2075

Due to Christmas and the new year coming around quicker than they had expected, and Jaden needing to stay with his parents during the holidays, the pair had postponed their date until early in the new year.

The holiday had given Alexander too much time to think about the whole thing and after a week or so he regretted even asking in the first place. It was a silly idea, if he was being completely honest. But it was worth a shot anyway. He was the one who had asked in the first place so it wasn't like he could back out now.

Jaden had seemed excited about it when he'd texted him the night before, telling him he couldn't wait to see him tomorrow. Butterflies had formed in Alex's stomach at the words and a smile made its way onto his face. He hadn't realised just how much he liked the younger man.

Now, he stood in front of the mirror, trying to fix his messy hair. It didn't seem to want to agree with him and he'd been brushing and pulling at it for the last five minutes. He was tempted to put on a hat, but knew that it wasn't exactly respectful and definitely not date attire.

He finally groaned and gave up. The one little cowlick on the top of his head could stay there, it wasn't going to do much damage. If he picked the right clothes, maybe Jaden wouldn't notice it. Or maybe he just wouldn't care. Alexander was overthinking the entire situation, but what else could he do? He hadn't had a date in years and he hadn't been this attracted to someone since Philip, which (like all his relationships) had turned out horribly.

He was meant to be at the restaurant in half an hour. Isaac was going to give him a lift into town under the pretence that he had to buy some new clothes. He wasn't quite ready to tell the man that he was dating his best friend. He wasn't quite sure how it would go down, and he didn't know how the date was going to turn out. It could go horribly for all he knew.

He changed quickly, putting on his best jeans and a plain grey shirt. He threw a blue button-up shirt over the top, leaving the buttons undone for now. It was a bit too warm to do them up and he thought it looked a little nice when done right. He stared at himself in the mirror. He looked like a mess, but it would have to do. He could only hope that Jaden didn't decide to go all out and look absolutely amazing, but the man seemed to be able to do that without trying.

He made his way out to Isaac's living room, finding him the couch with his phone in hand. "Hey, I'm ready to go," he said. "Could you give me a lift down? I should only be a few hours."

"Yeah, come on," Isaac replied, standing up from the couch.

The trip into town was quicker than Alexander would have liked. It was as though he'd blinked and they'd arrived outside the shopping mall. He would walk the rest of the way, it was only around the corner. He thanked Isaac and jumped out of the car, telling him he would send a text when he was ready to go.

Jaden was waiting outside the restaurant, shifting from foot to foot as he waited. He grinned when he caught sight of Alex coming around the corner, making his way towards him. "Sorry, I got here a little early," he said.

"Nah, it's fine. You weren't waiting too long, were you?" Alex asked, trying to ignore the nervousness in his gut. As per usual, the younger man looked amazing and he couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious about his baby face.

"No, no, only a few minutes," Jaden replied. "I did book us a table yesterday though, so we're all ready to go."

"That's good. I would have hated it if you were waiting for ages," he said, glancing into the busy restaurant. "Come on then, I'm hungry." He made his way into the restaurant, the cold air tickling his skin. Jaden followed him in and sorted out his booking, dragging him over to their table.

It was tucked away in a corner, lit by a dull orange light above it on the wall. A nearby window let in the light of the sunset, casting strange shadows over the room. It was oddly pretty and fitting for their night.

Nervousness made them silent for the first few minutes after they sat down, Alex trying to find something to say. "Sorry I had to postpone this for so long," Jaden spluttered out, startling Alex a little. "I didn't expect to be so busy."

"It's fine, really, I don't mind," Alex replied with a smile. "How was Christmas with your family?"

"Busy," Jaden replied with a laugh. "All of the extended family was there. I have a European family and there's so many of us. A bit stereotypical but it's true. My mum has a bunch of siblings and they've all got children and grandchildren and a bunch of other relatives. Don't think I've ever seen that many people in one house."

"Sounds like it would have been fun though," Alex said.

"It was! It was great. My dad's a great cook so the food was amazing. I think I gained a bunch of weight from all that food," the pair laughed joyfully at his words. "So what did you do for Christmas? Did you go back into the city and see your family."

"Nah, I actually just stayed with Isaac and his folks," he replied. "My parents died a few years back and I'm an only child. They were all pretty good about it. I had a good time."

"Oh, God, I'm sorry to hear that," Jaden replied, concern pulling at his features. "I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, it's fine," Alex assured. "It's probably not the best thing to bring up on a date anyway." Jaden let out a chuckle and smiling sweetly at him.

The waitress came then, taking their orders and giving them a polite smile. Their food arrived quickly, delivered to them by the waitress Isaac was interested in. He shared a knowing look with Jaden, causing the younger man to laugh loudly. He smiled at the sound, trying to ignore the blush that had formed on his cheeks.

"You, uh, you look really nice tonight, Alex," Jaden said when they were halfway through their meals. He looked down shyly at the table as if worried about the reaction.

