Nerds Are Lovable

22: Nerds Are Foodies

"Jam, this place looks expensive."

He shrugs, "Not really, I know the owner."

"Oh, okay. Sure, normal," I whisper that last word.

He shakes his head with a smile playing on his lips, "It's okay," He extends his hand out for me, "You're gonna experience the best seafood of your life."

"I'm allergic."

Jayden stops walking, his eyes wide as he looks to me, "Shit, I should've asked. I always have questions and the one time I needed to ask one, I didn't. God, I'm an idiot."

My smile grows larger as I listen to him blabber on.

"Jam, Jam!" I stop him, bringing his attention back to me, "I'm kidding, I love seafood."

"Oh," Jayden blinks, "That was kinda rude, you know."

I smirk, shrugging, "It was funny. Now, let's go. I'm hungry."

He smiles, leading me to the door that he holds open for me. When we enter a waitress at the front of the house greets us. The restaurant is dark with only some tables occupied. There's a live cello and violinist in the back playing quiet classical musical. I squeeze Jayden's hand, feeling underdressed and out of place. He gives me a reassuring squeeze back, brushing his thumb over the back of my hand.

"Hey, is Alex around?"

The waitress nods, walking off to go fetch who I assume to be the owner of the restaurant. Jayden smiles to me and I give him a smile back. The waitress comes back soon after with a man dressed in chef's clothes behind her. His eyes light up when he sees Jayden at the front of the restaurant.

"Jayden! To what do I owe the pleasure?" And then his eyes catch me beside Jayden, "Oh, I see."

"Hey, Alex! Give us your best, won't you?"

Alex smiles and gives us a motion to follow him. He leads us through the restaurant to a lonely table that's surrounded by windows on three sides. A small part of me wants to run away from this insanely elegant setting, feeling overwhelmed by everything. I wasn't used to this. I was used to leftovers and food you can eat with your hands. Going to a sit-down restaurant like this felt oddly like a date. And that made me anxious on a whole other level because I had never been on a date. Not like this.

"I'll bring you my best selection, Jayden. Hang tight," Alex smiles to us before walking off back to the kitchen.

"This is really fancy, Jam," I tell him, following what he does as he puts the napkin on his lap, "I feel out of place."

"Don't," Jayden reassures, "You showed me your dinners, I'm showing you mine."

I nod, taking a sip of the wine one of the waitresses had brought over only seconds after Alex had left us. Apparently, knowing the owner had its perks when it came to the dining experience. It was probably the best sip of wine I'd ever tasted and that was enough to relax me. Jayden was right, I shouldn't be nervous. I shouldn't care what the other people at this restaurant thought of me, I'd never see them again. I was having fun and that's all that mattered.

"I know what you do on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but when do I get to hear about Wednesdays?" I ask Jayden.

He smiles, glad to see me back to my normal self, "I teach," He tells me, "A ballroom class for seniors."

I raise my eyebrows, "Let me get this straight. You don't just take ballroom classes, you teach them too?"

I recall the conversation I'd had with my dad a while ago about how Jayden's parents wanted him to be the best of the best in everything. Looking at it from my perspective, they seemed to have accomplished that goal. Jayden wasn't only academically inclined, he had a creative outlet that doubled as a physical activity and on top of that he built leadership through his job as a ballroom teacher. And let's not forget to add that he knows how to work with hard to deal with people, such as myself. Jayden is more than the best of the best, he's a good human, and that's rare to come by.