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After living under the watchful eye of a supercomputer for three years, you’d think Rich would have learned some self-control. And after having to hear the voice of Evil Kermit tell him what to do for the same three years, you’d think he would have learned some patience. Yet, here he was about to tear apart his math homework after only three problems.
He sat there gripping the page. Who the hell even cared about inverse trigonometric functions? Literally no one. Except Jake. Of course, he had to drag Rich into taking the advanced class as well. He was the only thing stopping him. Rich knew he would come back in any minute now. So instead, he opted to crumple the paper up and throw it against the wall.
Sliding down in his chair, he shouted at the ceiling, “Fuck me, damnit!”
“If you insist,” a voice laughed from the doorway. Jake of course. He smirked as he sat down next to Rich, his chin in the palm of his hands. “I’m usually not so forward after a first date, but… I wouldn’t mind with you.” With a grin and a wink, he turned back to the table where he began continuing his homework. Rich’s still lay on the table in a crumpled ball, and he only groaned at the thought.
The statement was flattering really. He was blushing right now, unnoticed as Jake looked to his paper. Rich wouldn’t deny he sometimes fell into that sweet damsel role with Jake’s play flirting. His emotions were no longer being regulated. He was both a little relieved but also annoyed that he had noticeable reactions since the play. But, he was far to frustrated to play this game right now.
Instead, he snorted, “Some first date this is. No offense Jake, but this is pretty shit. Never have a study date for your first.” Sitting back up, he reached over to uncrumple his homework.
As he grabbed a pencil, Jake turned and asked cautiously, “Well… What would you call an ideal first date?” It sounded pretty serious. He hadn’t dated anyone in months. Pining hard, Rich figured. Whoever it may be, she was a lucky one. Sighing, he decided now was the time to be a bro. His feelings could be set aside if it made Jake happy.
Answering this also meant that he didn’t have to do his homework, so that was a plus.
“I guess… I don’t know. Never thought about it. Buuuut,” he paused in thought to try and consider his options before answering, “I’ll say a movie then eat out. Not a fancy dinner place though, just like… I don’t know. Tacos or something.”
Jake’s face was painted with satisfaction. He let out a huff of amusement, “That should be easy enough.”
Rich felt his face warm up as he tried to explain himself, “Hey, I’ve actually put some thought into this so hold up. Okay, so the movie is so you have something to talk about in case you’re weird. You don’t get to talk at the movie, but like I think the way someone acts at a movie house is pretty telling, ya know? And then, obviously you don’t want a fancy dinner because what if the girl was awful and now you have to go to this place where you already made an expensive reservation? And you also need to be dressed nicely and everything, and that’s just too much work. But like, yeah. Going out someplace to just talk is cool. See if you hit it off. And since it’s not like a whole meal, but still food, if she is awful then like you can go home and it won’t be weird. But hey, if you do like her, you can take her to your place. Anyway, yeah. That’s like my ideal first date I guess. Although, the ideal date for me would be a world where we get ice cream and I do end up liking them, and we go to theirs. If they invite me of course, but yeah.”
Jake was looking at him with an odd smile.
“What?” As he realized he was staring, Rich mentally scolded himself. Not today, gay thoughts .
With that gentle gaze though, it was hard to look away as he answered, “It’s nothing. It’s just… Ya know, I never realized how thoughtful you are.”
Reddening as he did before, Rich could only reply with a soft, “Oh,” as he averted his eyes. Jake just continued to smile at him, sort of scrunched into himself with his head tilted adorably. His cheeks were flushed, probably thinking about whoever it was he was asking out. He sort of wanted to know who it was now. “Hey, uh, if you don’t mind telling me, who’s the girl?”
His fingers drummed on the desk. His eyes shifting around the room, he said, “Well, it isn’t.”
Rich’s eyes widened as he turned to him and began questioning, “Who is it then? Is it Jeremy? Michael? I hope you realize both of them are way too interested in each other. That won’t work out. So, are they someone like outside the group?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you all about it after the date.”
“Aight.”
A little let down and hoping to change the subject, Rich cleared his throat and said, “So, uh, can you help me with this problem? Or maybe all of them?”
Jake chuckled as he leaned over to walk him through the entire worksheet.
~
The following Saturday, Rich woke up at around ten am. He saw that he had received a text at 8:37
Movies at 5? Guardians of The Galaxy 2 is still in theaters.
