17

Graham Birch

Spencer took over an hour to get ready for our first date which had been set up by me. But, in my opinion, it was worth it because he came out in one of the snazziest outfits I had ever seen.

"Great, I feel under-dressed now." I said.

"Oh, nonsense. I'm dressing up for myself, and a bit for you." Spencer replied. His hand landed on my shoulder. "And, in my opinion, this shirt looks incredible on you."

"It's just a white shirt." I replied.

"And a good one at best." He said.

I turned on the car and pulled out of my driveway and onto the road. The windows were rolled down while the radio played some early 2000's pop songs.

"Do you think Holly is gonna be okay by himself?" Spencer asked.

"Didn't you buy a camera or something like that to look after him?" I asked.

Spencer showed me his phone. The screen was a live feed of his living room. Holly was perched on top of his jungle gym and had his eyes closed.

"Yup! Still getting used to knowing him. He really likes to act like my house belongs to him. He'll sit on my laptop or use my clothes as make-shift beds." He explained.

I chuckled at this. It was nice seeing Spencer put so much effort into caring for Holly. Though, that extra attention was being taken away from me.

Am I jealous of a cat?

"So, where are we going? Is there some romantic high-end place here? Or a hidden gem that not even the influencers know about?" Spencer asked me.

"Definitely not high end. Hidden gem, probably." I replied. "It's a town favorite, The Sweetie Kiwi."

"Sounds... sweet." He chuckled.

"Indeed, it is. It's a bit on the pricier side compared to the places here. But boy, is their stuff worth it! Trust me, you'll like it." I told him.

Spencer seemed excited in his seat.

I drove through the long empty roads until I reached the main town. One of the more modern and recently made buildings had the sign 'The Sweetie Kiwi' at the front. Spencer awed at the place, practically wanting to jump out of his seat as soon as we parked.

"This place looks so chic!" He gawked.

"Hold your horses, Spencer. I can see how excited you are." I told him.

I got out of my truck and opened the door for him. He thanked me and we made our way to the front booth. I gave my name, and we were taken into the restaurant.

"Woah. This reminds me a bit of Banzarbar." Spencer mentioned.

"Huh?" I asked. He brushed me off. I took out his chair and let him sit.

"Wait. Is this okay? Aren't people going to react if they see two guys on a date?" Spencer asked.

"Nah. Apple Valley is one of those chill places. This town has a history with the Knights of the Clock and that kind of stuff. But if this were Texas, that would be a different story." I explained.

"So... we're good?" He asked for confirmation.

"We're good. We can hold and kiss freely." I said. "I-If you want, that is! I don't mean to say that we have to kiss or anything! It's only the early stages and," I quickly stuttered.

"Calm down, Graham." He let out a small chuckle.

"Right, sorry." I muttered. I scanned the menu. "Order what you want, I'm paying."

"You sure? These prices look kind of... pricey."

I tilted my head and looked at him. "I have quite a bit of money, Spencer. I may live modestly, but I still have some cash in my pockets." I replied.

"In that case..." Spencer said. When the waiter came, he went ahead and ordered one of the more expensive steaks on the menu and requested some type of wine that would've twisted my tongue if I tried to pronounce it.

The lighting in the restaurant was dim, but the lamp above us made it feel like we were in our own little world. I caught myself just staring at Spencer while he talked about things that would never make sense for me.

But they didn't have to. So long as he talked, I was entertained.

"And so, she said '$34 cashews taste so much better.' And I was like, 'It's just Erewhon. Nothing special about it.'" Spencer finished his story.

He cut a piece of his steak and ate it. I grabbed a napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth. He was taken aback for a moment before leaning in closer for me to clean him.

"Sauce." I replied.

Spencer nodded. "Anyways, enough about me. What about you? Any fun stories that took place BS?" He asked.

"BS?" I asked back.

"Before Spencer."

I chuckled at this. "Uh, I don't really have anything. My life has sorta been boring. Though, when my sister visited a few months back, she put my niece in this horrible overalls. And she made the mistake of using Juniper's turmeric soap, so her skin was yellow. She looked like a Minion."

Spencer laughed as I told the story. I noticed he covered his mouth whenever he laughed. And I wondered why he was ashamed of showing his laughter.

Right before dessert came, I heard a person calling my name. I turned and saw Rick Ginkgo and his husband walking towards our table.

"If it isn't Graham!" Rick teased.

"Damn it," I muttered.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked.

I stared at him blankly. "Well, what do you think?" I asked. Rick smirked and turned to Spencer.

"Hi, I'm Rick Ginkgo. And this is my husband, Emile Maple." Rick introduced him.

Spencer smiled. "Hi! I'm Spencer! Nice to meet you two." He stood up and shook their hands. "Are you friends of Graham?"

"No." I replied.

"Yes." Rick replied. "I don't mean to brag, but I was the one who led him into eventually asking you out."

"Really?" Spencer asked. "Well, why don't you two join us? We're just about to have dessert and it would be nice to get to know another gay couple here."

I made a face to Rick to subliminally tell him not to accept Spencer's request. But he winked at me and joined us. Emile had a stoic face, common for him.

The waiter came by and took our orders. Then Spencer proceeded to bombard Rick and Emile about everything. Work, family, their relationship, and everything else in between.

Rick leaned over to me while our partners were busy. "Sorry, man. But I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to see you get flustered." He whispered.

"You owe me for this." I told him.

"I'll bring you some of Emile's rose croissants."

That was enough to get me to shut up.

I couldn't say that the date was bad. Because Spencer and I still had fun, I hope. I didn't expect it to become a double date, but I think it didn't ruin it.

I paid the bill (only for me and Spencer) and the four of us walked outside. It was now getting darker outside.

"Thanks for this fun date!" Spencer said.

Emile nodded in confirmation. "We should meet up again sometime. This time, we should plan it ahead instead of intruding." He said while alluding to his husband.

Rick looked away, becoming interested in a job poster on a telephone pole.

I unbuttoned the top of my shirt as the heat was getting to me. Rick patted my back.

"You did good, Graham. I'm proud of you." He said.

Maybe it was the high of the emotions or just because I was happy, but him telling me he was proud of me made me feel giddy on the inside.

"Thanks." I cleared my throat. "Now go home already."

Rick grabbed his husband and the two left for their car. Spencer waved at them until they were out of sight. He then turned to me and jumped into my arms, giving me a hug.

"Thank you for this amazing date!" He said.

"Uh, of course!" I replied. I looked away because Spencer was looking at me like I was something important.

"I know it didn't go as planned. But either way, I liked it and want us to have more of these." He told me.

I could see from the corner of my eye him pouting.

"Look at me, Graham." He told me. I turned slowly. He was still looking at me. The light from the telephone pole brightened his amber eyes with a bit of green on the edges.

My hands came to hug him back and press him close. I leaned my back on my truck while the two of us kept looking at one another. Spencer's lips curled into a smile.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked.

"You told me that I don't have to ever ask you. Well, the same goes for you." I told him.

He leaned up and placed a kiss on my lips. I returned the kiss as. His mouth had hints of chocolate and mint from the dairy-free ice cream we had eaten.

"Let's go home now." He said. I placed a small peck on the tip of his nose before letting him go.

"Okay." I muttered. We got into my truck and started the drive home.

On the drive home, Spencer had a large smile on his face like he was satisfied. But I knew I wasn't. I wanted more of him and it was getting harder to control it.