The Struggles Of Waiting ✔

THIRTEEN

2075

Due to Christmas and the new year coming around quicker than they had expected, and Jaden needing to stay with his parents during the holidays, the pair had postponed their date until early in the new year.

The holiday had given Alexander too much time to think about the whole thing and after a week or so he regretted even asking in the first place. It was a silly idea, if he was being completely honest. But it was worth a shot anyway. He was the one who had asked in the first place so it wasn't like he could back out now.

Jaden had seemed excited about it when he'd texted him the night before, telling him he couldn't wait to see him tomorrow. Butterflies had formed in Alex's stomach at the words and a smile made its way onto his face. He hadn't realised just how much he liked the younger man.

Now, he stood in front of the mirror, trying to fix his messy hair. It didn't seem to want to agree with him and he'd been brushing and pulling at it for the last five minutes. He was tempted to put on a hat, but knew that it wasn't exactly respectful and definitely not date attire.

He finally groaned and gave up. The one little cowlick on the top of his head could stay there, it wasn't going to do much damage. If he picked the right clothes, maybe Jaden wouldn't notice it. Or maybe he just wouldn't care. Alexander was overthinking the entire situation, but what else could he do? He hadn't had a date in years and he hadn't been this attracted to someone since Philip, which (like all his relationships) had turned out horribly.

He was meant to be at the restaurant in half an hour. Isaac was going to give him a lift into town under the pretence that he had to buy some new clothes. He wasn't quite ready to tell the man that he was dating his best friend. He wasn't quite sure how it would go down, and he didn't know how the date was going to turn out. It could go horribly for all he knew.

He changed quickly, putting on his best jeans and a plain grey shirt. He threw a blue button-up shirt over the top, leaving the buttons undone for now. It was a bit too warm to do them up and he thought it looked a little nice when done right. He stared at himself in the mirror. He looked like a mess, but it would have to do. He could only hope that Jaden didn't decide to go all out and look absolutely amazing, but the man seemed to be able to do that without trying.

He made his way out to Isaac's living room, finding him the couch with his phone in hand. "Hey, I'm ready to go," he said. "Could you give me a lift down? I should only be a few hours."

"Yeah, come on," Isaac replied, standing up from the couch.

The trip into town was quicker than Alexander would have liked. It was as though he'd blinked and they'd arrived outside the shopping mall. He would walk the rest of the way, it was only around the corner. He thanked Isaac and jumped out of the car, telling him he would send a text when he was ready to go.

Jaden was waiting outside the restaurant, shifting from foot to foot as he waited. He grinned when he caught sight of Alex coming around the corner, making his way towards him. "Sorry, I got here a little early," he said.

"Nah, it's fine. You weren't waiting too long, were you?" Alex asked, trying to ignore the nervousness in his gut. As per usual, the younger man looked amazing and he couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious about his baby face.

"No, no, only a few minutes," Jaden replied. "I did book us a table yesterday though, so we're all ready to go."

"That's good. I would have hated it if you were waiting for ages," he said, glancing into the busy restaurant. "Come on then, I'm hungry." He made his way into the restaurant, the cold air tickling his skin. Jaden followed him in and sorted out his booking, dragging him over to their table.