As you'd hoped.

Rick leans forward with his elbows on the table, and brings his chin to rest atop his clasped hands. He holds you in his gaze for a moment, seemingly in thought, before speaking.

"Are you sure that's the truth?" he asks.

"It is, Rick," you tell him. "She's fucking awful. I've told you about her before. She's always doing shit to try to embarrass me."

"Well, that's disappointing," he says, wistfully, as he leans back in his chair. It sounds like he was hoping that wasn't the case, so you start to apologize again, wanting to tell him that he's a great guy and all that. You know, the usual spiel one uses to keep an intetested party in their friend zone. Rick cuts you off.

"I'm kidding! Look, Jen, I won't lie. You do intrigue me. If there ever comes a day when neither of us are married, I'll probably shoot my shot, but please don't think I'm sitting around hoping that your marriage fails. I wouldn't wish that on you. I just wanted to do this face-to-face, and it sounds like you came here to say the same thing, more or less."

"Yeah," you say with a laugh. It's a huge relief to know that the two of you have an understanding. You've been on the same page all along! No one has been misled, and no one has any misguided expectations. You were going to suggest that the flirting between you stop, but is that really necessary now that Rick has convinced you that it's harmless? You don't think so. You don't want it to stop, anyway. It's fun, and it's flattering, and you don't want to risk ruining the spirit of your friendship and making things weird for no reason.

"All that aside," he continues, "I also just wanted to hang out with you, so let's eat, shall we?"