The new wrinkle is the two of them being housemates, and that Dean seems certain he's tricked Esther into getting all the other guys in the house interested in her, to where they'll squabble and fight and destroy each other. Because Dean's a shithead. Daisy's suggested Esther get a fake boyfriend as a beard, someone with similar interests to the guys, so they'll see him as nonthreatening to their value system or something. And considering Ed is friends with all these guys, and already going to be living there, it seems likely he's going to end up the pigeon. Although I can't discount Esther throwing me a curveball and pulling some random guy out of the aether.
I don't know how I want it to play out, meaning the whole thing between them in general. There's that whole trope in fiction where if the guy just keeps trying, at some point he finds the secret combination of deeds and words that unlock the girl's heart and blah blah blah. That's not great, it treats an interaction between people like a boss fight in a video game. If at first you don't succeed, just keep at it and you'll get what you want eventually.
It may not totally apply here. Ed has helped Esther out on several occasions, most recently by helping her find a place to stay, and ending up with the shittiest room in their house as a result. It would be hard to argue his feelings for Esther aren't factoring in there at all, but he's never requested or expected anything in return. Hoped, absolutely. If they live in the same house, more time to interact, who knows how it goes? But Ed's generally a helpful, conscientious guy. He helped Daisy and Susan make their film (and was basically bullied into writing the script). When McGraw was about to be pummeled by Emilia's rubgy-playing brothers, Ed refused to abandon him, even though it was going to catch him a beating for something he had no part in.
Still, Ed has yet to actually ask Esther out, hoping she'd make the first move. Fear of rejection is not unheard of, but as McGraw once noted, if Esther hadn't taken the initiative yet, she wasn't likely to. When Esther decides she likes a guy, she goes for him. The teaching assistant, the wannabe director. She's stated she has a weakness for 'milquetoast handsome' guys*. Ed doesn't seem to have much in common with them, other than bilateral symmetry.
Of course, those guys also end up disappointing or boring her. I guess she's always hoping they'll have more substance than their bland exteriors suggest. Or, like the Tick, she's easily distracted by shiny or pretty things. She's mostly sworn off romance in recent months, opting to focus on her studies instead. But, as Ed once observed, she's mercurial, so that could change at any moment. It makes it hard to predict her. It could be she simply hadn't ever considered Ed as a romantic partner because, well, she just hadn't. And she still might not! But now that she knows how he feels, maybe she's thinking about it. For whatever reason, she wasn't picking up the signals*. Or the milquetoast boys are boring her and she's up for trying someone different. At least she already knows she can hang out with Ed and the two can have fun. They did hug once, in a moment of shared celebration, and then both got awkward about it momentarily.
With Ed it's apparent that, contrary to what he thinks, women do find him desirable. He's had two one-night encounters, although the first ended very badly because it was very brief. A couple of other women have seemed interested. The problem being, he's still hung up on the possibility that Esther might turn out to be interested. Susan, Daisy, and McGraw have all taken different approaches to try and get him off that tack. Susan opts for mockery, McGraw for straightforward comments. Daisy usually tries to get him going in some other direction. Pushed him onto the student paper, got him a date with another student who shared his interests in science fiction. None of it has ultimately worked, and that's because Ed's not been convinced there's no chance with Esther. As long as he thinks that might be a viable path, he doesn't want to commit to another.
Two paths in the woods, and the one will probably be perfectly pleasant, but this other one over here, it might be awesome. Look at that scenery in the distance! Just gotta wait for a road crew to clear this here rockslide. . . OK, Robert Frost I ain't. I get the instinct Ed has, though. I was hesitant to take the career path I'm currently on, because I was worried I'd never get back to the thing I really think I want to do. But there was a point where I needed to get an actual, paying job, and I just have remain steadfast that I can make my way back over to that other path at some point down the line if I really want it. I don't think Ed's got that same belief. Maybe he's right, maybe he's not
They'll have to hash it out at some point. Could be tricky getting to that stage, since both of them think the other doesn't remember. Hard telling how the conversation will go, too. They're friends' relationship issues are a mixed bag. When McGraw and Susan are on the outs, they don't talk much. Susan treated him like a mortal enemy when she learned he was going to the same university as her. When she was wrapped up in the student president campaign, McGraw spent a lot of time moping and passive-agressively commenting on not seeing during the times they were together. Then he broke up with her (on her birthday). Otherwise, they both internalize whatever turmoil they're feeling. They've patched it up a couple of times so far. McGraw and Emilia's break-up was less than pleasant, and nearly ended with McGraw and Ed getting beaten. That situation is still awkward.
Daisy and Ingrid's break-up was a spectacular explosion of fury from Ingrid, and a two plus week stint laying in bed for Daisy. I'm not convinced we've seen the last of Ingrid. Esther's break-up with the T.A. was quite a show; the one with the director happened off-screen. When she returned home and found her ex-boyfriend was dating her friend Sarah, that got ugly in a hurry. Even though Esther broke up with him after cheating on him, so my sympathies were not with Esther in that scenario. But all parties were ultimately able to talk things out, and Esther and Sarah are still friends.
If they talk it out before any dating - or fake dating - they'll probably be OK. If not, especially if Ed gets asked to play "pretend boyfriend", it's probably going to end horribly. Which will be sad to read, but hopefully entertaining.
* Esther's description of Ed to her friend Sarah was that he's 'not hideous'. Although she said it with a sly grin and reference to their mutual friend Big Lindsay having slept with him, so interpret that how you will.
** It occurs to me that Esther may be so accustomed to making the first move she's not used to noticing someone else being into her first. Or, she's not used to it being someone she doesn't mind having around. I imagine she's had a lot of come-ons from guys she wouldn't give the time of day.
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