Ever since he was 14, Matthew had daydreamed about his first time in bed. He spent many a long night staring up at the ceiling as he planned out the event. He imagined being gently laid on silk sheets by the man of his dreams. Candles would be the only light in the room. They would take off every last bit of clothing, leaving themselves fully exposed and vulnerable. Their hands would explore each other's bodies as if to memorize every curve. Then they would make slow, passionate love for hours. To top it all off, they would cuddle afterwards until they drifted off to sleep.

Of course, that dream couldn't come true. Matthew realised that one night after he skipped a party because he couldn't afford the fifteen dollar entrance fee. He could barely afford instant ramen, let alone silk sheets. He could barely last through a five-minute jerk session, so hours of sex was impossible. And, to put the nail in the coffin, his social anxiety prevented him from meeting any potential soulmates. With that discovery behind him, his dream faded away. Over the course of his college years, he came to accept that he would never find a partner and that he would be a virgin forever. This mindset stuck with him even after graduation. He got a steady job, a few friends, and his own apartment, but he never thought he would lose his virginity.

One afternoon, he decided to meet his friend, Francis, for coffee. The two sat in the back of the cafe, hunched over a table only big enough for two. Francis stirred his coffee absently and asked, "How come I never see you with other men?" Matthew laughed nervously.

"Well, um, I guess most of my friends are girls, so… yeah," he replied. He took a sip of coffee and avoided eye-contact.

"So you just don't date?" Francis said. Matthew nodded. "Oh, honey, that can't be right. When was the last time you dated?"

"I, uh, I had one in highschool. But we broke up after a few months." Francis's eyes widened. He let go of his coffee stirrer.

"Wow. I mean, I knew you were innocent, but this is extreme. We've got to get you a boyfriend." Matthew's face went red. He tried to say something, but his words got caught in his throat. Francis downed his drink in one gulp and stood up. He said, "Come on, we've got work to do." He grabbed Matthew's shoulder and pulled him outside.

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked. Francis was already typing away on his phone. His fingers moved at the speed of light as he went through his contacts.

"Okay, what kind of guy do you like?" he asked. Matthew hesitated. "I don't have all day," Francis warned.

"Um, I like guys who are more muscular, I guess. And, like, I think blondes are cute. Not that other hair isn't good, I just, uh, prefer lighter hair. I mean, anybody would be fine, as long as they're nice…"

"Well, the only muscular blonde I know is taken. But his older brother is single. He's kind of loud, but I think you'd like him." Francis smiled and stared typing a text. "I'll see if he's free. You've got nothing planned for tonight, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't even know what this guy looks like. How am I supposed to-"

"Great! He'll meet us at the bar in half an hour." Matthew froze up.

"But- But I need to shower and change first. And there's no way I can just talk to this guy without knowing anything about him," he protested. Francis waved it off.

"You look fine. Besides, Gilbert can talk about himself for hours. By the end of the night, you'll know him inside and out." Matthew still wasn't convinced, but there was no time to worry. Right now, he just needed to get to the bar and try not to die.

Matthew arrived fifteen minutes late with Francis by his side and butterflies in his stomach. The bar was nearly empty. Matthew glanced around in search of his mystery date, though he had no idea what to look for. Francis nudged his shoulder and pointed at a man with white hair. He was sitting at the counter with two empty beer glasses and another that was half-full. His sleeves were rolled up to show off his sizeable biceps, and he showed no sign of drunkenness. Matthew approached him cautiously.

"Um, are you Gilbert?" he muttered. The man faced him with a wide grin.

"The one and only! You must be that Matthew guy Francis was going on about," he said. He hopped off his chair and gave Matthew a bear hug. "Ah, you're even cuter than I imagined," he added as he pulled away. He sat back down and patted the seat next to him. Matthew sat beside him. He was sweating already, and he felt ready to puke. Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea.

"Uh, nice to meet you," he mumbled. Gilbert finished off his beer and ordered two more. When they arrived, he handed one to Matthew.

"Do ya like beer?" he asked. Matthew nodded and took a sip. He preferred wine, but it wasn't the time for that. Gilbert gulped down a quarter of his glass and sighed happily. He said, "Nothing beats the taste of a good beer. Well, except for good company." He gave Matthew a wink.

"Thanks," said Matthew. He took another sip. Gilbert was coming on strong and fast. If things kept going at that rate, he was bound to crash and burn. Matthew looked for Francis, but he was nowhere to be found. "So, what kind of things do you like?" Matthew asked.

