After giving Clayton my address and racing home around twelve thirty, I was now fidgeting at my dinner table, peeking my eyes out every few minutes. It was not five twenty-four and I felt like a teenage girl waiting for her prom date to pick her up.
This was a date.
He didn't out right say it. But if his brother, and best mate were going out with there partners, and he asked me to tag along, it was a date.
This was huge.
This was life changing.
Clayton Cartwright was gay.
Or well, at least bi.
and he was into me.
Or at least I liked to think he was.
I heard a horn blow outside and my phone pinged with an unread text. I jumped up startled before racing outside patting my pants for my wallet.
I slowed down though when I didn't see a big truck, but a black 2016 Audi R8.
I almost peed my pants.
The car was beautiful, gold rims, gold trim. Defiantly the kind of car you would keep under lock and key in the winter and park like a douche so nobody would ding you. not even counting the handsome man inside. I hesitantly opened the door, hating the feeling of self dread that parked itself into my mind. The self loathing that I shouldn't even be touching a car like this. Let alone getting in it. This wasn't a car that was even remotely for somebody like me. This car was out of my league. Just like the man in it.
"Hey!" Clayton greeted when I opened the door and sat inside. The leather seat was already warm and the dash was lit in a calming red glow. Clayton sat in the driver seat, wearing a clean cut white dress shirt with one hand on the wheel while the other sat in his lap. His dirty blond hair was combed a bit to the site, but still a mess in the front, like he was running his finger through it. And those eyes. I could talk about those eyes for hours.
"Hey." I breathed, taking it all in. "This car is.."
"I know." He laughed, shifting gears and driving away from my little home. "She was a gift to myself last year. I've only driven her a hand full of times. I'm not bragging, but normally I drive my Benz for casual stuff, but I saw what you drive so I figured I'd give her a spin."
"Jesus, you've got a Benz too?" I think I just came.
Clayton chuckled. "Plus my ford, but she's just my work truck. You like cars?"
I nodded, looking around the back of the car before looking at him. "My car was a gift for finishing school. I almost died when I saw it. But this. This is a dream car. I almost feel like I should be walking beside it not sitting in it." Clayton chuckled again, but this time it was a full on laugh. And as he stopped he took the hand that was sitting in his lap and grabbed mine, that was awkwardly sitting in my own.
"Trust me. You're the perfect person to be sitting in this car." He said with a smile. I figured he'd move his hand once he was finished talking. But he kept it there. On my hand. On my lap. Fingers wrapped around so they touched my palm. My heart was going wild. Beating a mile a minutes until he took his hand away and used it to turn the wheel. Then my hand felt cold. Alone. And I hated it.
We pulled into a large parking lot, that belonged to a large white building with wooden pallets along the top half. Over the front door, on top of the wood was a sign made up of light bulbs that read 'Tate's'
"I've heard about this place. Hasn't it only been open like a month?" I say as we step out of the car.
"Yeah, and I've already been here twice. The food is great and the atmosphere is amazing." As we walked side by side I felt his hand touch my lower back, like it was guiding me towards the black double doors. I bit my lip. If this was his third time here, who else had he taken? A pit of jealousy ate at my stomach and made my palms sweat with anxiety.
I wasn't the first. And I wouldn't be the last.
Once we were inside I stood in awe of the large building. Forgetting momentarily all my worries. The high ceilings were made of the same wood from outside, the lower walls painted white with plants everywhere. There was a half wooden wall that kept dinners parted from each side of the restaurant and another wooden wall that came from the ceiling that had the hostess table.
"Hey! Welcome to Tate's. Table for two?" The hostess asked, her brown hair in a high pony tail. Her long sleeved dress shirt was tucked snugly into her black dress pants.
We followed her through the front of the house, getting seated beside the half wall in a small two seater booth. Once we were sat down she smiled and handed us our menus before walking away.
"You know. I kept saying last time we were together was a date, and you didn't disagree. But I didn't actually ask if you were into men at all. It was wrong of me just to assume" Clayton said as he casually read through his menu. I blushed, dropping my head quickly to the menu.
"I uh- I'm gay, yeah. What about you?"
"I'm pansexual. But I have a preference to men. Have you been in any relationships?"
I shook my head. "The last time I was seeing anyone was two years ago." And one night stands didn't count as a date.
"That's not bad. My last relationship was a couple of months back. Nice guy, but not my type."
"What is your type?"
Clayton opened his mouth to reply but was cut off my an overly cheerful and nasally voice. "Looky here, my favorite customer is back. How are you doing Clay?" The blonde smiled, her straight white teeth making me hate my lop sided smile even more then I didn't when I was in high school.
"Hey Jenny. I'm doing well, how about yourself?" Clayton asked putting his menu down, being his ever so polite self.
"Same ol', same ol' to drink?"
"Yes please, and what about you Gabe, you want anything to drink?"
"Um. Ice tea?" I asked, looking quickly from Clayton to Jenny then back at my menu.
"Two ice teas coming right up." I looked up in time to see Jenny wink at Clayton before walking away. Once she was gone I felt myself breath again.
"So how good are you at bowling?" Clayton asked setting his menu down.
"Scouting me for your team?" I asked with a small smirk, my feet going numb with how bold I was being.
Clayton smirked as well, His blue eyes looking me up at down before he replied. "I might be. I'm a pretty skilled bowler, I could handle my own. But I want to kick Richie's ass."
"Well, I haven't bowled in a few years. But I've been known to hit a few turkeys."
"Good, we're going to destroy them."