It was from Jake. Not having anything planned, he lazily texted back,
yeah okay!!! can u pick me up tho lol
Within seconds, he recieved,
Anything for you. ;)
Bolting up in his seat, he searched his brain for a response. That was a joke right? It didn’t mean anything, surely. Deciding to just try and play along, he shot back,
awwwwwe thanks babe!!!! <3
He anxiously watched the screen. He waited for the fabled dots to appear. After a crippling eight seconds, they flashed on the screen. After a moment of anticipation though, they disappeared without a message. There was another sold twenty-three seconds before it popped up again. What he got was,
Hah! See you at 5!
To which he replied,
cya!!!!!
The next six hours were spent trying to calm down. That was something . Jake just offered to go to the movies after he specifically told him that a movie would be his ideal first date. It might as well be their first date! He even sent him a winky face after a flirtatious phrase. There was also a hesitation before the last text. That could have been him rethinking a phrase. Of course, that also could have been him fixing a typo. And the wink could have been to actually say it wasn’t flirting. And the movies may be a coincidence.
He was overthinking wasn’t he? This was probably just some casual outing that he shouldn’t think too much of. A little disappointed, he went to get dressed.
Dressed at 4:26, Rich constantly watched the clock. Jake was often late with his arrivals; he was always going from one place directly to another. He knew he shouldn’t be so impatient, but it was still a little nerve wracking. Trying to relax, he tried to scroll through Instagram.
4: 29
4:35
4:40
4:46
4:50
4:54
5:00
Ding-dong .
Jake was on time. Jake was on time . Holy shit. Not wasting a second, he rushed down the stairs and flung open the door. There he was. The jacket was normal; the jeans were tighter than usual. He had almost forgotten that he owned skinny jeans. He usually didn’t wear them because he thought they were uncomfortable, but it seemed today would be a treat. If it had something to do with him forg
Stepping out, he wasn’t sure whether to greet him with a hug or a high five. Any other day, he would know, but after thinking so much, he didn’t know what was right. He stood awkwardly next to him, until Jake pulled him close without so much of a warning.
“Let’s go?”
“Yeah… Okay.”
The car ride was uneventful. It went on just as any other car ride they had went. It was pretty anticlimactic honestly. Rich wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Some sort of clarification, he guessed. That would’ve gotten him out of his own head at least. Instead, he was experiencing the drive as if he having an out of body experience. He wasn’t really experiencing that car ride with Jake. Sure, he was laughing at his jokes and supplying his own commentary, but it certainly didn’t seem like it. He just reacted to everything automatically. It didn’t feel like he was carrying a conversation because of how much he was thinking.
It felt like just seconds between getting in the car and arriving in the parking lot. As he unfastened his seat belt, he began to grab the door, but Jake yelled, “Hold on!” and ran out to the other side of the car to open the door.
Rich tried to act casual as he half-joked, “Such a gentleman, aren’t you?”
“And they say chivalry is dead, hah.”
At that, the two began to walk off to theater. Inside, Rich tried to pay for his ticket and snack, but Jake wouldn’t have any of it.
“I’m a gentleman , Rich.”
Every time, the phrase made him flush pink. Even inside the theater, Jake continued to push Rich to his limits. He was just so irresistibly charming; it was getting hard to him to restrain himself.
Recently, the movie house had all been redone with new lounge seats. All of them were reclining loveseats, with a middle arm rest that could be moved up for couples who wanted to get a little closer. Once they had found their seats, Jake had wasted no time to lift that armrest without even reclining back, and once he did, he scooched over and wrapped an arm around Rich.
The touch was welcomed, albeit rather alarming. He wasn’t sure if it was something that was meant to be an invitation for something. Was he allowed to cuddle into him? Would that be okay? He worried that if he did that, Jake would just move back or retract his arm. Testing the waters, he let his head fall onto his shoulders. To his relief, he didn’t move away. Instead, he actually pulled him just a smidge closer.
This pattern carried out through the entire movie actually. The pair had watched in silence. Every now and then, Rich would move closer just a little. And every time, Jake responded with another tug. By the end of the movie, Rich was laying sideways as he snuggled into his chest. He was even fed popcorn sometimes. During action scenes, he got so absorbed that he wouldn’t touch the food or drinks anymore because of how immersed he was. As they walked out, he wished they could see movies more often.
Hopping into the car, Jake suggested they get something to eat.
Rich asked, “Are you sure? You just paid for everything, and I know you’re going to try and pay again, ya’ shit head. You sure you wanna spend all this?”
“Well, it’s for you. Why not?”
With a sound of relent, he just asked, “Fine. Where to?”
“Ice cream, obviously.”
Rich didn’t answer, but inside, he was screaming. He felt a the blush creep across his face again. This was following the outline of a perfect first date that he had told him. It was beginning to feel like they were actually on a date. He could just tell that they would go to Jake’s house afterwards. They always did after going out. Even if going out wasn’t going out . Casual. With that in mind, he remembered he shouldn’t be getting his hopes. They’ve gone to movies and followed almost this exact pattern before.
