Second Date

By: KellyCRocker59

Sorry this took so long; thanks a ton to everyone who reviewed! You're words are endlessly encouraging :)

This turned out longer then expected, so please tell me if there is anything wrong or that just doesn't work well.

PLEASE review! I LOVE FEEDBACK! :)

Holden wasn't one to get nervous over second dates. First dates, he was a mess almost without fail. But by the second date, he either knew he liked the guy and said guy liked him back, or he was barely interested and was trying to give the person one more chance. But Sean Jackson was different.

Despite that fact that their first date had went amazingly well and Holden had blushed like a girl until he went to bed that night, he still just wasn't sure about the football star. He knew that Sean liked him, that wasn't the problem. He was just so afraid that he would do something to make him change his mind.

All this went through his head as he drove over to Sean's home for their second date. Sean hadn't been able to go out the night after their first date but the following day he had been sure to free up. Sean had called and told him to wear jeans and a t-shirt, something Holden was less comfortable in then a suit. Plus it left him having no idea what the date would consist of, which was driving him crazy already.

He found Sean's house easily; it was massive as expected and sat by the beach without any close neighbors. He walked to the door and rang the doorbell, Sean answering within seconds expectedly. The taller male was dressed in a tight grey shirt and jeans, a smile on his face. He looked like a Greek god.

"Ready for this?" Sean asked, closing the door behind him and leaving them both very close.

"I'm not sure what 'this' is but yeah…I think so." Holden replied, backing up a bit to accommodate Sean's closeness.

However, Sean grabbed his hand and held it, warmth spreading immediately through both Holden's hand and then his chest. Sean walked them down to where his Hummer was parked and then let go of Holden's hand so that he could get in. Then they left, driving away from the beach and into the city.

The ride was fairly quiet at first, and then Sean spoke.

"So…how's life been since our last date?" He asked.

"Good, I guess; I mean not much can happen less then 48 hours." Holden responded, mentally hitting himself for saying an answer that was both boring and possibly rude.

Sean just smiled though, "Man, I was hoping you were gonna say that you missed me…you're pretty much all I could think about yesterday."

Holden blushed a deep red, and Sean turned to him; damn his face and its timing to change hues at a red light. Sean reached out and touched the side of his face, thumb running along his jaw. It took Holden's breath away.

"You're so beautiful…" Sean whispered, and then leaned over and kissed him.

It was intense, breathtaking, and everything Holden wanted it to feel like. He kissed Sean back but couldn't move as the football player cupped his cheek and kissed him intensely. However, they were forced to break apart as the car behind them began honking impatiently.

Sean pulled away and turned back to the wheel slowly, still eyeing Holden. Then he started driving, and silence ensued.

"I don't usually do something that forward…I'm sorry if I kinda freaked you out." Sean said, breaking the tension.

Holden found it difficult to speak for a moment, and then finally managed to form a sentence, "No, it's…it's fine."

"I just really like you, Holden…" Sean continued, "and I just feel like you could take me or leave me…I'm just trying really hard…"

Holden turned to look at Sean, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly with a look of distress on his face.

"That's kind of ironic…I was feeling the exact same way."

Sean looked at him briefly in surprise, "Really?"

"Yeah…I feel like anything I could come up with of mild interest is going to pale in comparison to everything going on in your life."

Sean chuckled, "Being a famous football player isn't all that special, Holden. I do my thing on the field, chat with my team in the locker room, and maybe talk with the paparazzi once a week. But for the most part, I do my job – which I love – and then go home, so don't feel like I'm any better then you. I'd love to know about your job."

Holden felt immense relief more then anything.

"Well I'm just part of real estate; there's not much to tell."

"Tell me about the houses you've sold; there's got to be something interesting about them. You went into real estate because you love real estate, right?" Sean asked.

"Yeah…it's just…well, my friends tell me I get pretty obnoxious when I start going off about the houses I see." Holden replied, turning a bit red.

"I won't make fun of you, I promise. I just want to know what your passion is."

Holden sighed, "Alright…but I'm not making any promises as to how interesting it'll be."

