"Dude, you're really choosing a date over me?" William winces when he hears Alyssa's question over the phone. It's thirty minutes to 7 pm. He's already getting ready or at least trying to. He's not even sure what to wear and is trying as much as possible to not think of this dinner as a date.
But hearing Alyssa call it one makes him wonder. Is it? Do I want it to be?
"No, it's not a date! I promise," William says. Of course, it's not. Why will he want to go on a date with that guy? Surely not because of his good looks or nice voice. Nooo... none of that. "I'm just thanking him for his kindness, that's all."
Even he finds it difficult to believe his own words when he sees the shirt he's put on. It's a black long-sleeved button-up shirt. That's way too much, William thinks. If he met Oliver in that, Oliver would definitely know that he's developing a little crush, and of course, William does not want that. So he immediately takes the shirt off.
"By buying him 100 dollars sushi?" Alyssa sounds dumbfounded at her friend's logic. After all, why would anyone spend that much on someone they don't know?
"It's not 100 dollars!" William argues.
"It's a date."
"It's not." It almost sounds like a whine, but William is getting frustrated at this point. Not because his best friend insists that he's going on a date, but because he's trying so hard to not make it seem like one.
And really, it isn't. Oliver never even suggested something of the sort so William does not understand why he's in over his feelings over that fact. He's the only one here who's overthinking this. It's just a dinner, a thank you dinner, and after this, he doesn't have to see Oliver or talk to him ever again.
"Keep telling yourself that," says Alyssa with a laugh. "See you tomorrow." She hangs up and William is left standing in front of his mirror, almost annoyed with himself but confused.
It's not a date. It's not a date. It's not a date! He says it over and over in his mind. He has to keep reminding himself that a relationship is something he does not want, especially if it's with someone he doesn't know such as Oliver. His little crush on the man doesn't change that.
William sighs. He picks a sage green T-shirt instead of his black long-sleeved shirt. He pairs it with a pair of black jeans. He doesn't want to look overly nice because he doesn't want Oliver to think that he thinks it's a date. And really, why would he think that? It's not like Oliver is the most handsome man he's set his eyes on. It's not like Oliver's eyes match perfectly with the kind eyes of a stranger that he dreams of.
No, it's nothing like that.
William bites his lip as he looks into the mirror in his bathroom. He wonders how Oliver will look. He can't stop himself from wondering if Oliver will comb his hair back, or if he'll ruffle it up to look like a perfect mess. He can't stop himself from wondering if this dinner could lead to them being civil with each other.
Or perhaps more.
His eyes shut and he bites his lip. He shouldn't think that. It's just a thank you dinner, nothing more. Nothing could -nor should- come from that.
William watches himself again. He has no idea how he ended up with a little crush on Oliver but he wills himself to push it to the back of his mind, especially for tonight. The guy did a nice thing for him once, so what? That shouldn't make William want to know him.
It's 6:45 pm when William leaves his apartment. In ten minutes, he's at Oliver and Jason's door, knocking. The door opens and Jason comes out.
"Oh hi, William! What's up?" Jason smiles at him although his eyes speak of confusion. "What are you doing here?"
It's polite. William smiles back. "I'm here to see your roommate," he says. "He submitted my work for me so I came to say thanks."
Jason nods and smiles widely. "That's so nice of you, and him. To be honest, it's not like Oliver to do that," Jason says. William doesn't know why but it makes his heart skip a beat. If he's not the kind of person who usually does random acts of kindness, then what moved Oliver to do that for William?
"I'm free if you wanna hang after," Jason suggests.
William doesn't want to but those puppy dog eyes make him feel guilty for even thinking to say no. Instead, he promises to see Jason tomorrow, against his judgment.
"Are you ready?" Oliver comes up behind Jason who steps aside for William to fully see the man. His breath is caught in his lungs. His mouth dries. His mind goes blank for a moment.
Oliver is dressed in a white T-shirt, a black jacket, a pair of black jeans just like William, and a pair of black and white sneakers. There's nothing extraordinary about it, but it's because of that ordinary look he has on that makes William see just how incredibly handsome the man is. The white shirt brings out the green in his eyes so much. You'd think it'd take it away but no. His hair is in its usually parted way, but it looks shinier. And his lips...