"Well, I always love a good drink. But you probably noticed that already. You probably also noticed that I like hitting the gym. I mean, these bad boys are hard to miss." Gilbert flexed one arm. Matthew couldn't help but stare. He reached out a hand but quickly stopped himself. Gilbert laughed and said, "You can touch my muscles. I know they're too awesome to resist." Matthew bit his lower lip. He put his fingertips against Gilbert's skin. He poked at the hard muscle underneath before wrapping his whole hand around the bicep and squeezing.

"Holy heck," he whispered. Gilbert laughed again and relaxed his arm.

"If you like that, you're really gonna love my abs. I'd show ya right now, but the bartender's real strict with that stuff."

"Oh. Um, maybe later then." Matthew didn't realize what he was saying until it was too late. He looked to see how Gilbert reacted, but he was instantly distracted by Gilbert's eyes. He gasped and covered his mouth. Gilbert raised his eyebrows.

"Something wrong?" he asked. He seemed genuinely concerned.

"Uh, nothing. It's just that your eyes look kinda red in this light."

"That's 'cause they are red. I'm albino. Real rare kinda thing, but I think it just makes me cooler." Gilbert sat up straight. "What do you think?" Matthew chuckled and started to relax. If Gilbert could be chill, then so could Matthew. The pair talked for a long while, sharing stories and laughing together. Matthew stopped drinking after his second glass. The last thing he wanted was a drunken mistake. Gilbert, on the other hand, stopped after five and wasn't even tipsy. He set some cash on the table and took out his phone.

He said, "Hey, can I get your number? I need somebody like you to hang with."

"Oh, o-of course!" Matthew stammered his number.

"Alrighty. Here, I'll send a little test message," Gilbert said. A moment later, Matthew got a text. It read 'Wanna come to my place?' Matthew's face and ears became dark red. He swallowed and bit his lip. Gilbert gave him a grin, though he seemed to be nervous as well. Matthew thought for a moment, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Well, I guess we'd better get going," Gilbert said. There was so much joy in his voice that Matthew almost couldn't handle it.

"Yeah. You lead the way." Gilbert nodded and took Matthew by the hand. The pair left the bar and walked a block down the street, keeping their hands locked all the way to Gilbert's apartment. Matthew's heart hammered in his chest as they walked up the stairs and down the hall of the apartment complex. Could it really be happening? Was this going to be the day that he lost virginity? He watched as Gilbert unlocked and opened the door, revealing a slightly messy living room. Matthew stepped inside and took a look around. There were stray clothes and wrappers strewn about, but the place wasn't a wreck. There was no wall separating the living room from the kitchen, and there was only one window. Gilbert flicked on the lights and flopped down on the couch. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned.

"Make yourself comfortable," he said. Matthew nodded. He walked around the room once before sitting beside Gilbert.

"It's a nice place," he said.

"I know, right? Rent's pretty low, too. It's great." Matthew tried to think up something else, but he was interrupted by a text. He looked down and saw that it was from Francis. 'How did the date go?' it read. Matthew texted back, 'I'm at his place.'

"Who ya texting?" asked Gilbert.

"Oh, it's just Francis asking how things went." Matthew set down his phone. "I guess tonight's not over yet, though, so…" He looked down at his feet. "I guess I'll just have to see what happens." Another text lit up his phone. It read 'I'll leave you two be, then.' A winking emoji was tacked onto the end of the message. Matthew shut his phone off and set it face-down on the coffee table. He tried to act casual about it, but his limbs were shaking. Gilbert watched him with a concerned look in his eyes. He put his hand on Matthew's shoulder. This small bit of contact was enough to make Matthew flinch.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm just a bit on edge tonight, I guess. I've, uh, never gone home with somebody before," Matthew said. He looked down at his lap as he spoke. Gilbert patted his shoulder.

"Well, not much is gonna happen tonight, if that makes you feel any better." He leaned back and put his feet up on the coffee table. "Just gonna sit back, relax, and get to know each other a little better," he added. Matthew nodded and tried to hide his disappointment. Considering his mental state, it was probably best that he didn't have sex. Still, he couldn't stop himself from feeling upset.

"Oh. I kinda thought you wanted something else," he admitted. Gilbert let out a bit of nervous laughter.

"Nah, I'm not into that kind of thing. I mean, you're super cute and all, but I'd like to get to know you first." His cheeks went a bit red as he talked.

"So, uh, does that mean you want to go out again?" Matthew asked.

"If you want to, I'd be more that happy to grab dinner sometime." Matthew gave Gilbert a smile.

"I'd like that."