Accidental Blind Date
CaithyCat
Summary:
With both his best friends dating and in happy relationships, single Cyrus feels left out and lonely...until Amber signs him up for a blind date app.
"Want the rest of my baby taters, honey?"
"Sure."
"Your extra napkins, m'lady."
"Thank you, kind sir."
Giggles.
Cheek pecks.
Cyrus' eye twitched and he resisted the urge to hurl his meal. "Do you guys have to be all cutesy and gross in front of me?" he complained.
Across from him, Amber and Andi stopped eating each other with their eyes and beside him, Buffy pushed Marty a little bit off of her.
Why he agreed to be the fifth wheel in his friends' dates, he had no idea. He was happy for all of them, he truly was. But, sometimes, it really sucked to be the only single one when his best friends were both dating.
Soon after starting high school, Andi met Amber through their mutual friend, Jonah Beck, and hit it off. They started dating after a few months of knowing each other. And Buffy had been dating Marty since they were in the 8th grade. Jonah, also a member of their little group, was also dating someone but they weren't present for that day's group outing. Cyrus was a little thankful for that. Being 7th wheel was even worse.
"Sorry, Cy," Andi said, sympathetically.
"No, no, it's fine. I'm just being a whiner."
"If you would just let me introduce you to-," Amber began.
"No, nope, not another jock, please," Cyrus pleaded. "At least, not one from our school. Remember the last one? He was just using me to make his ex jealous!"
"And I promise that won't happen again!"
"Nope, I'm done with dating. In the end, they figure out that I'm too much of a hassle and never contact me again. I'm sick and tired of it. So, I'm done." And to prove his point, he picked up his chocolate milkshake and took a long sip.
The others flashed each other looks.
"How about a blind date, then?" Buffy suggested.
Still sipping his milkshake, Cyrus raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, yeah! There's this new app-," Amber began.
"No," Cyrus interrupted again.
Amber frowned. "Why do you keep interrupting me?"
"I really don't want-."
"Oh, are you talking about that new dating app that everyone keeps talking about?" Andi asked Amber. "Gus said he used it and he met a really nice girl."
"Guys, I don't know-."
"If you're worried about safety, it's perfectly safe!" Amber reached out and grabbed Cyrus' phone from beside his plate.
"Amber!"
But, it was too late. Amber had already opened his App Store and downloaded the app. He should have password-protected his phone!
"And the thing about this app is that you don't have to post a public photo," said Amber. "Just a physical description, your likes and dislikes, what you're looking for, and so on, like a typical dating app, except you don't really know what the other person looks like. It's part of the thrill! That way, you can be surprised by the person you meet!"
Cyrus swallowed, dread forming in the pit of his stomach. "How can that be safe?! What if the other person lies about their appearance or age and I end up on a date with a psychopath with body odor?!"
"That is pretty concerning," Marty said, matter-of-factly.
"Thank you!" Cyrus exclaimed.
Finally, someone sane!
"Don't worry, the app does background checks since you sign up with your full name but they only show your username on the front," Amber said, vigorously tapping on Cyrus' phone.
"And if you're that worried, we can go with you on your date and watch from afar," Andi suggested. "Come on, Cy. We know you try not to be bothered by all of… well… this." She gestured to all four of them. "But, we want you to be happy too."
"Just give this a try," said Buffy. "Just one date. And if it ends up really bad, then we'll finally leave you alone. Promise."
The girls flashed him pleading puppy looks. Marty shrugged but couldn't do anything once Buffy had made her mind up.
Finally giving in, Cyrus groaned. "Alright. Fine. One date. And if it's a disaster, I'm never dating again for the rest of my high school life. Ever."
At that, the girls let out excited cheers.
For the next hour, they helped him build his profile, fill in his likes and dislikes, and scan through potential dates.
Cyrus had to admit, it was kind of thrilling and exciting reading through all the profiles and imagining what the guys could look like or how they would be. It wasn't difficult to find matches, he had a type – tall, athletic, and preferably blonde with green or blue eyes.
By the end of their hangout, they had managed to arrange a date for him, this Friday, with a 5'7" basketball player, a year older than Cyrus, whose physical description included dark blonde hair and jade green eyes. He seemed nice when they instant messaged, no sign of psychopathic tendencies.
It didn't hit Cyrus until hours later, when he was home snuggled under the covers of his bed, that he was going on a date with a total stranger.
What did he manage to get himself into?!
It was Friday night and T.J. was home, headphones over his ears as he laid in bed reading comics. He was so into the story that he almost didn't hear the ringing of his phone through the loud bass of his music.
