By popular demand, Ch. 2: The Date!
AT 8 o'clock Friday night, Nick pulled up in front of Greg's place. He nervously checked himself out in the rearview mirror and adjusted his tie. It had taken him 30 minutes to decide what to wear, and he still wasn't sure he'd chosen right: black slacks, white shirt, black jacket, black and white striped tie. Oh, hell, he looked like an undertaker. Oh, well. Too late now.
Gathering his courage, Nick stepped out of the car and rubbed his sweaty hands on his slacks. He felt like a kid on his first date. He hadn't been this nervous on a date since high school. Maybe not even then. Nick really, really, really wanted this to go well.
Before Nick even got to the door, it opened and Greg stepped out. Nick's breath caught in his throat as he took in Greg's appearance. He, too, had opted for black slacks and black jacket, but he'd brightened it with a deep purple shirt. He definitely did not look like an undertaker.
"Hey, Nick, right on time," Greg greeted him.
"Hey, G, you look nice." Oh, God, what was he saying? Did you even say that to a guy?
"Thanks, you, too. Ready?"
Nick nodded and offered his arm to escort Greg to the car. What the hell had gotten into him? Next thing you knew he'd be bringing Greg flowers. Greg was not a girl, for heavens sake, so why was Nick treating him like one?
Greg grinned and good-naturedly took Nick's arm. "Why, thank you, sir," he simpered.
Nick couldn't help but grin back. Maybe this would be okay. Greg didn't seem offended. Just as he had that thought, he reached out and opened Greg's door. Oh, no, this was going a bit to far.
Greg seemed unfazed. "Aren't you gallant?" he simpered again.
A joke, that's it. Pass this off as a joke. You're just kidding around, Nick told himself. It's not like you have feelings for Greg. Oh, who was he kidding? He had it bad, and he knew it.
Nick closed Greg's door and walked around to the driver's side. "I made reservations at The Carving Knife. I hope you're in the mood for steak."
Greg whistled appreciatively. "You went all out, didn't you?"
Nick grinned at him. "Only the best for you, Greg." Keep it light, casual, he thought. Let Greg think you're only joking.
They arrived at the restaurant, and Nick, continuing his gallant streak by opening Greg's door and once again offering his arm, and once again kicking himself for being so sappy. Greg still didn't seem to mind, taking the offered arm and strolling arm-in-arm with Nick to the door of the restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, Nick gave the hostess his name, and she led them to a romatic, candlelit table for two. Nick got nervous all over again. Was this too much? Too date-y? Yes, this was a date, but was this going over board?
Greg looked around him as Nick held his seat out for him. "I've never been here before. It's nice."
Nick handed him a menu. "Wait 'til you try their steak. It's to die for. I heartily recommend the rib-eye."
Greg glanced briefly at his menu. "Well, I always say, trust a Texan when it comes to meat. The rib-eye sounds great."
Nick waved the waitress over and gave her their orders. Christ, now you're ordering for him? He continued berating himself. Chill, man.
Once the waitress left, Nick and Greg stared at each other, unsure what to say. "So, um, how did you find this place?" Greg asked finally.
"Like you said, Texans and meat." He grinned at Greg. "Went to every steakhouse in town trying to find a decent steak. When this place opened, I'd just about given up hope. But all that searching and waiting was worth it." Just like with you, he added silently, but there was no way he was going to say that.
Greg grinned back. "I can hardly wait. So what's the best steak you've eaten, ever?"
With that, the ice was broken. Nick reminisced about great pieces of meat he'd had over the years, and Greg shared his favorites. From there, conversation turned to other types of foods, and they were conversing comfortably when their food arrived.
Greg cut into his steak. "God, Nicky, this is fantastic!"
"Told you so," Nick smirked.
They lingered over their steaks, but at last the plates were cleared away. Nick stretched. "So what would you like to do now?"
Greg pondered the question. "Would you like to come back to my place for some coffee?"
"Blue Hawaiian?" Nick asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"Of course." Greg grinned back. He'd been doing that a lot this evening, Nick thought. He loved Greg's smile and never wanted him to stop.
"Sounds great." Nick paid the bill and they rose. Nick started across the restaurant but stopped when he realized Greg wasn't behind him. "What are you waiting for?"
Greg pouted. "Aren't you going to offer me your arm?"
Nick grinned. Maybe he wasn't being too over-the-top after all. Or at the very least, Greg was being a very good sport. "Of course."
They left the restaurant and drove back to Greg's place. Without hesitating this time, Nick offered Greg his arm and escorted him to the door. Greg fished out his keys and let them in. "Make yourself comfortable while I make the coffee."
Nick took a seat on the sofa and looked around. It was a modest place, but neat and comfortably furnished. It looked like Greg, he decided.
Greg brought out the coffee and sat down on the sofa next to Nick, not too close, but not too far, either. Nick found himself scheming to close the distance.
"I had a really nice time tonight, Nick."
"Me, too." Nick tentatively reached out and grasped on of Greg's hands in both of his. "I'm really glad you agreed to go out with me."
"Me, too." Nick half expected Greg to pull away, but instead he rested his other hand on top of Nick's. "I was afraid you'd never ask," he added softly.
Nick chuckled, fear suddenly leaving him. Greg wanted this too! "I almost didn't," he confessed. "I was sure you'd just shoot me down."
"Never." Greg hesitated a second before tentatively brushing his lips against Nick's. "I wanted this so badly."
"Me, too." Nick kissed Greg back eagerly, his tongue begging for entrance Greg granted readily. They kissed passionately until Nick pulled back and started kissing Greg's neck.
"Oh, God, Nicky, don't stop!" Greg begged. Nick continued kissing and nuzzling Greg's neck, loving how Greg moaned when he hit a particularly sensitive spot. Nick tugged Greg's shirt out of his waistband and slid his hands up underneath, caressing the soft skin he found there.
Greg mimicked Nick's actions and pulled out his shirt, running his hands up Nick's stomach until he reached his nipples. He tweaked them playfully, causing Nick to moan in pleasure. "I want you," Greg whispered into Nick's neck.
Nick didn't need any encouragement. He scooped Greg up in his arms, quickly dropping him unceremoniously on the floor when he realized what he was doing. "Oh, God, Greg, I'm sorry. I'm actually like a lovestruck fool. You have that effect on me."
Greg grinned up at Nick from the floor and held his arms up. "I love it. Carry me off to bed, big boy."
So Nick did.
A/N: So there's my happy, sappy ending. If people are interested, I can write a third chapter where Greg finds out it was a bet, or we can leave it like this. :)
Sorry to disappoint anybody who was hoping for more detail. I want to keep this T, partly because of site guidelines, partly to prove you can write a good story without smut (though I'm all for smut, too! :) ), and partly because I'm a straight female, so I'd just be copying from someone else. However, if anyone wants to write The Missing Chapter, have fun!