=Normal POV=
(Sunday, 12/8/2019; 5:30 pm)
(Barbarchi City, Archipelago)
(Arc Burger)

The dinner was going well in Trayden's opinion, it seemed Hunter was having a decent time too. Both of them had just about finished their sandwiches, and were picking at fries while taking turns dipping them into the cup of ketchup at the center of the tray. Hunter and Trayden really only talked about their days. They hadn't talked much as it had only been about fifteen minutes since they sat down to eat. Trayden was enjoying things, it was nice and casual. Nothing crazy or overwhelming about having dinner with someone he met four days ago. It was good and honestly, Trayden hoped that it wouldn't be the last time they could hang out, but was nervous to ask if they could again. This was only supposed to be a thank you for returning Hunter's wallet to him, so Trayden didn't want to look too much into it becoming more with them as friends.

"So, now that we're not starving…Are you opposed to getting to know one another better?" Hunter asked.

"Not at all," Trayden replied with a smile. "Ask anything you like," He invited.

Hunter laughed a bit. "That's a very loaded and open invitation," He informed. "And we do have to keep it appropriate for the atmosphere," He winked. Trayden felt the heat rise to his cheeks and prayed he wasn't blushing too badly. "Keep it calm and casual," Hunter smiled. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-three. Almost twenty-four, though. How about you?" Trayden replied.

"Same," Hunter chuckled. "Orientation?" Trayden blushed a little. Hunter was definitely a forward guy.

"Gay," Trayden answered calmly, but a bit shyly. Hunter picked up that perhaps Trayden was only recently out of the closet.

"Me too," Hunter informed proudly. "Don't be so nervous, Tray. You fresh out the closet?"

"Sort'a…I've always struggled with it over the years, but after a situation last year, I finally settled on only being attracted to men," Trayden mumbled a bit, obviously feeling awkward about discussing things in public.

"Hey, it's cool. A lot of bisexual and gay men struggle with their sexuality. It's only because of all the negativity from those who don't like and support it because they don't think it's right," Hunter explained softly. "I remember you mentioned having a job, so what do you do for work?"

"Uh, I work in a bar. Sometimes serving, others, I bartend," Trayden said.

"Yeah, that's cool. You've seen what I do," Hunter shrugged a bit. "But sometimes, I also help bartend or serve. Amazingly easy to walk around to tables and move with the music, usually helps out at tipping time," He chuckled.

"I was shocked to see you come out on stage, to be honest. When you said you had a show to finish setting up and get ready for, I assumed you were the stage manager," Trayden smiled.

"I am. I run music, lights, handle costumes, and choreography. But I will pop out on stage for a dance or two every show, I enjoy it and I'm the original," Hunter stated.

"What do you mean?" Trayden inquired.

"Well, when my uncle bought the place, he didn't want to just boot people out of the job they had…So he kept original staff and dancers because it was already a strip bar. However, when I was eighteen and he was down three dancers because two were sick and one got hurt…I jumped in to help out and since I did a good job, I was put in charge of handling the shows. Before, I was doing the same as you, bartending and serving," Hunter mentioned with a light shrug and smile.

"Guess that worked out nicely," Trayden nodded.

"Yeah, it's fun," Hunter laughed a little. "Good way to pass the nights as I hate sitting around and doing nothing,"

"So you're someone who works late, sleeps late, and starts again?" Trayden wondered.

"Sometimes, really depends on the night," Hunter said. "I usually work about 6 pm to 12 am. Seems short, but it's actually not. I technically get to work at 4:00 pm, and grab the dancers to go over routine orders, music choices, and then making sure everything is good for the night. Occasionally, a little practicing. 11 pm to 12 am is the last show, then once customers have paid and left, bouncers lock the entrances and we start clean up. If there are no problems, I usually get out around 1 am. The others do too because we all work together to get the place cleaned and closed for the night, even if we didn't serve or bartend," Hunter went on. "Once I get home, I shower and head to bed,"

"Sounds like me…You work every day?" Trayden questioned.

"No, it'd be too much," Hunter informed. "What are you days/nights like?"

"Depends on work shifts. It's been crazy lately. When you met me Tuesday…That was my first day off in two and a half weeks. I'm usually working on the weekends, but my boss had promised that because he felt bad for working me to exhaustion and feeling sick, that I could have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off," Trayden shrugged.