Sean chuckled, "Alright."

Then, Holden started talking about some of the houses he had seen and been in. He told Sean about how beautiful some of them were, and how ridiculous the prices were, and about the couples who he helped. He turned in his seat to face Sean as he got really excited, talking about the way the stone was so intricately placed on certain homes and how some couples hated the great landscaping in the backyard, and how the singles were so much more flexible. Sean listened to all of it.

Finally, they arrived at their destination.

"Wow…I'm sorry, I got kind of hyped up about that." Holden said as they got out of the vehicle.

"No, I liked seeing you so into something, it was really…cute." Sean said with a big smile.

Holden of course blushed, and they walked inside. He hadn't looked when they were outside so when they entered, he was surprised at what they saw; they were at a skating rink.

"A skating rink?" He asked, becoming nervous.

"Yeah; I thought it would be nice doing something besides dinner and a movie." Sean explained, grabbing Holden's hand and walking them over to the desk where they could get their skates.

Holden was getting really nervous; he was terrible at skating. What if Sean wanted to speed around the rink and all he could do was clutch the railing. Thankfully, there was no one else at the rink. That meant he could at least fall without having a little kid laugh right in his face.

Sean got their skates and they sat down at a table, taking off their shoes and putting on the skates. Sean stood with ease, and stretched out a hand to Holden, who took it gratefully. Even with the other male's help he found it difficult to stand, wobbling to his feet.

"Are you okay?" Sean asked, the shadow of a grin on his face.

"Yeah, let's just get onto the rink." Holden said quickly, now gripping Sean's forearm tightly as they headed in that direction.

Finally, they made it to the rink (only ten feet from their table) and Sean let go of Holden. The football player rolled out into the middle of the space quickly, gliding along. Holden, however, immediately grabbed the bar on the side, watching the other male without being able to withhold the fear from his eyes. Sean skated over in his direction, stopping in front of him.

"Are you just going to cling to that bar the whole time?" Sean joked.

"Maybe…" Holden muttered, eyes locking on the floor.

Sean, however, grabbed his arm before Holden could react, and pried him easily from the bar and pulled him just outside of arm's length from it. Holden eyed the bar in horror, and then looked up at Sean, unable to speak.

"Oh, come on, you need to at least try." Sean said, smiling.

"I'd rather not snap my neck, thank you." Holden stated indignantly.

"Well I would really rather you not either; you're way too cute to walk around with a neck brace." Sean said, grinning widely now.

Holden got lost in the other male's expression, and then Sean let go. Before the smaller male could grapple to him, Sean skated along the floor to the middle, nearly thirty feet away.

"Come on, you can make it this far," Sean encouraged to a frozen, horrified Holden, "I'll let you kiss me if you do."

"That's not that great of a prize." Holden grumbled, just loud enough for the other male to hear.

Sean laughed, that full sound that made Holden's chest warm, and he was immediately attempting to scoot toward the other male's destination as the laugh reached his ears. Sean stood completely still, crossing his arms as Holden scooted inch by inch closer. Finally, after nearly ten minutes, Holden was within arm's distance of Sean, who was at that point attempting not to burst out in laughter at the sight of the other male stiffly moving each leg in front of the other.

Holden reached out suddenly and grabbed Sean's arm, attempting to pull himself the rest of the way to reach the other male. However, Sean wasn't prepared for this, and lost his balance. The football player pulled Holden into his chest instinctively, wrapping his arms around him as they both toppled to the ground.

This led to Sean on his back with Holden lying on his chest, their noses nearly touching. Both were left breathless, and then Sean reached up, running his fingers through Holden's hair.

"Do I still get my prize?" Holden asked, hands clutching at Sean's shirt.

Sean nodded, and Holden leaned down, pressing their lips together softly. Sean groaned into the kiss, hands moving to Holden's hips, whose hands rested on Sean's face. Finally, they pulled apart.

"Skating isn't so bad, is it?" Sean asked.

"It still sucks." Holden replied with a smile.