Pulling into the parking lot after yet another out of body car ride, Jake had again made a big show of opening his door. This time, there was an added flair as he offered his arm. It was a good thing the parking lot’s lights were so dim.
“I want to say the equivalent of m’lady, but like, m’sir sounds weird so… I’m trying to think of another fancy thing that people say when they go on- when they do stuff like this,” he laughed awkwardly at his own slip up, although Rich tried not too hard to think about what he slipped on saying. He didn’t want to ask and be wrong.
Alternatively, he just tried to be helpful as he looped his arm through Jake’s. “I think the phrase you’re looking for is, ‘Shall we?’”
“Oh! Yeah. Thanks!”
Then, they walked in, wrapped up conversation. Knowing Jake would be paying, Rich tried to get something as little as possible.
However, it was noticeable. “Oh come on. It’s fine . I don’t mind! Really! Just get everything why don’t you? Well, not really. But just, be comfortable, you know?”
At that, Rich guiltily got his usual serving. A chocolate dipped waffle cone with a two scoops of blueberry blast with one vanilla scoop in between. With a satisfied hum, Jake got his, and placed the money on the counter. Taking a seat at one of the booths, the two fell back to their previous conversation. They talked amiably about celebrities and all their products. Jake was going on about the quality of various famous brands, and Rich listened intently as he ate. This was more his ground. It was familiar. The pair had gone to this place before at this time. They’ve sat at this exact booth with their exact orders. Now, Rich could get his mind off the fact that this might be a date.
It wasn’t that he was scared of it being a date. Well, he was, but he wasn’t. He was scared that he was making assumptions about it being a date. If Jake had actually asked, “Do you want to go on a date?” he would have been absolutely thrilled. It was just the fact that this was by definition exactly what he said he wanted in a first date. On top of that, there was Jake’s gentleman behavior which was driving Rich insane. He’d be severely disappointed if he didn’t get a solid answer soon. Shaking his mind off of it, he just let himself enjoy the company. Either way, this time spent with Jake was precious.
Soon enough, their ice cream was done, the car ride was over, they had arrived at Jake’s house. Making their way to the couch, the two were so caught up in their talk, they never bothered to really do anything. By now of course, the topic had changed. Now they were talking about artists and the different classifications. Still, the two had managed to get lost in it. Rich wouldn’t ever picture holding a conversation about anything remotely close to this, but Jake just sort of did that he supposed. He made this interesting, brought new ideas to the table, and kept things going. Because he was such a jock, no one ever really thought about how smart he was. Jake was clever really. He took a fair number of advanced classes as well as extracurricular, and it amazed Rich. How he managed to tackle all that while still have time to go out and just be a teen, he would never know. This amazing young man had captured heart with his talent and skill, and it was unfortunate that he had to leave soon.
As midnight rolled around, he figured it was time to go. Realistically, he could have stayed the night, but he figured if this was a date, it should have an end. He wanted it to have the finality of one so he could pretend. So, he allowed Jake to drive him back home and walk him to the door.
“So how was it?”
He had already unlocked to door, and he had come to accept the fact that it wasn’t a date. He was about ready to go sulk now.
“How was what? The movie? Yeah it was really good, not quite like the first, but-”
“No, I meant… I meant the date. First date.” Jake almost looked shy. He rocked back and forth on his heels, hands behind his back. He was biting the inside of his cheek like he always did when he was nervous. Back lit in the white street lamps, he was… He was beautiful in a very special way. It wasn’t like his normal self. He wasn’t radiating this golden glow like he always did. He was lit up. It was more like there was a light over him. Jake was sort of under a spotlight, for judgement. Vulnerable would be a word he used to describe him.
Rich just grinned. He jumped up and threw his arms around his neck for a hug as he laughed. As Jake staggered back, he in hugged him around his waist. As he fell from the jump, Rich had to stand on his toes, and Jake still had to lean down slightly, but it felt comforting all the same.
“That was the best first date I could have ever asked for.”
Pulling back slightly, Jake planted a small kiss on the top of Rich’s head. “Well, if you go out with me, I may have a second date planned?”
Absolutely beaming, Rich pulled him down for a kiss. Soft and sweet, their lips moved in sync. Countless dreams became true in that moment. They kissed eagerly; it was filled with a desire that they had felt for an incredibly long time. Rich threaded his hands through Jake’s hair as he held him reassuringly tight. The touch told him that this was real. That day was indeed a date, and all those gestures were real and true.
And as they kissed, Rich breathlessly sighed out, “I’d love that.”