"Thank you," Alexander said, looking the other man up and down. While he'd noticed Jaden's attractiveness, he'd been too nervous to focus on any one thing. He'd brushed down his dark hair so it lay neat and flat on his head, and had put on a button up shirt similar to his own. He'd done the buttons up though and had his sleeves rolled up. "So do you."

A satisfied smirk formed on his face as a blush made its way onto Jaden's tanned cheeks. The younger man smiled, picking at his food nervously and for a split second, Alexander thought he might have screwed up. "Sorry I'm so nervous," Jaden said. "I just never thought we'd actually be going on a date. I've always been a little nervous on them."

"It's okay," Alexander said with a smile. "I'm pretty nervous too."

"You are?"

"Yeah, I spent ages trying to get ready. My hair just didn't want to cooperate."

Jaden laughed. "I was the same," he said. "Your hair looks nice, just so you know." Alex huffed, trying to push down the little cowlick that had caught Jaden's eye. He'd hoped it would go down by itself at some point during the night, but it hadn't.

Conversation finally sparked between them, flowing better than Alex ever could have hoped. He had worried that now that they were on a date, the conversation would drift away from them in a way it never had when they were hanging out just as friends. He was glad that they were finally finding things to talk about.

The discussion changed topics drastically every few minutes, from hair to clothes to Isaac to technology and Jaden's travels. Alex found himself laughing joyfully to Jaden's jokes and making jokes back, something he'd never been very good at. Their food disappeared in a flash, there one minute and gone in the next, and still, they sat and talked. It was the most fun he'd had in a long time.

"Maybe we should go for a walk," he suggested, noticing the restaurant beginning to grow more and more empty. "I need to walk off all this food anyway."

"Yeah, and I don't really want to go home just yet," Jaden replied, standing up from the table. "The park is nearby. Did you want to head over there?"

Alex smiled. "That would be nice," he replied. They paid for their separate meals and made their way out and down the street towards the local park, hands brushing together as they walked.

Taking a deep breath, Alexander pulled Jaden's hand into his own, lacing their fingers together. He chanced a look at the other man, trying to see if it was okay, breathing out a sigh of relief when he saw Jaden's smile.

It had grown dark while they had eaten, and the park wasn't very well lit. Only a few street lights lit the way down the dirt track, but it would have to be enough for the few minutes they would be walking down it.

A few other people passed them by as they walked, not paying much attention to the couple, something Alexander was grateful for. It was a small town and there was no doubt that news their little date would spread, but for now, he wanted to live in the moment.

The trail was lined by beautiful evergreen trees and flower bushes, and the stars lit up the sky above them. Alexander found himself staring up at them almost constantly. One thing the countryside definitely had against the cities was the beautiful night sky. He never saw so many stars at his home in the city.

They were silent as they wandered the trail. It was comfortable, allowing him to focus on the scenery around them, the skies above him and the feeling of Jaden's hand in his. The path took them around in a circle until they were back at the entrance, standing in front of an ornate metal gate.

Jaden stopped, pulling Alex around until they faced each other. "I had a really good time tonight," he muttered with a smile.

"So did I," Alex replied. "We should do it again if you wanted to."

"Yeah, I'd really like that," came the reply. Alexander smiled at the words. "I can give you a lift home, you know."

"No, it's okay. Isaac is going to pick me up. I just have to send him a text."

"Right, right," Jaden replied, eyes drifting away from him. His gaze snapped back as Alex shuffled on his feet, falling down to his lips. "Um..." Alex smiled, dropping Jaden's hand to reach up and cup his face. Moving forward, Alexander pressed their lips together, mouth closed, keeping it short and sweet.

He went to pull away when Jaden moved closer, grabbing at his shirt, one hand moving to rest on the back of his neck. The younger man kissed with a passion Alex hadn't expected and he struggled for a second to match it. He didn't know how long they stayed like that, grabbing at each other and kissing like teenagers, but eventually, he had to pull away to catch his breath.

"Um, I didn't mean to get that... into it," Jaden muttered, letting out a small laugh.

"I'm not complaining," Alexander replied, only causing the other man to laugh harder.

Jaden's laughter faded into a sigh. "I should have done that the carnivale," he muttered. "I wanted to, but I was worried you wouldn't..."

"I wish you had," Alex said, leaning forward and pressed their lips together once more.

Jaden sighed again as they pulled away from each other. "I should probably get going though, it's getting late," he said. "Are you sure you're going to be alright here?"

"Yeah, Isaac won't take too long, hopefully."

Jaden smiled, grabbing his hand and squeezing. "I'll see you later then, I guess," he said, leaning down and giving Alex another quick peck on the lips. "Bye, Alex."

After an awkward round of goodbyes, Alexander was left to sit on a nearby bench. He sent a quick text to Isaac, thinking back on the events of the night. It had been one of the best days he'd had in a long time, and he couldn't wait to have more like them. The smile that had formed on his face at the thought didn't leave for a while, despite how much Isaac questioned him.