Disclaimer: I don not own these characers, I only use them for my own amusment.
Chapter 3
That night Raj was tossing and turning in his bed unsure of when was best to call. If the next day would be too soon or not. He resolved himself to ask Priya the next morning for her advice.
"Priya?" Raj asked tentatively.
"What is it I'm in a bit of a hurry?" Priya said her hand on the door handle.
"How long should you wait before calling someone you've met?"
"What... Did you have a date last night? Is that where you were?" Priya enquired.
"No no no it wasn't a date just hanging out."
"Well if that's the case don't look so worried, ring her 2 days later and all will be fine."
Raj wanted to inform her that it wasn't a girl but she had sounded so excited at the prospect he hadn't the heart to let her down. He would cross that bridge when he came to it.
"So, I heard you had a not date last night," Leonard casually remarked as he sat down for lunch. Raj sighed inwardly; of course Priya would tell him.
"It's no big deal, just beer and takeaway," Raj replied, trying to match Leonards tone.
"No big deal! You hung out with a girl Raj."
"Hey no need to announce it to the world."
"Did I hear Raj and girl in the same sentence," Howard asked sliding into hi seat next to Raj, "nice one mate you deserve some action."
"It wasn't like that!" Raj yelled and stalked off again leaving his food untouched.
"What is his problem?" Raj heard Howard ask Leonard.
"I don't know" Leonard replied "I just don't know".
Raj spent the remainder of his day fuming in his office. He didn't know what to tell the guys. He hadn't been on a date yet when they called it that he felt things. Things he hadn't felt in a long time. Hope for one, acceptance for another. The guys thought he was cool for having a date and so what if it wasn't if the guys thought it was he could deal with it. A small voice in the back of his head was telling him he wanted it to be a date, but that couldn't be true, Stuart was a man, and Raj didn't go out with men.
Eventually time came to leave and Raj found he had completed even more work than the previous day; maybe conflicting emotions were good for work. Raj decided he would eat with everyone else tonight he did love vintage gaming night after all.
When Raj arrived Leonard was just about to go out to collect the Chinese takeout. "Same as usual?" Leonard enquired. Raj just nodded in reply, he didn't really need to speak.
As Raj entered he looked around relieved to find Sheldon and Howard in their usual places, no girls in sight. "Hey," Raj greeted them.
"Sup," Sheldon replied. He's trying to sound street again Raj inwardly sighed.
"Not much."
"So, you never told us about this non date you had last night. What was she like?" Howard casually asked.
"Not bad we spent the evening discussing comics."
"I think you mean comic books," Sheldon corrected. "Comics are feeble attempts at humour featuring talking babies and anthropomorphized pets found traditionally in the optimistically-named funny pages."
"Same difference," Raj said.
"I think you'll find not, in fact..."
"We don't care Sheldon." Howard cut over the top of Sheldon, leaving him fuming in the corner. "So did you do anything else?"
"No just talked." At that moment much to Raj's relief Leonard arrived with the takeaway.
The rest of the evening passed with no more mention of Raj's non date. In the middle of an argument of Superman's laundry routine, Raj's cell phone started ringing. Unknown caller the display read. "Hello" Raj answered tentatively. "Hi" came the reply from the other end, "It's Stuart."
"If you'll excuse me I need to take this outside," Raj told the guys who were staring at him perplexed. Raj never usually got phone calls that required privacy.
"So I was wondering if it was too early to call," Stuart said as soon as Raj was outside.
"No not at all. Do you want to meet up some time?"
"That would be great, how's tomorrow?" Raj could hear the nervousness of Stuart's voice.
"Sure what time?"
"6 o'clock at the store."
"See you then." Raj was sure Stuart would be able to tell the excitement from his voice but he didn't really care, he hadn't been this happy in a long time.
"Bye," and with that he hung up, a huge grin on his face as he turned round and entered the apartment. Nothing was going to get him down for the rest of the evening.