God, those lips.
William has to flip the switch in his brain to come back to reality, to stop himself from imagining them further. "Yes... yeah, I am." He feels the need to smack himself for his thoughts. He's acting too much like a kid with a crush. That's not him. That's now how William works. So this, the way he's pining after Oliver mentally just because of one act of kindness -and his gorgeous, gorgeous body - is baffling to him. It's embarrassing.
Oliver smiles at him, a genuine smile that William isn't used to. Over the two days they've known each other, all William has received from the man is a scowl and a smirk.
The two men walk to the restaurant. It's not too far from the west campus, so it's easier. They're both silent, unsure of what to say. William isn't sure if it's because he's discovering that he likes Oliver. At first, he wonders if they should hold hands but immediately pushes that thought to the back of his mind.
It's not normal to hold hands with someone you're getting dinner with, especially when you don't even know them.
William tells himself to keep from thinking absolutely impossible things.
Why would he want to hold Oliver's hand? Certainly not to see how his hand would fit in them.
He bites his lip and takes a deep breath. William wishes for the dinner to be over before he makes a fool out of himself in front of Oliver.
Although Paak's Sushi is expensive, there's no need to make a reservation. There are always seats available and William asks for a table for himself and Oliver.
"Do you know what you want?" He asks Oliver once they have their menus. They've both ordered drinks, or at least William did and Oliver asked for the same as William.
William thinks nothing of it, after all, it's just a non-alcoholic cocktail and some water.
Oliver pursed his lips to the side, his eyes glossing over the menu in his hands. "I... I haven't actually had sushi."
William gasps. He's taken aback. Oliver's never had sushi? The man sitting in front of him has never known what it means to eat raw fish in the most delicious way possible. There had to be a lie somewhere.
"You're kidding."
Oliver shakes his head. "I'm not," he says. "I've been wanting to for a while but never got the chance," he confesses.
"Which is why you asked me to bring you here," William says and nods, piecing the dots together.
Oliver gives him a light-hearted chuckle. He brushes his hair out of his face and looks up. William smiles. Oliver looks out of place, slightly embarrassed if he judges by the faint red of his cheeks, and finally, William sees that Oliver isn't always so confident.
He wants to gloat about it, but he instead uses this opportunity to get closer to Oliver. William leans up a bit and places his menu flat down in front of Oliver. Oliver does the same and leans up as well so they're mere inches apart.
William points to the first item on the menu and tells Oliver that it's not as good as the rest which is why it's less than fifty dollars. Oliver nods and follows William's finger with his own as William tells him which item tastes better. They end up settling on spicy salmon roll-ups. But even after they tell the waiter what they want, their hands remain together on the spot where their menus had been as they look at each other.
Both of them are unsure of where to go from here. William has many questions he wants to ask Oliver, many things he wants to know about the man and he has no doubt that this man wants to know the same things about him. It's even easier to tell that Oliver is also overthinking their current situation by the deepening blush on his cheeks.
Somehow, that vulnerability the man just showcased makes William feel something for him.
He's about to say something regarding this vulnerability that Oliver has shown when he's cut off.
"Oh... so this is why!"
William's gaze shifts from Oliver to the girl who just stopped at their table.
"Alyssa," he almost groans. His friend laughs. She looks quite happy to see him, especially over the fact that William actually does look like he's on a date. "It's not what you think," he begins before he can filter out his thoughts.
"What? That you're sitting in an expensive restaurant, brushing hands with the hottest guy on campus on your not-date?" She asks him and wiggles her brows.
Their hands immediately fly apart and William blushes a deep red as his gaze meets Oliver's widened eyes. The latter smirks at him and William is annoyed by the fact that he's the one who is vulnerable now.
"It's not a date."
Alyssa and Oliver chuckle at that which makes the former turn to the latter. "Make his pockets hurt for staying me up, will you?" She whispers to him.
"I got you," Oliver smiles at her and she blows William a kiss before leaving the two men to wonder if they're actually on a date and pretending that it's not.
Because why would two people who only know each other over a misunderstanding, be having dinner together anyway?