Removing his headphones, he answered the call. "Hey, Justin. What's up?"
"Yo, Teej, my dude. You up to anything tonight?"
T.J. raised an eyebrow even though his friend couldn't see. "Not really. Just hanging at home."
"Great! So, uh, I need a favor."
"Can I have more details?"
"Right." Justin took a deep breath. "Okay. So. The thing is… you know that app everyone has been talking about?"
T.J. didn't but he said "sure" anyway.
"So, after Vic dumped me a couple of weeks ago, I figured I'd try it out."
Bored now, T.J. flipped the page of his comic and read the next few panels. "Okay… what does this have to do with me?"
"Well… Vic and I kinda talked today and… we agreed to give us another shot."
T.J. chuckled. "Congrats."
"Thanks. So, about that favor."
"Mmhmm?" T.J. continued to read his comic, only half-listening.
"I'm supposed to go on a blind date tonight but now I need you to go in my place."
It took a moment for the words to register in T.J.'s brain but when they finally did, he sat up, carefully moving his comic to the side.
"What? Why?"
"Cause I feel bad! But I don't want to explain to Vic why I'm going on a date with someone else when we just got back together. And you and I kinda look alike so I figured you could still meet the guy's standards."
Right. They were two white guys who happened to have a similar shade of blonde hair and green eyes.
T.J. sighed in frustration. "Justin-."
"He seems really cool, honest! We chatted a little bit when we arranged the date. And he's totally your type! Brunette, brown eyes, has a flair for dramatics-."
An image surrounded by bright light and a halo appeared before T.J.'s eyes. "You know I already like someone else," he replied.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. That guy from the Drama Club. But, you don't have to go out with this guy after the date. Just… you know… meet up with him, have dinner, chat a little, then say it's not working and let him down gently!"
T.J. huffed. "Dude, are you serious? You want me to break some poor stranger's heart for you just 'cause you can't cancel the date yourself?"
"Teej, please!" Justin pleaded. "I feel really bad!"
T.J. considered just hanging up and letting Justin solve his own problems. But, he also knew the other teen was going to whine and use it against him at some point in the future to make him feel guilty. He would rather have this over with. And he could use it to curry a return favor from him in the future.
So, T.J. sighed in resignation and said, "Fine. I'll do it. Where is it?"
On the other line, Justin cheered. "Thanks, man! I owe you!"
"Big time." T.J. sadly closed his comic and placed it on his side table before standing up and going over to his closet to change into something that wasn't a hoodie and sweatpants.
"I'll text you the details," Justin said. "Just make sure to wear a dark green button-down shirt, that's what I told him I'm wearing. Do you have that? I can let you borrow one."
T.J. flipped through his clothes. "I think so."
"Great! Thanks, again, man."
"Yeah, yeah."
Bidding each other good-bye, they hung up. T.J. looked at his closet again and sighed, deeply.
He hadn't gone on a date in a long while. It might be good for him to try and meet someone new so he would stop pining for someone who probably never notice him.
Cyrus' stomach was in knots and his fingers couldn't stop fidgeting. It was the night and he had been waiting outside the restaurant for 10 minutes already. His date was late. Was he being bailed on? This was already not going well.
From a distance, he could see Marty's car where all of his friends were huddled against the window, watching him. They really meant it when they said they would come along to the date and watch from afar. Honestly, it was making him more nervous.
"Um, hi, are you CyGuy2001?" said a voice behind him. "Sorry, I'm a little late. There was traffic."
Swallowing, Cyrus turned around to introduce himself but his breath caught in his throat.
"T-T.J. K-Kippen?" he stammered, wide-eyed.
Why was the Captain of his school's basketball team here?! Wearing a dark green button-down?! And calling him by his username?!
T.J. freakin' Kippen was his date?! His long-time secret crush since high school started was going to have dinner with him?!
Well, who wouldn't crush on T.J. Kippen? He was handsome and athletic. Cyrus could easily spot him in the audience during school plays. One time, he bought all of the Drama Club's chocolate-chocolate chip muffin during a fundraiser. And, sometimes, Cyrus would make excuses to tag along with Buffy to watch a basketball game.
Likewise, the taller guy looked shocked to see him. Probably because he didn't expect Cyrus to know him.
"H-Hi, um, I actually go to your school," Cyrus explained, nervously.
"Yeah, I recognize you. Drama Club, right?"
Cyrus nodded and extended his hand. "I'm Cyrus. Cyrus Goodman."
"Nice to meet you." T.J. smiled and Cyrus felt his heartbeat speed up.
"Um… shall we?" Cyrus gestured to the door.
T.J. nodded.