The next day couldn't come soon enough for Raj. It was 5 o'clock when Raj left, he didn't want to be in a rush but he didn't want to be hanging around too long. Raj rushed home and swiftly started to change, when he was overcome by an attack of nerves. Where were the paper bags when you needed them he thought as he struggled to get his breathing under control. "Calm down Raj," he chastised himself. Priya chose that time to enter the apartment. "Raj what's wrong?" she asked as she handed him a paper bag, "breathe into this."
"I'm... going ... out ... tonight," Raj managed between breathes.
"Oh but Raj that's wonderful, what's she like?"
"Nice, into comic books which is a plus and really fun to hang out with."
"You should bring her round some time if it becomes serious."
"It's really not like that."
"Sure it is. Now go and have fun." With that said Priya headed off to the kitchen to get some dinner.
Raj could see Stuart finishing off with a customer so he checked the shelves for some young avengers books. "Hey," Raj cried as he felt a sharp jab of fingers in his side, "you could scare a man half to death doing that."
"Well hello to you too," Stuart replied step back to give Raj some space. "Where do you want to go tonight?"
"I was hoping to catch the new Green Hornet movie. If that's alright with you?"
"Sure lets go," Stuart said, reaching for Raj's hand, thinking the better off it just as they were about to touch. "I need to look up the till and then we can go."
3 hours later and the boys stumbled out of the cinema. "That was brilliant," Stuart laughed, whilst Raj unsuccessfully tried to rein act Kato's karate moves. "Stop it, I can't breathe and people are staring."
"Let them stare, I'm amazing after all."
"You're dreadful," Stuart told Raj, "but absolutely hilarious, now shall we get something to eat?"
"How about the cheesecake factory, I've never been there on a Saturday."
"Sounds like a plan," Stuart enthused. "But what if you see someone you know, do you mind them knowing we're friends?"
"I don't if you don't," countered Raj.
"Let's go then."
Raj and Stuart managed to find a table in the restaurant unfortunately it was a couple's night so the lighting was low and romantic music was playing in the background. They were on the receiving end of some peculiar looks as they discussed the ins and outs of the movie they had just watched.
"It's nice that those two can be happy to be out together," Raj overheard one lady saying.
"I agree," her date replied.
Raj turned to Stuart with a questioning look. "Do we seem like a couple to you?"
"Only if you tilt your head and squint," Stuart replied secretly thinking how nice it would be to be one.
"Do you want to be one?" Raj questioned seeing the faraway look in Stuart's eye hat exactly matched his own thoughts.
"Well it's a bit strange but I don't mind giving it a go. I've had fun with you," Stuart said tentatively "I'm not sure how I feel right now about being intimate but we could have more dates."
"I'm not adverse to the idea if you are," Raj replied, "I'm not too keen on intimacy in general but I would like to have someone, you know a ..."
"Boyfriend," Stuart offered.
"I suppose but could we keep it secret for the time being, the guys don't even know I'm into well, guys."
"That's fine with me. I am a little weirded out by the idea." After a long pause Stuart asked, "Can I change my facebook status to 'it's complicated'?"
"Sounds like a good idea. I'll do the same, it lets people know we're not available and will explain why I keep missing halo night."
"Cool."
They continued to eat the rest of their meal in silence. As they left the restaurant Raj felt and overwhelming desire to take Stuarts hand, and it was nice when he did, a bit of human contact was always nice. "This is OK right?" Stuart just nodded and squeezed his hand in reply.
The end of the night came and Raj and Stuart had to part ways at Raj's apartment. After much deliberation Raj decided a goodbye hug would be acceptable so stepped up and took Stuart in his arms. "Goodnight" he mumbled against Stuart's neck.
"Goodnight" Stuart replied a little winded at the force of the hug. With that he turned and left.
When Stuart got back home he turned on his computer and went straight onto Facebook. Raj has updated his status came up on his home page. At the sight of that Stuart grinned and promptly took off to the bathroom for a cold shower, luckily raj hadn't noticed anything during their date, thank heavens he didn't wear his skinny jeans.
