John and Dave swapped stories and learnt things about each other over coffee for a good hour. Dave was hardly shy, and John can admit to laughing harder than he had in a long time. His original assessment of the Blonde had since been discarded. Yeah, Dave was a bit weird, but the act he put up in the speed dating session was so much different to the Dave he was seeing now. He hoped it was because he'd gotten the taller male to open up to him.
"Oh wow…" John laughed, shaking his head at the close of another of Dave's stories about his older sibling beating him up.
"Yeah. My bro was always pretty full on. But I can't say I didn't provoke him half the time." Dave smiled widely. Casually, Dave glanced at his watch and did a double take once the time registered in his mind.
"Wow, Egbert, it's getting pretty late. We should probably head off." He stated. Taking his phone out of his pocket, John saw that it was almost 9:00.
"Man, Dad's probably wondering where I am…" John felt a little bad, but his Dad hadn't tried to call him yet, so he probably wouldn't file a missing persons report for another 20 minutes. Texting his Dad quickly, John stood slowly from his seat and flagged down the waiter. Not giving Dave the chance to take out his wallet, John paid for both their drinks, earning him a scowl from the blonde.
"You're just gonna have to make it up to me next time." John winked.
"Next time, huh." Raising one eyebrow in question, Dave hooked his glasses over the front of his shirt. "I like the sound of inext time/i."
John slipped on his jacket again as he followed Dave out the front door. The blonde turned to him as he held the door open for him.
"I'll start by walking you to your car, if that's cool." He offered.
"That sounds nice." John waited for Dave to close the door behind them, waving goodbye to the older man behind the counter and leading John back toward the hall.
It was only 5 minutes walk back to the building, but John almost felt sad that he had to part ways with Dave. He'd had such a great time with the taller male, even though he was a little unsure of him at first. Once they reached his small black car, John offered to give Dave his number so they could organise their next date. He blushed a little at calling it a i'date'/i, but he didn't know what other word to use.
Dave pulled two phones out of his jacket pocket, stuffing a smaller older model back in his pocket while handing a larger smartphone to John. Saving his number into Dave's contacts, the shorter male gave the phone back. Upon withdrawing his hand, Dave caught it before it could retreat to the handle of his car door.
"First date rules." He states, pulling John a little closer to himself and placing a soft, tentative kiss to the brunette's lips. He lingers for a few seconds, pulling away slowly, opening his eyes to look into John's blue ones. He smiles at the other's shocked silence, and the obvious blush dusting his cheeks.
"Good night, Egbert." He farewells, taking a small step back.
"Uhh… G'night, Dave." John manages, tearing his gaze away from the ground to flash a sheepish grin at the blonde before opening his car door and getting inside. Shutting the door, he waves at Dave briefly, starting up the engine and taking off.
Making a conscious effort to keep his thoughts on the road, John makes his way back home. It's difficult to keep from thinking about different aspects of Dave that he'd taken particular notice of; anything from the feel of his lips or the scent of his subtle cologne or the way he took his glasses off slowly, revealing blood red irises. It was certainly difficult, but for fear of causing an accident in his distracted state, the brunette kept his eyes and mind on the road.
After the relatively short drive, John arrived home. He opened the tall iron gates, navigated the long driveway, parked his car and headed inside. He hoped that his Dad wouldn't ask any questions, but he should have guessed that was too much to ask for. He had been in the door no less than 30 seconds before his Dad appeared in the doorway.
"Where have you been for so long, John?" He queried, a hint of worry lacing his words.
"I just- went out with some friends, Dad. You told me I should get out more, so I arranged to meet up with some." His expression softened. Mr. Egbert was by no means gullible, but even if he did notice the vague lie, he decided he didn't care.
"Okay. Just be sure to let me know in advance if you think you're going to be out late, alright?" He offered. John sighed.
"Dad… I'm 19. You don't have to keep tabs on me like you used to. I'm big enough to take care of myself for the most part, don't you think?" Mr. Egbert looked a little guilty, averting his gaze from his son.
"I'm sorry, John… I just want you to be safe, okay?" John felt his cheeks heat up. His Dad cared a lot, and he felt really bad for not letting him in more, but he needed his space.
"Yeah, I know, Dad. I'll at least be sure to text you a little sooner next time I think I'm going to be out late. How does that sound?" He bargained, smiling weakly. Dad's face lights up, and John feels instantly better.
"That sounds great, son." He smiles fondly. "In any case, I'm off to bed. Goodnight." He turns and heads toward his bedroom.
"Night, Dad." John calls out, making his way up the stairs to his own bedroom. He flops down on his queen size bed, and wriggles out of his jacket. Before he tosses it away, he pulls his phone out of his pocket. He unlocks the touch screen, swiping down the notifications toolbar. A i'New Message'/i alert flashes up, and he taps it, opening the text message bank. It's from an unknown number, but the message reads: i'sup egbert. Just wanted to check what youre doin on friday?'/i
John feels his heart speed up a little as he reads it, and he reads it again to be sure. He hastily presses '/ireply/i' and types out a response.
'no, why?'
'i was just thinkin we could go to the movies or something.'
Biting down on his bottom lip to stop himself from shouting in excitement, John sends his last reply.
'yeah, sounds great!'
The reply is almost instantaneous.
'great. meet me at the theatre at 8.'
And with that, John wrestles his way out of the rest of his clothes, snuggles into his bed, and falls asleep.