Crushes Fade, Love Stays

A Date That's Not A Date

From the moment his alarm woke him up, Zon had been rushing around in panic mode. He needed to ensure his pores were clear, his stubble cleanly shaven, his hair styled, and was in general looking his best. His biggest problem was he kept changing his mind on his outfit despite having spent the evening before selecting what to wear. He was about to change his shirt for the tenth time when his phone rang. His heart squeezed seeing Saifah's name on the screen. It was already nine.

"Morning Zon! I'm outside," Saifah said cheerfully. "Are you ready to go? Or should I come in and wait?"

The last question wiped the silly grin from Zon's face and replaced it with panic. He didn't want to give his mother a chance to invite him in or they would be stuck here for another hour. "I'm ready! I'll be out in a minute! Just wait!" Hanging up, he quickly grabbed his bag and double checked its contents as he rushed downstairs. He slipped his phone in and slung the strap over his shoulder. "Bye mom! I won't be back until after work so don't cook for me," Zon shouted as he opened the front door.

He was nervously excited as he approached the gate, but wide-eyed, Zon immediately closed the gate after opening it and seeing Saifah next to his motorbike. He pressed his hand against his chest and could feel the intense pounding of his heart. Why was Saifah so good looking? He was never not handsome, but today he seemed absolutely radiant.

"Zon?" Saifah called out. His lips pursed trying not to laugh at Zon's comedic action.

After taking a deep breath, Zon plastered a smile on his blushing face and stepped out to greet Saifah with a little wave. He instantly regretted spending so much time on his hair this morning as he looked at the helmet being held out for him. He sighed as he put it on. Though at least Saifah had gotten to see his efforts before being doomed to helmet hair.

As they rode through the streets toward Siam Square, Zon pouted as he gripped the handles under the seat. He wondered if there would ever come a day he would be able to hug Saifah's waist instead.

Parking up, Saifah put the helmets away, and put a tire lock on the bike so it wouldn't get stolen. "So, Zon. Where do you wanna go?" he asked with a cheerful smile.

Zon turned from side to side nervously on the balls on his feet. "You looked at the menus right? Is there anything in particular you feel like eating? I'm treating you to food as an apology, remember? So it should be your choice."

Saifah looked up in thought, but then turned to Zon and shrugged. "They all have food I like. As the one paying, you can choose."

It was obvious he was going to have to make the decision in the end, and so Zon suggested the cafe he recalled being furthest from where they were parked. That way they would get to spend time together walking there, and if he couldn't get Saifah to hang out with him afterwards, at least there was the walk back to the bike.

The streets were already littered with morning shoppers, but it was still relatively quiet. After learning about signs of attraction, Zon couldn't stop himself from analysing everything. Walking alongside each other, he was now certain Saifah was slowing his pace to match with his. Although truthfully they were both adjusting to match with the other.

As they passed by shops, Saifah showed some interest in looking at them, and so Zon jumped at the chance to suggest they have a wander around after eating. Using the excuse he doesn't get to go out to the shops often and it would be nice to see what's new. He had to restrain himself from jumping and punching the air in victory when Saifah agreed to his idea. Zon couldn't believe how smoothly things were going.

The cafe was quite busy, and they had to follow a waiter through a maze of crowded tables to an empty one. Zon blushed when Saifah put his hand on the small of his back to guide him to their seats. It was such a small act, but it made Zon excited.