Onyx stared with slightly wide eyes as Day parked in the parking lot of the restaurant. There was no way Day was serious. This had to be some sort of joke because what else could it be? This was a thousand times worse than what he had expected. He read the name of the restaurant over and over again because maybe he was reading it wrong. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself of that, the small phrase read the same.

Mon Chérie Bistro.

“Okay,” Day breathed out as he turned to Onyx. “Before you get mad—”

“Day.”

“Just hear me out,” Day pleaded even as a smile threatened to pull at his lips. “Families come here all the time. Friends do, too. Just because it’s a French-themed restaurant doesn’t mean it’s all about romance.”

“Of all the places you could have picked, why this one?”

Day laughed and continued to do so even as he winced a bit when Onyx hit him on the arm. “The food is really good. I thought you’d like it.”

Onyx’s eyes narrowed in his direction. “Did you really? Last time I checked, we agreed we would only be hanging out. So why, in that nonexistent brain of yours, did you think I’d want you to take me to some expensive French restaurant that translates to ‘my dear’ in English? On a scale of ten to one, how stupid do you think I am?”

“Just give it a chance,” Day said. “It’s a good restaurant that has great food. That’s all that should matter; not whatever implications it might give off. I wasn’t lying when I said families and friends come here all the time. This experience will be whatever you make it.”

“Whatever,” Onyx finally agreed if only because he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. “You lead.”

Day smiled. “Of course.”

As soon as they entered the small restaurant, the smell of freshly baked goods and perfectly cooked meals rang throughout the air. Glancing around the place, the layout was relatively simple. The soft browns and reds lent the bistro a warm sort of feel; nothing too extravagant or pushy. He was slightly relieved when he found that Day was in fact telling the truth and that all kinds of people were eating there no matter what type of relationship they shared, but that didn’t completely mask his anxiety.

Despite how outwardly simple the place looked, it turned out that the opportunity of eating there wasn’t exactly easy to come by. With high-quality meals came high prices and people usually had to make reservations days in advance to be able to eat at the bistro. Onyx glanced up at Day as a lady led the two of them to a booth towards the back of the restaurant. He should thank him and he knew it, but somehow, those two words seemed much harder to get out than any insults that he had become so accustomed to letting fall from his lips.

A waitress came to tend to them as promised a few moments after the two of them got comfortable seated across from one another. She regarded them with a warm smile and set each of their menus on the table before saying in a heavy French accent, “Bonjour! I’m Cynthia and I will be serving you today. Can I start you off with drinks?”

After the two of them answered water in unison, she asked, “Would you be interested in any of our appetizers at this moment or would you like some time to decide?”

“Can we both get the butternut squash risotto, please?” Day asked politely with a smile that the lady immediately returned before setting off to place their orders.

“Thank you,” Onyx said suddenly and to say it surprised Day was an understatement. 

“For what, exactly?” he asked.

Onyx murmured his thanks to the waitress when she returned to set their drinks on the table before once again leaving. He turned his attention back to Day with a shrug. “I don’t know. For bringing me here even though I still think it was a shitty idea.”

“But you see it’s not that bad here now, right?”

“Sure,” he shrugged again. “All I’m saying is I wouldn’t have minded if we’d went to some cheap fast food place. I don’t expect all that much from you, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” He took a sip from his drink before asking, “how old are you?”

Onyx frowned a bit. More so because he didn’t think to ask that very same question sooner. “I’m seventeen. You?”

“I just turned eighteen in February.” Day regarded him with a look of curiosity. “Don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but you look younger. I think it’s more so because of your height—”

“Quit it.” Onyx kicked him under the table. “We get it. I’m short, so quit bringing it up.”

“It’s not a bad thing. I think it’s charming—”

Onyx kicked him again and this time, Day winced. “Don’t forget our deal.”

“Yeah,” Day muttered, rubbing at his ankle. “I remember.”

Onyx smiled a bit. “Good. Then act like it.”

The more he was around the guy, the more it surprised him how much Day didn’t bother him. He wished with every ounce of his being that he could find something to hate him for, but at the moment, he was coming up dry. Day had been nothing but kind to him and a little persistent, but who was he to judge him?

Maybe the rest of this day wasn’t going to be so bad after all?