Gonna look you right in the eye, tell you what I'm gonna do

 "It was kind of like a date. It was a date," Jared decided when he told Kevin about going to the No Kings Protest.

"Why? Why didn't you call me?" Kevin looked at him as if he might have missed something. He was seasoning the steaks so they could grill. It might have been turning nippy in late October.

"Well, it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing," Jared reached for a Lite Beer in the fridge. It was just the two of them tonight. 

Kevin couldn't get Mel to come over so they couldn't make it a dinner party. Of course, he didn't want to talk about it, but he let it slip anyway. "I wish Mel would want to go out more. I don't know what's wrong with her."

"Maybe you're in the friend's zone," Jared looked at him.

"The friend's zone?" He sighed as if he didn't want to talk about comedy reruns. 

"Well, tell her that you like her and you..you want to be more than friends." Jared made it sound so simple, but Mel was complicated. He didn't know how to win her over, exactly.

He went out back and put the steaks on the grill. 

It wasn't long until he noticed Mel was there.

"You didn't say there would be steak?" Her voice startled him.

"I did too." He hadn't meant to sound angry. "Why don't we call Nori, and the four of us can eat together?"

"All right." She shrugged as if she might be up for that. She went in to tell Jared to call Nori. Jared tested her instead.

"Oh Mel, when are you going to start dating Kevy, for real?" Jared looked at her blankly.

"Kevy?" 

"You know he likes you, he likes you a lot." Jared nodded as he took a sip of beer.

Mel smiled.  Unsure how to respond to Jared's comment. About then, Kevin came in to check on the baked potatoes in the air fryer.

"What are you guys talking about?" Kevin wanted to know.

"Wondering when the next No Kings Protest will be," Jared smiled and held up his beer as if it might be for a cheer.