Together, the two entered the restaurant.
The blind date had commenced.
T.J. couldn't believe it. He was still staring at the awkward boy scanning the menu in front of him. He was trying to decide who to thank first – God or Justin – for this stroke of good luck.
Cyrus Goodman was one of the most adorable guys he had ever come across at school. There were a couple of other cute gay guys at school but none were comparable to Cyrus Goodman.
T.J. first encountered him last year, when he was required to attend the school's production of "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" for his English class. He had hated the thought of spending two and a half hours of his life watching, what he believed, was a boring play. But, the moment Cyrus came on stage as Puck the fairy, T.J. was a goner.
From then on, he had been kind of subtly watching the other in the halls whenever he could and attended school productions if he was in the cast.
"You were great at last week's game."
T.J. was broken out of his reverie when the handsome boy spoke.
"You go to my games?" he asked, lamely.
Across from him, Cyrus blushed and suddenly looked embarrassed. "Sometimes. My friend Buffy's boyfriend is on the team. Marty."
T.J. knew Marty so he nodded. "He's a good player. You're talking about Buffy Driscoll, right? She's in the running for next year's Captain when Trish graduates."
Cyrus nodded, eagerly. "Oh, yes! I really hope she gets it! She deserves it so much!"
"I'll put in a good word. But, I think she's got that in the bag, trust me. She's a great player."
T.J. flashed a smile and Cyrus sheepishly looked down at his menu again. Gosh, he was so darn cute. And he looked so good in dark blue. Well, T.J. had seen him wear that sweater at school sometimes. It was one of his favorites on the other boy. Not that Cyrus knew that.
"Um, you were great in 'Once Upon A Mattress'," T.J. blurted out.
Cyrus looked up, all perky. "Really? I was honestly a little nervous since I'm not that confident in my singing abilities but I did my best." He shrugged.
"I think you were great. The Minstrel is probably my favorite character in the whole thing."
"That makes me so happy to hear! I did so much preparation for the role!"
And just like that, Cyrus became comfortable enough to talk on and on and on. They ordered dinner and continued their conversation in between bites. Looking for topics to talk about became easy because Cyrus had a lot of interests and T.J. was thrilled to learn all about them and all about him. And when Cyrus wasn't talking, it was T.J. who filled the silence, talking about his likes and dislikes and anything else that came to mind.
When Cyrus smiled, it made his heart beat quicken. When he laughed, his heart fluttered. And when he got tomato sauce on the side of his mouth, T.J. had to resist reaching across the table and wiping it away for him.
He didn't want the night to end.
Unfortunately, dinner had to come to an end. Cyrus barely felt the passage of time as they ate. He was having so much fun.
Even though he swore to never go out with a jock from their school ever again, there was something about T.J. that was fun and interesting and beyond his jock persona. He liked comics and video games, like a typical teenage boy, but he also loved collecting old records and spent his weekends working at a kid's gym. He was full of surprises.
"The food was great," Cyrus said as they exited the restaurant.
"Yeah, it was." T.J. cleared his throat. "Do you wanna get dessert? Louie's is around the corner and they have really good gelato."
Cyrus was already nodding before the jock even mentioned gelato.
Since T.J. paid for dinner, Cyrus paid for dessert. They took a walk around the area, eating their gelato, and talking some more.
Cyrus had been scared that they would run out of things to talk about and T.J. would leave, immediately. But, surprisingly, conversation was easy. T.J. was genuinely interested in what he had to say and even Cyrus found himself fascinated by the things the jock would talk about.
When all the gelato was gone and the moon was high in the sky, they both knew it was time for the night to end.
"Thanks for tonight, T.J.," Cyrus said as they walked back to the restaurant.
He told T.J. his friends were picking him up even though they probably haven't left their spot a block away. Sure, enough, he could make out Marty's blue sedan, still parked in the same place.
"I had a great time," he continued.
"Me too," said T.J.
The jock had a distant look on his face. Cyrus was about to ask what was wrong but T.J. suddenly moved to stand in front of him, pausing him on his tracks.
"I have a confession to make," T.J. said, looking mournful.
Cyrus' heart fell and his gaze moved to the ground to hide his disappointment, dreading the ensuing heartbreak. The jock was going to tell him that the date was fun but he didn't want to see him anymore. Of course. That was how it always was. They acted all interested at the beginning, but in the end, no one really wanted to be with him. Why did he think T.J. Kippen would be any different?
"I, actually, wasn't really your date tonight."
Cyrus' head shot up. "Excuse me?"