"That is crazy, but hey…We've all pulled longer shifts than normal, and had to work without days off," Hunter laughed a little. "So you always work late?"

"It's up in the air right now. Before, though, I used to work four to six hour shifts, sometimes eight on Fridays and Saturdays. But around June when it got crazy, I've been pushing ten and twelve hour days/nights," Trayden enlightened. "I used to have three days off a week, then it was down to two, and finally one. But the last two weeks were nonstop," He added.

"Poor thing. You did look exhausted on Tuesday," Hunter pointed out.

"Yeah. I was actually supposed to work, but had called out not feeling well and admitted to my boss it was from all the work, so he wasn't mad," Trayden replied.

"How long were you working?" Hunter asked.

"I used to work all over the place, hours-wise. And then my boss suddenly only needed my for nights so those were from about 4 pm to 12 am, but clean up never goes smoothly and we all end up out between 1 am and 2 am." Trayden muttered.

"Yeesh. Hopefully your boss finds other workers so you and the rest don't have to suffer," Hunter said. "I assume that's the issue, short-staffing?"

"Unfortunately. It mainly came from all the workers who had to leave in the summer when schools let out, and now again with Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday breaks. It should get better after the New Year, and my boss already reassured that I wouldn't get worked so much again and let other employees who call out a lot and don't have kids or families know that they needed to step up if they wanted to keep their jobs," Trayden informed.

"More than fair. You can't expect one or two people do to the work of five or six," Hunter agreed. "So…Safe to say that you'll be working…Regular shifts again, adequate days off?" He wondered curiously as Trayden studied the look on Hunter's face a bit. It almost looked like curiosity in if Trayden would have some free time again, so it made Trayden silently question if Hunter was trying to hang out.

"I…Think it's safe to say that," Trayden nodded, blushing a bit and noticing that their food was gone and their night was probably over. "With my car misbehaving, I'm gonna need time to get it looked at and figure out what's wrong anyway, then likely repairs," He almost groaned at the thought.

"You say that with such disdain and a pouty lip, which, I find adorable," Hunter confessed gently as Trayden blushed more.

"I only hate it because all the shops overcharge for parts and labor, plus they keep the vehicle longer than necessary on excuses of waiting on the parts. Like, I get it, but I also have a job to get to, and groceries. It's winter, I can't walk to work every night. And I hate to spend the money on a taxi or the bus," Trayden sighed. "I should probably start looking for a garage, and make sure my car starts here…It didn't want to at the apartment. I had to get a jump from someone in the complex lot. That's why I was late…"

"Hey, don't worry about it. We still managed to meet and have dinner. I've quite enjoyed our time together," Hunter smiled.

"True and me as well…It's nice to have normal conversations. My friends, I love them to death…But so nosey and always pushing me to hook up with someone or get myself out there," Trayden rolled his eyes.

"Friends can do that, but they're just looking out for you and want you to be happy. Gays and bisexuals already struggle to exist in the world with others who don't see it as natural, so it's good to have that support," Hunter informed. "But they shouldn't be pushing you to sleep with anyone if you don't want it or not ready. Can't rush those things, it'd be a bad experience and should never be done with a complete stranger who you just met that day or night, know what I mean?"

Trayden nodded. "Still, they're another reason I was late. My friends showed up unexpectedly and wanted to hang, but I knew I had this date with you and didn't want to miss it. I might have shoved them out of my house saying I didn't feel good to make them leave," He rubbed the back of his head.

Hunter laughed some. "I've done it before, so no harm," He mentioned. "This has been fun," He added.

"Yes, absolutely. Um, thank you, for dinner," Trayden said softly.

"You're very welcome, Trayden," Hunter nodded as he was collecting all the trash on the tray to dispose it in the garbage, then leave the tray where the others were. The two males headed outside. "Where did you park?"

"Over there," Trayden pointed. "Guess I'll see you again, maybe, if you ever end up losing your wallet in the park?" Gods, he couldn't believe he just said that.

Hunter giggled at him a little as Trayden blushed fiercely and was grateful it was mostly dark outside and Hunter hopefully couldn't see it. "Well, now you know where I live and where I work, you don't need the wallet to come see me," Hunter winked as Trayden's blush got worse. "See you around, hot stuff," Hunter headed to get to his vehicle and leave.

