Doing alright // Hardzello

Chapter 36

It is a few hours later when they leave the restaurant. Ben walks over to his car before opening the door for Joe. The latter smiles while he hops in. Ben sits behind the wheel. He turns himself to look at Joe.
"Thank you for tonight," Ben says. Joe's lip corners push up.
"You're welcome. I really liked talking to you again," Joe says. Ben takes a deep breath.
"Do you want to go on another date?" Ben asks. Joe chuckles.
"More than anything."

That is why Ben is sitting in his apartment in New York bending over his phone to find the perfect activity for their second date. It takes some time before something catches his eye. Not very far from his apartment, there is a haunted house in dinosaur style. Close by is a nice restaurant. Ben quickly orders some tickets and puts in a reservation for the restaurant.

When the day of the date comes, Ben has been standing in front of the mirror for a long time. He put on the outfit he wore on his first-ever date with Joe. He doesn't even know if Joe'll remember it. For a while, he contemplates if it is even a good idea to wear something so similar. The last date fully convinced him that he is still in love with Joe. He doesn't want to give up on this relationship just yet.

Ben picks Joe up in his car.
"Hi," Joe says as soon as he hops in.
"Hey, how are you doing?" Ben asks. He waits for Joe to put his seatbelt on before he starts driving.
"I am doing good. Glad to see you again. What about you?"
"I am doing alright," Ben says. During the ride, Joe keeps asking Ben where they are headed, but Ben doesn't crack.

Once inside, they get sent into a dark corridor.
"I am so bad with horror," Joe says. Ben chuckles. He places his hand on Joe's back to push him forward. The first jumpscare pops out. It is a big plastic dinosaur that got pushed into the corridor. Ben laughs loudly when Joe jumps back. Joe hits Ben's chest playfully.
"It is not funny," Joe says.
"To me, it is," Ben says. It is Joe's turn to laugh when someone dressed as Timmy runs out.
"Hey, you are me," Joe yells. The actor doesn't look back and keeps running. Joe is too busy to notice another actor running towards them. Joe screams loudly while he pushes himself into Ben's embrace.
"I've got you. Nothing will happen. I'll be your bodyguard," Ben says. He puts an arm around Joe's back scanning his face thoroughly to see if his move was okay.
"Thanks."

As soon as they are outside, Ben immediately lets go of Joe.
"That was fun. It was cool to see that guy dressed as Timmy. Maybe I should sign up to work here," Joe says. Ben chuckles.
"You should. You don't even need a costume to look scary," Ben says without thinking twice. Joe's mouth falls open. He runs towards Ben.
"You're going to get it, Hardy," Joe says. Ben runs a few steps before he suddenly turned around, lifting Joe in the air.
"Not fair. You've got too many muscles," Joe says while hitting Ben's arm. Ben puts Joe down.
"I haven't even worked out that much recently," Ben says while looking at his arms.
"You're still strong," Joe says. Ben shrugs.
"Or you are just featherlight," Ben says. Joe raises an eyebrow.
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
"Whatever you want it to be," Ben says before shooting Joe a wink.

When they arrive at the restaurant, they see a big closed sign on the door. Ben frowns.
"I had a reservation here for seven o'clock. They said they'd be open by five," Ben says. He checks his watch to see that they are just on time for their reservation. Nobody seems to be inside.
"That's strange."
"Do you know any good restaurants around here?" Ben asks. All the restaurants they tried were already full.
"If you'd be okay with it, we could go back to my place and order take-out?" Ben offers, not wanting to cut the second date short.
"Sure."

Joe quietly follows Ben into the apartment. He swallows hard while he looks around. Ben walks over to the kitchen to call the nearest pizza place. Joe sits down on the couch while he looks around the room.
"Are you okay?" Ben asks when he watches Joe's nervous glances.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," Joe quickly says.
"Just weird being back here," Joe says. Ben's eyes widen.
"Oh my god. I didn't even think of that. I'm sorry for even inviting you," Ben says. He scratches his head.
"No, no, it's okay. Really. I just got hit with nostalgia when I walked through the door," Joe says.

They get interrupted by the doorbell. Ben quickly hurries over to get the pizzas. He hands Joe his box before sitting down next to Joe.
"Do you want to watch something?" Ben asks while handing Joe the remote.
"Have you seen the Adam Project? The new movie with Ryan Reynolds and Mark Ruffalo?" Joe asks. Ben shakes his head. Joe is quick to look it up.

At the end of the night, Joe walks over to the front door. He places a quick kiss on Ben's cheek.
"Thanks for tonight. I had a lot of fun," Joe says. Ben smiles at him.
"Me too."

***********

Hey guys,

Sorry for missing last week! I hope this chapter makes up for it.

I want to thank you for all the support you have given me in the past year(s). I recently went back and read all of the comments you guys left on this book and on all the others. I really appreciate all of those comments! I can't wait to write more chapters for you next year!

Take good care of yourself and others. Stay safe, stay healthy.

Goodbye,

XxItsmetaphorjoe