I look around the restaurant, drumming my fingers on the tabletop. This is my first date since, well, ever, and I really want it to go well.
“Are you Skylar?”
I look into a pair of chocolate brown eyes oRbS and smile, recognizing my date.
“I am,” I reply, watching as the guy sits down across the table. “You must be Alex.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” My hand moves to rest on my lap, then I begin lightly drumming my fingers on the underside of the table. “Jess has talked about you a lot.”
“Likewise.” We fall into an awkward silence, and then the waiter shows up and saves us.
“What would you two like to drink?”
I flip the menu over and scan the drink list before requesting peach lemonade. Alex asks for the same at my recommendation.
“What do you think you want to order?” Alex asks. I look through the menu and note that the Seafood Alfredo sounds pretty good.
“Seafood Alfredo, probably,” I answer. “Right now it sounds really good.”
“Shrimp is good, but so is salmon.”
“Salmon is awesome!” I exclaim. Alex grins, happy that we’ve found something we have in common. “On the topic of food: what’s your favorite dessert?”
Alex shrugs. “Probably my grandma’s cinnamon rolls. Those things are heavenly.”
I open my mouth to argue that my grandmother’s rolls are better, then realize that Alex’s grandmother actually knows how to bake and mine doesn’t. The woman has burned water before.
“I’d argue that my grandma’s rolls are better, but they’re store bought. I love her, but she can’t bake to save her life.”
“Well, is she good at sewing?”
I nod, tapping my shirt. “She actually made this for me when she heard I was going on a date.”
Alex smiles, propping his arm on the table and resting his chin in his hand. “So, what do you do for work?”
“I’m actually a baker. I run Bakes and Cakes.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of that place!” Alex exclaims. “It’s a safe space for youth as well as a bakery, right?”
I nod. “We take in youth that have been abandoned by their parents, or youth that simply want a place to be themselves. They come and spend time with each other,” I explain. “A few of my staff actually started as youth that had no place to go. They came to the bakery a few years ago, and when they turned eighteen, they asked for a job and I gave them one.”
Our drinks are set down in front of us, and I watch Alex take a cautious sip of his lemonade.
“You weren’t kidding! This is really good.”
“I told you so.” I take a small drink of my lemonade before looking at the restaurant’s desserts. A small sound of discontent escapes my mouth, and Alex frowns.
“What’s wrong?”
I set the menu down and tap the dessert section. “There’s not a good variety of desserts. They’ve got a New York cheesecake topped with strawberries, a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream, and a sundae.”
“Why don’t we have our main course here, and then you can bake something for us after?” Alex’s eyes are sparkling with excitement at the idea. I nod, already thinking about what I should make.
“Do you have a specific request for the dessert?” I ask. Alex shakes his head, resting both arms on the table and leaning closer to me.
“Are you two ready to order?”
I nod, closing my menu. Alex copies my actions before ordering Shrimp Scampi, while I order Seafood Alfredo.
“So, what do you for work?”
“I’m a teacher,” Alex says. “A choir teacher, to be exact. I work at Raven High. It’s not as exciting as your job, but I love it.”
“That sounds really fun,” I respond. “What’s it like?”
At some point while we’re talking, our hands touch on the table. My eyes flicker over to our hands, then I think screw it and lace our fingers together. Alex doesn’t stop talking, but his smile does grow bigger.
“Your food.”
I look up as the waiter places our food on the table, her face no longer showing a smile.
“Thank-”
“Gross,” the waiter mutters, staring at Alex’s and I’s joined hands. I tilt my head, and then it dawns on me why she hates it.
“So, babe, should we go to my place or yours after?” Alex asks, closing his eyes and smiling at me.
“I think we should go to mine,” I reply. “I’ve got something to show you that I think you’ll like.”
The waiter, upon hearing this, nearly sprints away. Alex and I watch her leave before looking at each other and bursting into laughter. We make eye contact, and that only makes us laugh harder.
“I don’t think she’ll be coming back,” Alex states eventually, catching his breath. I nod in agreement, picking my fork up with my left hand and piercing a shrimp. “You’re left handed?”
“I’m ambidextrous. Most of my bakers are,” I explain. “You tend to learn how to use your left hand to do stuff when your right hand is all messy.”
“Good thing I’m right handed,” Alex responds. I nod, taking a bite of pasta while looking at our hands.
“Good thing.”
Our waiter doesn’t come back. She’s replaced by another waiter, who doesn’t care that we’re holding hands. She apologizes for the girl from before.
“It’s fine, really,” I assure her. “No one can control what others think.”
“Our manager is offering a dessert for you two on the house.”
“It’s really okay, we don’t mind.” Alex takes a sip of his lemonade before continuing. “Really, it’s okay. We’re still going to come back here again. This food is delicious.”
“Thank you.” The girl walks away, and Alex and I smile at each other.
“So, I’m thinking I make some no bake cookies,” I say.
“Those sound delicious-”
Alex’s phone rings. He declines the call and flips his phone over, only to have it buzz with what I can only assume is a text message.
"Is everything okay?" I ask. Alex nods. We chat and occasionally take bites of our food.
"Would you two care for some boxes?" Our waiter appears out of nowhere and startles me. Alex chuckles, nodding at the waiter.
"Yes please," he answers, clearing his throat when I glare at him. The girl goes away and then reappears moments later, placing our check and two boxes on the table.
"I'll pay," I say, pulling out my wallet. Alex opens his mouth to protest, and I shush him by placing three twenties on the check.
"It's getting kinda late," Alex remarks, looking at his watch. I nod.
"I suppose we'll have to take a rain check on those cookies.”
“I guess we have to.” Alex frowns, and I laugh.
We unfortunately have to separate our hands to put our food in boxes. Once we close the boxes we stand and lace our fingers together again, then walk out of the restaurant.
Alex pulls away from me, grabs my food and sets it on the ground, then sets his food down and cups my cheeks.
“I really did enjoy tonight,” he says. “Would you consider going out with me again?”
I nod, placing my hands over his. He laughs, then leans down and kisses me. I nearly melt into his touch.
People move around us. I hear a few scoffs and a few giggles, and then all too soon, we pull apart.
As we look into each other's eyes, our foreheads touching, I realize that I can see myself spending the rest of my life with Alex. Despite only knowing him for a few hours, I think that I have fallen in love with him.
Love at first sight? It does exist. I know it does.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGMVodEbmy
“Can I walk you home?” I ask. Alex nods and turns around, picking up our food. I grab one of his hands and lace our fingers together and we walk down the street, ignoring the glares and looks we get. Who cares if we’re both guys? Love is love, and that’s all that should matter.
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