T.J. looked sheepish now, running a hand through his hair. "My friend Justin was supposed to be your date. But he and his boyfriend got back together and he felt bad for canceling so… he asked me to fill in."
Cyrus blinked. "Oh."
"But… I hope you didn't hate it too much?" T.J. sounded unsure.
"No! Not at all! I had fun! And… I'm kinda glad it was you who showed up."
Cyrus meant every word, and not just because he narrowly avoided being another rebound for another brokenhearted jock.
"I'm glad I showed up too." T.J. grinned, taking a step closer. "So, I'm actually wondering if… you'd like to go on a second date?"
Cyrus blinked once. Twice. Thrice. His heart was beating way too fast and way too loud for him to hear anything else. Because, surely, T.J. Kippen did not just ask him on a second date? Sure, this date was an accidental one but…was he really being asked on a second date?!
He must have waited too long to answer since T.J. took a step back, looking disappointed.
"I mean, you don't have to, but it was just a thought and I had a ton of fun and I really want to get to know you more and-."
"Yes!" Cyrus blurted out, his cheeks turning red. "I'd love to! I had a ton of fun too and I also really want to get to know you more and I'm sorry, I was kind of caught off-guard and…"
T.J. chuckled, amused.
"Yeah," Cyrus ended with an embarrassed laugh.
"Great! Um… I don't use that blind date app so… exchange numbers?" T.J. asked with a quirky raise of an eyebrow.
It was so gosh darn cute that Cyrus resisted the urge to giggle.
They swapped phones and Cyrus shakily typed his number in before they swapped again.
"Can I get a picture?"
"What?"
"To go with your number. If that's okay?"
"Ahhh, I don't know. I'm not sure how I look..."
"You look great," T.J. said with a smile.
Cyrus turned red but nonetheless nodded. "Can I have one too?"
T.J. nodded.
They took each other's photos and Cyrus hurriedly set it up on his phone. He couldn't believe he had T.J. Kippen's phone number AND a photo! And T.J. Kippen had HIS phone number and a photo!
"So, I'll text you?" T.J. asked, breaking Cyrus' train of thoughts.
He tried to play it cool. "Yeah, sounds good."
"Good." T.J. bit his lip, looking off to the side. "So… I guess we're splitting now."
"Yeah…" Cyrus tried not to sound disappointed.
The jock looked back at him. "Good night, Cyrus."
"Good night, T.J."
With one last nod and a gentle smile, T.J. Kippen headed off.
Cyrus watched his back walk away for a few minutes before turning on his heels and running towards Marty's car. The back passenger door was unlocked and he slid in next to Amber who had Andi cuddled to her side.
"Dude! Your date was Kippen?!" Marty exclaimed the moment he shut the door.
"I did not expect that, at all!" Buffy added.
"He's cuuute," Amber cooed before turning to a frowning Andi. "Not as cute as you, honey."
"Nice save," Andi replied with a raised brow before grinning at Cyrus. "So…. How was it?"
His mouth was stretched so far up to his ears that they were aching but he just couldn't stop smiling!
"Ah-mazing!" Cyrus exclaimed, excitedly. "He was the perfect gentleman! We talked about a lot of fun things. Andddd… he asked me out on a second date!"
"For real?!" Buffy screeched.
"Nice, one, Cy!" Marty said.
Amber and Andi shrieked in unison.
Cyrus was laughing along now. "Who would have thought an accidental blind date would result in one of the best nights of my life?"
"Wait, accidental blind date?" Andi asked, brow furrowed.
Cyrus grinned. "You, guys, will not believe this story I'm about to tell you. But, first…"
He took out his phone, went through is apps, and finding what he was looking for, pressed on it. He watched the icons jiggle. With glee, he tapped on the "X".
Goodbye, blind date app.
On the way to his car, T.J. was in a daze.
Cyrus told him he had a ride home. But, should T.J. have offered him a ride home? They could have spent more time together. Or was that too forward? It was only the first date, after all. Maybe on their second date?
The thought of that made him all giddy.
Suddenly, his phone rang. Excitedly believing that it was Cyrus, T.J. took his phone out. To his disappointment, it was just Justin.
He answered, anyway.
"Hey, dude! How did it go?"
T.J. was fully aware that he probably had the sappiest-looking face on right now and he didn't care. "Bro, you missed out on an amazing date!"
"Really? He was great, then?"
"The best! We're going out again. Thanks for bailing out and asking me to replace you, man. I feel like I owe you."
On the other line, Justin laughed. "That's awesome, dude! I'll hold you to that. But, hey, wait. What about Drama Club dude? You said you really like him."
At that, T.J. grinned. "Bro, you would not believe this…"