"Bye…" Trayden managed to get out before heading to his car and trying to start it up once his belt was on. Trayden realized the car wouldn't start after multiple tries, he groaned and lowered his head onto the wheel. Hunter, however, hadn't left the lot entirely, he was waiting for another car to back out and letting the guy go. Hunter looked over to see Trayden still in the lot, car off, and his head down.

What's up with him? Hunter wondered as he opened the window to get Trayden's attention, but happened to hear the car not wanting to start up as he recalled what Trayden said about his car misbehaving. Well, Hunter couldn't just leave the guy there to suffer. Hunter shifted over and pulled up in front of Trayden's car, then got out and tapped on Trayden's window to make the guy lift his head. The look on his face was surprise, but also maybe defeat at his situation. Trayden rolled down the window. "Hey. Car trouble?"

"Yeah…I know there's power to the car, but it won't start up," Trayden sighed out.

"Need a jump?" Hunter asked.

"Please?" Trayden hoped. Hunter smiled and nodded.

"Sure, no problem. You got cables? If not, I do," Hunter wondered.

"I do, but their warped and I haven't been able to replace them yet," Trayden admitted.

"It's cool, Tray. Pop your hood," Hunter told him gently as Trayden reached down and found the latch release for the hood and pulled it as Hunter had already pulled his cables out of the back of his truck, then raised the hood and got the piece in to hold it up. Hunter got the cables in place on his battery, then on Trayden's. Hunter moved to his truck's ignition and started it. After a minute, he looked to Trayden. "Go ahead," Trayden turned his key and the car started.

"Well, I guess you're the lifesaver now," Trayden smiled a bit.

"Give it five minutes to run on mine, then let leave the car going another ten or so minutes," Hunter stated. "Did you let it run after the jump at your apartment?"

"No," Trayden shook his head. "I was already late, and wanted to get here, so once it was running, I just came right to Arc Burger," He added.

"Ah, always let it run about fifteen minutes, It sort of recharges the battery a bit, then actually driving the car helps too. You could just have a bad battery or it needs a serious recharge. Happen to know how old it is?" Hunter questioned.

"It's in the paperwork from when I got it, which was…When I moved out of my parents house at twenty," Trayden said. "And I moved out the summer of 2016, like April-ish," He mentioned. "The car itself is a 2014 Cadillac ATS, it was bought used. My parents gave it to me as a gift when I got my first apartment since I'd been using their cars to get to and from work originally,"

"That was nice of them. Why'd you move out, felt like it was time to leave the nest?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, and I needed to be closer to work. My family and I used to live thirty minutes away on Eyja Nott, but the drive was killing me for the time I got out of work, especially in the summer. I searched around after my twentieth birthday for apartments and found the place I'm at now. I love it, and it's only ten minutes to my job," Trayden explained. "My family lives here in the city now, guess it was easier with dad being mayor and all," Trayden shrugged.

Hunter looked at him with surprise in his eyes. "Your…Father is Mayor Raseri?" Hunter blinked.

"Mmhm. And my mom is his secretary. I've got four brothers and one sister, all younger." Trayden smiled. "Guess I should have mentioned my last name in introductions on Tuesday. I'm…Trayden Raseri," He blushed a little.

"Hunter Forger," Hunter offered his hand, smiling, and I shook it. "Nothing wrong with not giving last names, some people don't like to use them. Keeps it casual," He added.

"I…Mainly don't use it because everyone realizes I'm the mayor's son and gets all…Well, not like themselves if that makes sense?" Trayden informed.

"Acting differently to appear proper enough to be in your life?" Hunter chuckled.

"Exactly," Trayden nodded. "I'm not ashamed to be the mayor's son, of course. My parents and siblings accept me…Then again they…Don't know I'm gay either. They know I'm bisexual because that's what I told them when I figured that much out at nineteen. As I said I struggled with it for a while, probably around seventeen is when I questioned things. I know my family still hopes I'll marry a girl, grandkids…You know," He shrugged a bit.

"Well, if they know you're bi and accept that, then I'm sure being gay won't change much," Hunter stated. "But hey, go at your pace with it and always stay positive," He informed. Trayden nodded, thankful for the advice. Unknown to the males, Trayden's friends had gone through the drive-thru to get food, and now parked side by side to eat outside their cars.

