Fake Date Number Three [Short Story]

Date Number One

"So you do want to do this?"

He said yes because he did that. If Frances knew this power she had over him, she would use it more often, and more playfully. If she said Sebastian, would you give me the last largest piece of buttered prawn? Yes. Sebastian, there's a flying ipis on the wall. Who's going to kill it? That would be him. Sebastian, would you run twice around the track naked in the rain please? Not that she'd asked, but yes.

Sebastian said yes to Frances, would say yes to Frances, would be a hero in the face of flying ipis, if that was what she wanted. Maybe she already knew that.

But how would she, though? They hadn't talked about this. Because Sebastian hadn't brought it up, and there was no time to, really. The epiphany was very new, and he hadn't actually processed with her the realization that he was completely in love with her. With Frances.

His friend, very briefly his boss, so briefly that it didn't count. Frances, now his coworker, dearest friend. Dearest.

"Great, this is going to be awesome," she said, lighting up at his most recent Yes. "I love Rachel but I've tried going to a Batangas beach wedding by myself and it's not great."

The question probably registered on his face first because Batangas, beach, free food, someone's happy celebration, those all seemed like great things.

"I don't drive, remember? Don't have a car. Most of my friends who went had dates and plans with their dates. I hitched a ride to Manila with someone's family and then they wanted to do a lot of stopovers and buy everything everywhere on the way back...anyway it's one of those things that was a lifesaver at the time but I'd rather not do that again. So, um, please? I know it's just me transferring the hassle over to you but..."

He'd already said yes without checking the fine print of where and why. If it were any other person he'd be grasping at excuses by now, but with her he did not. "I'd go with you anyway. It's fine."

"Yeah but we have to do the thing again."

Ah, that thing.

Frances continued, "...and it's my fault, because she only had the best intentions and yet there I went, ghosting her brother, and I'm sure he's moved on and isn't mad at all but you'll need to be...you know. My boyfriend, again. Just so there's no awkwardness."

"You should tell Rachel if you don't feel totally safe being there, though?"

"I feel safe! He's an okay guy and won't cause trouble. It's me, of course. I don't want to have to explain or apologize to him even though he probably deserves it."

Shit, Frances always breaking hearts. "How long did you go out with the guy?"

"One date. Not even really a date, but right after he asked me out, we met up at a friend's birthday at her house, and we acted like we were on a date. He wanted to go out again, just us, and I...didn't reply. Like ever. Haha. He was younger. It felt wrong?"

"When the hell was this?"

Frances was laughing. "I was nineteen and he was eighteen."

"What? That's not a large age gap. That's our age gap."

"At the time it felt weird! And he shouldn't be holding a grudge for this long, seriously. But it'll help if you're there to make sure I have backup. Yes, right? You're in?"

There was only one answer, and he'd already given it. It was a rush, seeing how she would act when he said yes. Her instant, added radiance. Face glowing, eyes smiling. They'd known each other for almost ten years now, and he'd seen her through different looks and styles and phases...and yet this stage of Frances was his favorite. Personally. Life wasn't always kind to both of them but seeing her be any kind of happy, seeing her have fun, was the best thing. Surely this wasn't some objective scale of attractiveness. This was him being in love.