s all I’m saying.” Maxie grinned at Jordan, who was blushing bright red. “What?”
“I’m not – there isn’t – I really hate you....” Jordan gave up and went back to listening to the song, trying to ignore Maxie’s constant grinning.
“I thought you were interested in that hot Asari chick, though. I was having trouble telling who you were staring at over there.”
Jordan didn’t answer.
“Or were you staring at both of them?”
“Maxie! Will you just stop?”
“Pants.”
Jordan blushed again, and decided to stop giving Maxie more ammunition.
“He fills them well.”
“Shut up.”
“So does she!”
“Maxie!”
Kaidan came back with Maxie’s drink, and much to Jordan’s consternation, Maxie kept him standing at the table for a minute with some random small talk. Jordan made some notes on his datapad and ignored them both. Kaidan walked back over to Liara, after giving Jordan a curious look.
Maxie leaned back in his chair. “I’ve never seen you act like that before. You didn’t even try to hit on him.”
Jordan muttered something about time and place, and how this wasn’t it.
“Bullshit,” smiled Maxie. He was secretly delighted to see his friend genuinely interested in someone. “Jordan’s got a crush, Jordan’s got a crush,” Maxie chanted in his most obnoxious singsong voice, as quietly as he could, but couldn’t resist doing a little dance in his chair.
Jordan threw a straw at him. “Knock it off! You’re so immature!”
“Keep it up and I won’t tell you what they were talking about.”
Jordan glared at Maxie. “You have no idea what they were talking about, you jerk.”
Maxie smiled. “Eavesdropping is my job, Jordan, just like shooting people in the head is yours. Although, in this case it was really easy and even a first-year would have been able to figure it out. If they were paying any attention, and not just staring at a complementary pair of finely shaped asses.”
“Maxie.”
“They were talking about you, idiot.” Maxie leaned back in his chair and sipped at his drink. “What was that about not sleeping around with your crew?”
“That’s it. I’m going back to my ship.”
“Don’t forget my song!”
“I’ll see you later, Maxie.” Jordan pocketed the OSD and walked out of the bar.