"It is fancy, isn't it?" said Victoria, after the waiter had seated them at a circular table. There were silver candlesticks and expensive-looking cutlery on top of a thick white tablecloth, and even the carpet they'd walked on felt luxurious.
"It even makes your kebab van look common," joked Robert.
"Kebab van? Fusion street food van, if you please." She glared at him, then turned to the group with a swift change of topic. "So – who was the waiter flirting with? Me or him?" She nodded towards Aaron.
"Nah, Vic, I reckon it's Adam who's got lucky there." Aaron said, smiling hesitantly. He really did feel out of his depth in this restaurant. Looking down at the cutlery, he was rather dreading knowing which to use first. He couldn't even tell which side plate belonged to him and which to Robert or Adam, who sat either side of him.
"Excellent, mate!" laughed Adam. "Good to know I've got options, if Vic doesn't put out."
"Hey!" Robert grimaced. "Do try to remember that that's my sister you're talking about, and as far as I'm concerned she has never had sex and never will." Victoria stuck her tongue out at him – making Aaron feel all the more embarrassed. That sort of thing was funny in the Woolpack, but anybody could see them here, and he wanted everybody on their best behaviour so that Robert didn't feel let down.
"Robert, pal. You're the only person around this table who hasn't slept with Victoria." said Adam.
"Oh great! I love being reminded that Aaron has had sex with my sister."
"If it helps, he's had sex with my sister too!"
Robert and Adam were laughing, completely at ease in their surroundings – though when Robert realised that Aaron wasn't laughing, he gave him a quick concerned look. An 'is-everything-ok?' little frown that gave Aaron a little glow. He nodded quickly, and tried to smile naturally. He forced a quick laugh that probably didn't fool Robert. Aaron just hated feeling out of place, especially when he wanted to prove to Robert that he wasn't just a dirty little grease monkey. Deep down, he knew that Robert didn't think of him like that anymore – but having been a bit-on-the-side for so long had left a mark on Aaron's self esteem that only time would heal.
Robert subtly put a hand on Aaron's need and rubbed it reassuringly, giving a quick wink to him at the same time – so quick that nobody else would have noticed it – and kept talking about what Nicola was like to work with, without pausing. Aaron put a hand on top of Robert's, and felt the innocent thrill of closeness in a public place.
"You think Nicola is a nightmare?" Victoria was saying. "Just try working with Marlon when he's in one of his moods. There are actual knives there, mind."
"You give as good as you get, babe," said Adam. "Marlon's terrified of you deep down."
"Well, you never know quite what a Dingle will do, do you?" Robert said, looking at Aaron with his mouth kept open in that way that always reminded Aaron of a happy labrador. "Though I don't let this one near knives."
Robert's eyes quickly turned to horror. "Oh – I didn't mean – "
"Nah, it's all right, I know you didn't," said Aaron softly. To cover their embarrassment, Adam started reading aloud from the menu. Victoria joined in enthusiastically, explaining how she'd have served all the things on the menu. Most of it didn't mean much to Aaron; Robert gave his knee a last pat and they both took hold of their respective menus.
"What's this?" Aaron asked, pointing at the word 'chateaubriand' on the menu. Robert lent over to read it, leaning perhaps nearer than he needed to – giving him the excuse to rest his jaw on Aaron's shoulder for a moment.
"Steak," said Robert simply, then gave Aaron's shoulder a quick kiss.
"You too! Remember where you are," chastised Victoria with a grin. "Such filth!"
"Oh shut up you," laughed Robert. "Are you guys ready to order? I'm sure you can find something twice as good as anything you'll serve in your keb- - sorry, your fusion limo, or whatever you're calling it." Victoria narrowed her eyes and nodded.
Watching the brother and sister bicker was oddly heart-warming to Aaron, who'd grown up effectively as an only child. Even now he felt more like a father figure to Liv than a brother, but he hoped they'd get more like Vic and Rob in future.
"You ready, A?"
"Yep – if that's steak, then steak sounds good."
As if by a sixth sense, the waiter knew they were wanting to order, and came over. All was well as Adam, Victoria, and Robert chose their meals from the menu – all of them picking different things. And then the waiter turned towards Aaron, eyebrows raised inquisitively.
"I'll have the chateaubriand, please," said Aaron.
Victoria snorted, and Adam laughed out loud. Aaron had pronounced chateaubriand incorrectly in about four ways, starting with a syllable that sounded like 'chat' and ending with a hard '-and'.
"It's French, mate!" Adam said, still laughing. "And you blinkin' lived in France for years!"
To do the waiter credit, he smiled politely and repeated the word correctly, then walked smartly away from the table. But Aaron didn't see him. He flushed bright red, and stared at the table in furious embarrassment. He didn't dare look at Robert, who must feel so ashamed to be sat next to somebody so uncultured.
He tried to take a drink of water, but in his awkwardness knocked the glass over, spilling the icy water straight into Robert's lap. Robert jumped with a small shout, and Aaron couldn't stand it a moment longer.
"I'm – I'm sorry, this isn't – " He stood up quickly, pushing his chair out, and half-ran over to the front door and outside.
All three at the table rose to follow him.
"No, you guys sit down," Robert said firmly, and he went outside as fast as he could.
"Aaron? A?" He looked left and right, before spotting Aaron leaning against the wall just down the road. Robert jogged over and leant next to him. Aaron wouldn't look at him. Tears were forming in his eyes, as they always seemed to do whenever he felt any strong emotion of any variety. "You ok, A?"
Aaron nodded silently, wiping his eyes furiously with his fists.
"C'mon. That whole let's-be-honest thing counts for tonight too." Robert nudged Aaron, shoulder to shoulder. "What's up, Aaron?"
"I just didn't want to embarrass myself," muttered Aaron, still not looking up at Robert.
"You're not the one standing in the street looking like he's wet himself!" laughed Robert.
"That's exactly what I mean! I ruined your special night, after you went to all that effort to organise it. I've – I've let you down."
"Aaron – look at me, A," Robert looked him intently in the eyes, eyebrows raised, a flicker of a smile around his lips. "Do you know why tonight was special?"
Aaron made a gesture back towards the restaurant. "All that fancy food, and the waiter and the decorations and that."
"Nope," Robert shook his head and took Aaron's hand in his before he had time to think about it. "It was special because I was there with you. And Adam and Vic, sure, but mostly because I got to sit next to the most handsome man in the whole place and say 'This boy is mine'."
Aaron smiled bashfully, looking down again. Gently, Robert put his hand under Aaron's jaw and pulled his head back around to look straight at him.
"Not just the most handsome man in the room, but the bravest, the most loving, and – above all else – easily the worst at French in the whole place."
"Now you're being soft," Aaron mumbled, grinning despite himself. He lent forward. It wasn't clear which of them initiated the kiss – they both seemed to lean in at the same moment – but they were certainly sharing an intimate kiss in the street; their first time kissing in public, without worrying who'd see them.
"Now, are you going to come inside and make me the proudest guy in the whole place?"
"No," said Aaron. Robert looked a little surprised, as though he were quickly rethinking his tactics. Aaron continued: "You'll have to settle for second proudest guy, I'm afraid. I've taken the top spot." He kissed Robert on the lips again quickly, and led him back into the restaurant.