Chapter seven: So, Dinner?
John's P.O.V
I left dad a note saying Dave and I would be back later, I felt kinda weird leaving him the note and not calling him even though he was at work, I just didn't want to bother him with some of my stupid questions. I didn't know what time I needed to be back so I told Dave not too late.
We left the house at 8:30 pm and I grabbed Dave a coat because it can get chilly here in the mountains. As we we're putting on the coats while exiting the house, I locked the door and went down the stairs to see Dave's car, an expensive car.
"Oh wow, Dave, that's a nice car."
"Mhm, It's my bro's, he let me borrow it for the time being."
"What does your brother do again?"
"He's in Smarmy films."
"Ah, cool."
I got in on the passenger side and buckled up, silently feeling the interior with my hands.
"Like it?"
"Mhm."
Dave puts the car into reverse and drives slowly out of the driveway and down the pebbled path until we reach the gate, Dave starts to get out but I stop him.
"I'll do it."
"Nah bro, its fine I got it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, A gentlemen never lets his date lift a finger," with that he gets out and opens the gate, gets back in and drives a little further and then gets out closing the gate.
"This is note a date Dave," I say.
"Yes it is."
I blush, "Um, no?"
"A friend date, duh."
"Oh, yeah, haha, yeah."
Gosh I feel stupid of course it's a friend date, only guys and girls go on romantic dates.
I hear the purr of the engine and smile, this is really such a nice car, it would be a shame if something happened to it. Dave then chuckled, I looked over at him with a questionable look.
"Wanna see something cool since there's no cars on this road?"
"Um sure?"
Dave then started to speed up and I grasped the seat of the interior, watching things fly by. Shit, shit shit. You could hear a faint beeping sound coming from John, but where was undetectable. John didn't want to tell Dave to stop because that would be rude, no? but the fact being John was getting a little excited and scared, John shouted.
"Please slow down!"
Dave slowed down and pulled over, the faint beeping sound still in the air. Dave looked around and checked his phone, no it wasn't his phone.
"I'm sorry man I'd thought you'd enjoy that."
"Uh no, sorry, I didn't really like that."
"What's that beeping sound?"
Shit, I don't want to tell him, I thought, I need an excuse, calm down John.
"It's my phone, sorry."
I got out my phone and messed with it until the beeping stopped. I chuckled and put away my phone, "Sorry about that, my phones a little weird."
"No problem, it's just a weird sound for a phone to make."
"Yeah."
Dave got back on the road and this time stayed within the speed limit, he didn't know where he was going so he told me where the GPS was and told me to punch in the address. I did as I was told and it was calculating where to go.
I sat back in the seat and watched things go by at a normal pass. It was dark and Dave's headlights were bright, so we could see things in front of the car, though they were not brights.
"So, to pass the time what do you wanna do?" Dave asked.
"Huh? Oh, um I don't know."
"Hm, I'll ask some questions then."
"Okay."
"Do you work?"
"Yeah."
"Where?"
"Part time as a bagger at Food lion."
"Mhm."
"Do you think about going to college?"
"I don't know maybe."
"If so, where?"
"Like what college?"
"Si."
"Stop speaking Spanish."
"No habla ingles."
"Stop BS-ing me."
Dave chuckles "Yeah, what college."
"I don't know, I have never really thought about it, maybe Tennessee University?"
"We should go to the same college."
I blush "Um, what would you study?"
"I don't know, probably music."
"Oh? Like what kind?"
"Hm, experimental, rapping, stuff like that."
"I don't think you have to go to college for that."
"Well, if it doesn't work out then I want something to fall back on."
"What is that then?"
He was quite.
"I'll tell you at dinner."
I felt like I hit a chord that I shouldn't, but he was the one who brought it up.
"What about you? What do you want to be?"
"I'll tell you at dinner."
"Okay."
It was quiet for a moment, until the GPS told us to make a right and go a mile before our destination was before our eyes. Dave made the right and drove the mile, we saw Bakers-Peters Jazz club. Dave paid for Valet and told them not to scratch it, I giggled, it was just like in those heroic movies where the guys like "Oh, and one more thing, don't scratch it."
Dave wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I look at his hand and don't really think anything of it. We enter the Jazz club and smooth Jazz fills our ears, I smile, I always liked Jazz.
"Table for two," Dave says.
"It'll be a ten minute wait."
Dave nods and tells the hostess his last name, and takes me over to a place to sit, there's only one chair and he offers it to me. I smile and thank him.
Soon after about five minutes into sitting I start to get bored and I bring my fingers up to my mouth and start to chew on my nails.
"Hey, no." Dave says.
I look up and stop chewing, "What?"
"Don't bite your fingernails"
"Why not?"