They left the skating rink after a few more moments (with absolutely no more skating on Holden's part), heading to eat at a restaurant undisclosed by Sean. On the drive over, Holden, feeling much less nervous then he had at the beginning of the date, pulled Sean's hand from the consol between their seats into his own hand, resting it on his upper thigh. Sean's eyes left the road only briefly to give the other male a bright smile, and for once Holden was able to prevent a blush from spreading across his cheeks.

They reached a tiny Chinese restaurant downtown after about twenty minutes, with a steady flow of conversation about family and friends keeping the trip from seeming long at all. They got a seat fairly easily; there were only four other couples in the restaurant, all older.

"This place is amazing; it's the most authentic Chinese restaurant I've ever been to," Sean said as they sat, "I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will." Holden replied with a smile.

They both ordered water when the waiter appeared, and then the conversation picked up again.

"So, you haven't really told me much about your past." Sean began.

"What do you mean?" Holden asked as the waters arrived.

"You know…like past relationships, college, stuff like that." Sean replied.

"Oh…" Holden said, sipping at his water, "it's kind of embarrassing."

"That's what you said about your job." Sean countered.

Holden sighed, "Alright…what do you want to know?"

Sean shrugged, "I don't know; how was your last relationship?"

"It was in college," Holden began, "and he was this kind of buff, rugby player."

Sean nodded, acknowledging that he was listening.

"It lasted about three years, and then…some bad things happened." Holden said, eyes trailing to the tablecloth.

"What do you mean?" Sean asked, curiosity in his tone.

"He just wasn't who I thought he was." Holden said.

"Holden, you can tell me…" Sean urged, concern now lacing his tone.

Holden looked up into Sean's eyes and melted. Something about the other male made him want to pour out his heart.

"Well…it was our last year and he was kind of tight on money. This friend of his, he was kind of curious, and he wanted to…try stuff out with another guy. Well, Jake, my ex, talked to me about it and I didn't want to. But his friend really liked me, so he offered Jake some money for me. Jake took it, and then one night when he was over at my dorm, he slipped some roofies into my drink when I was in the bathroom. His friend came over, he left, and…his friend had sex with me."

Holden's eyes were on the tablecloth again, unable to look into Sean's eyes as he retold the story. Hardly anyone knew.

"He…he raped you?" Sean asked, his tone tightly restrained.

Holden nodded, taking another drink of his water. Then, he looked up. Sean was gripping his napkin so tight his knuckles were red, his eyes locked on Holden.

"Sean, are you…okay?" Holden asked.

"Was he taken to court?" Sean asked.

"No…I didn't want anyone to know about it. My parents didn't know I was gay yet and I just…I was ashamed." Holden said.

"People should not get away with shit like that!" Sean exploded, causing several people to look their way.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a more hushed tone.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine now, I hardly think about it anymore."

Sean relaxed a bit, but was still tense.

"I would never let anyone do that to you." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Thanks." Holden said with a small smile.

"I mean it…if I see anyone lay a hand on you when you don't want them to, I'll break their wrists." Sean said.

"Sean, I'm fine…just tell me about your last relationship." Holden replied, trying to change the topic.

Sean sighed, sitting back in the chair.

"There was this one guy when I was starting off, right after college. We were kind of together; I mean we messed around and stuff for a while, but neither one of us were very comfortable with being gay yet, so we kind of just let it die away."

Holden nodded, and then the conversation basically flat lined. They placed their orders, and then sat in relative silence before Holden spoke.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Don't you apologize…you did nothing wrong." Sean said, sitting up and reaching over to grab his hand.

"Can we just…talk about something else?" Holden asked.

Sean nodded, "Yeah…tell me something else that gets you excited."

Holden thought for a minute, then spoke, "I really like music."

Sean raised an eyebrow, interested, "What kind?"

"Any kind; I just like listening to it and feeling…free. It kind of unites people, you know what I mean?"

Sean nodded, smiling.

"Who's your favorite singer?" Holden asked.

"John Mayer; the guy's got some awesome talent." Sean replied, "You?"

"It's kind of…" Holden began.