"It sucks Tray couldn't come with us," Alyssa stated.

"Well, you heard him earlier. Trayden said he didn't feel good and wanted to rest," Ethan reminded.

"Uh…If he didn't feel good and wanted to rest…Then why is he here?" Tyler asked as they all looked at him and Tyler pointed to the place where Trayden's car was being jumped by a gray truck, with Trayden and another guy standing outside and talking causally, even smiling and laughing a bit.

"Doesn't look like he even realized we're here too and we're not that far away," Rylee mentioned.

"Well, I think you should be all set, we've let it run a bit," Hunter told Trayden.

"I can just barely hear them," Shane informed while Hunter was disconnecting the cables and setting them away.

"I owe you," Trayden sighed gratefully.

"Nah. I'd do it for anyone," Hunter waved it off, shutting his hood and then Trayden's.

"Now, I just hope it's enough to start it again tomorrow for work, and also until I can get it looked at," Trayden prayed. "I had a good time tonight, despite being late. Again, friends and car trouble. I had no way to contact you and let you know I was running behind,"

This surprised the friends. Was this a planned meet up? "As did I. And don't worry, handsome. We had our date anyway. Maybe we can do it again sometime?" Hunter asked.

Trayden blushed a little. "You want to? I-I thought this was just a one-time thing," He bashfully admitted.

"Well, the thank you date was a one time thing, but us hanging out doesn't have to be," Hunter smiled. "Would you wanna meet up again?"

"Y-Yeah, that sounds great," Trayden nodded, happy that Hunter wanted to see him again. Hunter grabbed a pen from inside his truck and took Trayden's hand, writing a number on it and then turning the hand to kiss the back of it.

"If you're ever going to be late again," Hunter teased with a wink as Trayden blushed again. "Or happen to come across my wallet in the park," Now, he was really blushing bad.

"I'll text you when I get home, so you have mine…I don't remember it off the top of my head as I just got a new number a couple weeks ago," Trayden stated.

"Can't wait," Hunter nodded. "Wait, before I leave…Test your car," He mentioned quickly. "I want to make sure you're battery isn't going to die on the way home, or at a light," Trayden nodded as he slid into the driver's seat and flipped the car off, and gave it a minute before trying to turn it on again and it did nothing. "No power this time…"

"No, I actually can't turn the key at all now, like it's locked," Trayden informed. "I can't even turn the wheel,"

"Steering wheel must have locked, which voids the ignition turning…Here, watch out. I know how to fix that. My old car used to do it a lot," Hunter offered as Trayden climbed out. Hunter slid into the seat, shifting the wheel a bit, pumping the break and turning the key. It took a few tries, but the ignition flipped and the car sputtered a few times, then kicked on.

"That sputtering doesn't give me high hopes for it starting tomorrow afternoon…" Trayden mumbled while Hunter got out.

"Me either…" Hunter replied. "Trayden, when do you have work tomorrow?"

"Uh…I think 4 pm to 9 pm," Trayden answered.

"Okay, why don't you follow me to my house from here?" Hunter suggested as Trayden blinked a bit. "I might be able to figure out what's up with your battery, or what is wrong with it if it's up on my lift. I don't want to send you home with the uncertainty of it suddenly dying while you're driving to your place. I've worked around auto most of my life and my garage doubles as a small body shop," Trayden was surprised at the offer. "Come on, we could have more fun. I didn't really want our night to end yet anyway, and I don't believe you do either…What do you say? I take a look at your car, couple drinks, more time to talk?"

Gods, how could Trayden say no? He really didn't want it to end yet. "Alright," Trayden nodded to him.

"Great. Come on then, follow me, unless you remember the way? I'd prefer to stay behind you, in case the car stops mid-drive. I don't want anyone to crash into you at a sudden stop," Hunter stated.

"I remember," Trayden replied.

"Your lead then," Hunter winked before moving to get back in his truck and backing it out of the way for Trayden to head out of the lot first and then Hunter followed behind.

The friends just remained there, shocked at what they saw. Their friend Trayden with some guy who he agreed to meet up with and was now going to his house? "Are we following?" Hailey asked the group. They all just nodded and quickly moved to get in the car they came in and followed after Trayden's car and apparently, the stranger's truck. How could they not go, the friends didn't know this person and Trayden was new to being gay, they had to make sure he was going to be alright.