Dave takes my hand from my mouth and starts to rub circles into my hand, "It's such a bad habit."
I blush and take my hand away from his hand, "Um yeah, I just do it when I get bored."
Dave chuckles, "Don't let me catch you doing it again or I'm going to have to punish you."
Oh my god what?
"Haha Dave quiet."
I look around and I can tell that we're not dressed for the occasion to go out to a fancy restaurant. I wanted to dress up, but Dave was like, "Nah bro, just go as yourself."
I look around, I have never been inside Bakers-Peters Jazz club before, it's quite nice.
Soon, Strider is called and we are shown to our table. Dave asks to see the wine list and I give him a look, when the waiter leaves I lean over the table.
"Dave, you are not twenty one."
"No, but I do have a fake I.D" he says showing a smirk of a grin.
The waiter returns back with the wine list and Dave orders the most expensive, oldest wine they have. The waiter asks to see his I.D and he shows it to him, the guy is dumb enough to believe that Dave is twenty one and goes to fetch the wine.
I lean over the table again, glad my blush of sheer embarrassment is hidden by the dim lights.
"Dave," I start to say.
"Hm?"
"You don't have to do this."
"Do what?"
Oh now he's just playing stupid.
"This. All of this. First of all we're not old enough to drink, and second I don't understand why you had to pick such an expensive place. A McDonalds would have been fine."
Dave smiles softly, this makes me worried.
"I do it because I want to John, and trust me, I'm not trying to get you drunk either. It's just a glass."
I lean back in my seat and cross my arms over my chest, "Fine."
The waiter returns with the bottle, "Shall I leave the bottle?"
"No, my date doesn't want the bottle, just a glass will do."
The waiter nods and pours the dark wine in the glass, "May I ask if there is anything on the menu that interests you?"
"Oh, um," I was so caught up in talking to Dave I didn't even look at the menu.
"We'll take the artichoke eggrolls as an appetizer, I'll have the grilled salmon, and John, I think you'll enjoy either the eight bit sushi or the chicken pasta."
"Um, the chicken pasta please."
"Your appetizer will be out shortly, and so will your dinners," and with that the waiter was away attending to other tables.
"Dave, how did you know what was on the menu?"
"I had my menu open this whole time, you just didn't see it."
"Oh okay," Smooth.
Dave took his wine glass and motioned towards mine, I picked it up and we held our glasses inches apart, "What shall we toast to?" he asked.
I thought, and smiled, "To friends."
Our glasses clunked and Dave took a sip of his, I smelled mine and took a small sip, it was a little strong for someone who only drinks apple juice, cokes and tea.
I took another sip, it wasn't that bad.
"Oh! So, Dave, you said you would tell me what you wanted to fall back on if the music career didn't work out, what was that?" I asked.
Dave set down his glass and cleared his throat, "A doctor."
I smiled, "Oh Dave, that's wonderful!"
Dave smiled softly, "Yeah, I guess, it takes a lot of schooling though."
"Well I'm glad that you chose something as cool as a doctor to fall back on!"
"Maybe one day we could play doctor, eh, John?" He chuckled.
"Sure," I giggled.
Our appetizer was brought out and there was only four little eggrolls on the plate with soy sauce. Dave's hand and mine went for the same one, touching each other before we pulled away.
"Oh you can have that one," Dave says.
"No, you can," I say.
"No, I insist."
"Okay, Okay, this is going to get us nowhere, you are going to take that one and that's final while I take this one okay?"
"Okay."
We both reach for our own separate one and take out first bite, the artichoke eggrolls are really good, and I think they are vegetarian.
We finish off the Eggrolls and put the plate off to the side, Dave props his hand up with his chin in it and looks at me through his shades.
"Why don't you take off your shades? We're in a fancy place man."
Dave is thinking, and I can see that, "What color are your eyes?" he asks.
"Um, blue? Why?"
"Well I knew that, but I can barely see your eye color in this dim lighting, so that means that you won't be able to see mine, so yes, I will take off my shades."
Touché, Mr. Strider.
He takes off his shades and its kinda like time stands still. Always over pesterchum I try and figure out what his eye color is, because we would play the look game. And now that I can finally see him face to face, and he's taking off his shades, I can't see the color because of this dim lighting. I bet he's grateful because of the lighting.
I see the shades slide off and he has his eyes closed, and when he opens them, he is looking at me. I look away nervously and he is smiling when I look back.
"What color are they?" he asks.
"I don't know, I can't see them that well, brown?"
He chuckles, "No, not quite."
I pout and open my mouth to say something else, but he says something first, "So, what do you want to be when you go to college?"
I blush, oh yeah, that question.
"Um, well, I have a few things in mind."
"Like?"
"A veterinarian, a digital design artist, and a hair dresser."