"Embarrassing? Yeah, so it seems like everything about you is, according to yourself." Sean interjected with a grin.

"Alright…I really like Mariah Carey." Holden said.

Sean nodded, "She's got a crazy voice. I like her."

Holden smiled, relieved. They talked about music for a while, pretty easily until their food arrived. They ate and allowed the conversation to switch to a more detailed discussion on friends.

"I just feel so lost when I can't talk to my close friends, you know what I mean?" Holden asked.

Sean nodded, "Yeah; I mean, sometimes I just need advice, and I know any of the guys on my team are gonna be there if I need them to be. It's a really comforting feeling."

"Would you rather have a few really close friends, or a bunch of not as close friends?" Holden asked.

"I'd say a few close friends; I still talk to a few girls I went to college with. They're the only ones that know I'm gay. I talk to at least one of them every night either through text or a call. It's nice just being able to pour out my day to them, good or bad."

"I'm the same way; there's a girl I talk to from the office that I don't get to see much at work who just gets me. She's really pretty and works out a lot, but she doesn't waste her time on short relationships or dates that she can't see developing. There's a guy from college I still talk to; he's straight, but has been one of my biggest supporters. It's refreshing knowing that not every straight guy on the face of the earth is homophobic."

Sean smiled, nodding. They continued on like this, the conversation easy and comfortable. They finished and Sean paid for the meal as he had last time, and then they left.

"Are you taking me home?" Holden asked as they got into the Hummer.

"One last stop." Sean replied.

They drove for a ways in comfortable silence, until they arrived at a fairly empty park. The night was filled with stars, and all major roads were a good distance away, which meant it would be fairly quiet. Sean got out and opened the back of the vehicle, pulling out a few blankets. Holden got out and stood, waiting.

"Are you good with sitting out here for a while?" Sean asked.

Holden nodded sincerely, "Yeah; I haven't gotten to look at the stars in a long time.

"Good," Sean said with a smile, "me either, and it's one of my favorite things to do."

He walked ahead of Holden, who followed. The football player laid the blankets out far away from anyone else outside, and then sat down, motioning for Holden to do the same. The smaller male sat and then hesitantly leaned against Sean; they had yet to be so close for a long period. Sean didn't seem nervous at all; he pulled Holden in, arm wrapping around the other male's shoulders so that he was tucked against his side.

Then, Sean pulled them back, the layers of blankets soft on their heads. Holden curled against Sean's side, feeling the rise and fall of his strong chest. The stars glimmered brightly in the sky, taking his breath away.

"I forgot how beautiful stars were." Holden commented.

"Yeah." Sean replied softly, hand running along Holden's arm.

They just lay there quietly for a long while, looking up at the stars.

"Do you…think we're moving too fast?" Sean asked, breaking the silence.

Holden looked up at him, turning in his arms.

"I don't know; why?"

Sean shook his head, "I don't know…I just feel so drawn to you, and I don't want to be overwhelming by trying to move past the awkward early dating phase."

Holden nodded, "Yeah, I understand…I feel different around you, Sean. I…I don't know, I feel like we've been together for years just since the time at the skating rink. I feel like I could…"

"Could what?" Sean asked, hand now trailing to move along the small of his back.

"Like I could be with you for the rest of my life…" Holden whispered, "That sounds crazy, I know…"

But Sean didn't reply; instead leaning up and capturing Holden's lips in his. Holden returned it, and they kissed under the stars for a long time, neither wanting to pull away. Sean then rolled them over so that he was on top and Holden wrapped his arms around the other male's neck. Finally, they pulled apart and Sean turned them back around so that Holden was on his chest.

"I just thought we should do it differently then we had at the skating rink." He explained.

Holden chuckled, and they laid there in silence.

"I feel the same way, just so you know. I'm not sure I can let you go, Holden." Sean said.

Holden curled tighter against Sean in response, and they just laid there underneath the stars. Holden felt his eyes flutter closed, and had a feeling this was the first of many times he would find himself drifting to sleep in Sean's arms. He couldn't be more content.