Dave nodded, "quite a few jobs, do you know what your leaning more towards?"
"Ehh, um, probably a hair dresser. But like, you don't see too many straight guys in that field."
"That's and urban myth yo, go where your heart desires."
I chuckled, "Oh okay, whatever."
"Have you ever practiced on anyone? A wig? Something?"
"I did it on my dad once and he said that it was fine."
Dave nodded, "Maybe you should give me a haircut sometime."
"Oh, um, no I shouldn't"
"Why not? Its growing out a little bit," he says twirling a little too long strand in between his fingers.
"Im afraid I'll mess up, I don't want to mess up on you."
"Doesn't hurt to try."
"To mess up on you?"
"No, to practice."
"I don't even know if I want to do that field yet."
"It's never too late to learn and or get ready for it."
"Ugh, you're being difficult."
"Me? I'm the one being difficult."
"..Yes."
Both of us smiled at each other, our gaze being broken when our food was brought to us. I took another sip of my wine, and so did Dave. I'd had to admit, The wine was pretty good. I took my fork and twirled the pasta on my fork and took a bite. It was hot but my mouth watered with the exquisite taste.
When I swallowed and was about to take another bite, Dave was literally standing up and leaning over the table with his fork handed out to me.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Stand up and taste this salmon."
I giggled and stood up, "You could have just handed me the fork."
I start to grab the fork and Dave shakes his finger at me, "Ah ah ah, taste it with you mouth."
For an actual second in time, this felt like we we're on an actual date. But I shook that thought out of my head and beat it to the ground with my tiny arms. He's your best friend, do not go thinking like that.
I chuckled, "Okay," I leaned over and took the salmon in my mouth and pulled my mouth away from the fork and both of us sat down. I began to chew and I guess I made a face that actually made Dave giggle.
Dave giggled.
Dave giggling.
I swallowed and by the time I did he regained his composure. I missed the look on his face, but I defiantly heard it.
"Mind doing that again?" I asked.
"What?"
"You know what."
"Nope."
"Yes."
"Nope nope nope-ity nope."
"Mhm, giggling."
"No, nope, nope-ity nope."
I giggled this time, looking down into my pasta and twirling the pasta, "Would you like a bite?"
"Sure."
Ugh, look at them. Gays. This town doesn't need any more of those filthy god wretched creatures.
Dave took my fork, smiling, taking the bite.
My eyes danced around, trying to find where that sentence had come from. I landed my eyes on a couple in their forties and they looked away.
Shit, look away, the feminine looking one is looking.
I looked down into my pasta and I kinda lost my appetite. This was just a friend date, we're not actually dating, that would be weird.
"Want to try my salmon again?" Dave asked.
"No, um, I'm kinda full," I lied.
Dave rose a brow, "Are you okay? Are you having a nice time?"
I looked up, "Yeah I'm having a nice time, It's just, um."
I rolled my eyes, "It's silly."
"No, go on and tell me."
"Well, there's a couple over there in their mid-forties who I just heard like, call us a gay couple and that we're wretched creatures and I'm just thinking that it puts down anyone who is gay, and that we're not on a date, and that we're not dating, and that we're not together."
Dave starts to get up and my eyes widened, I get up and I grab his arm, "Please don't do anything," I say.
Dave looks at me, is he even breathing? Is he holding his breath? He nods and sits down, and I sit down as well.
"You want to get these to go?" Dave asks.
I smile softly "Yeah, we can have them for lunch tomorrow."
Dave fakes a smile, "Yeah, " Dave gets our waiters attention and asks for the bill and boxes. It takes about four minutes before the waiter comes with everything, Dave pays and the waiter is off to scan the card, but Dave stops him and whispers in his ear and pointed over to a table, the waiter nods.
We put everything into the boxes and the waiter is back with the card. Dave scans the bill and nods, leaving the tip and taking the boxes in the bag. We exit the restaurant and the valet pulls around Dave's car, we both get in and buckle up, Dave now putting on his shades.
"So what did you whisper in the waiters ear?" I ask.
"I told him to give that forties couple the most expensive dessert on the menu and say It's from the gay couple."
"Oh my gosh Dave, why would you do that?"
"Since I couldn't do what I really wanted, I killed them with kindness."
I stopped and thought, nodding, I guess I could understand.
"Well, thank you for the wonderful dinner Dave, we should probably be getting home, it's almost 9:45."
"Actually I'd like to kick this date up a notch, if you don't mind."
"Hm, what do you mean by that?"
"I'd like to take you to a movie."
"A movie? Dave, you don't have to be spending all your money on me you know, I'm fine with this nice dinner you just bought for me."
He rested his hand on my knee and I looked at him with a questionable expression, "Lemme do this for you," he said.
I sighed, I couldn't resist, "Oh alright."
