Zora

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Are dates always supposed to be awkward like that?" Zora asked Terrance as they waited outside the restaurant. Tyler and Spencer were busy paying, and the siblings felt the need for some fresh air.

"I don't think so," Terrance admitted. "Did Tyler say anything to you about me?"

"What do you mean?"

"He just seemed really awkward around me, like he wasn't trying to offend me or something. I don't know how he would, but everything he did was a bit weird."

"I think he didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable by making you feel pressured to date him."

"I mean, I'm here, aren't I? That has to mean something."

"Yeah, but you told me you didn't think of this as a date. You just wanted to get to know him better."

"Yeah, and you can get to know people better while on a date."

"Wait," she quickly demanded, "did you think of this as a date?"

"Wasn't this a date?" he exclaimed.

"I told him you were nervous because you really did think of this as just a way to get to know him better," she explained. "I don't think he wanted to make you feel uncomfortable, so he's treated you more like a buddy than a partner."

Terrance stared down at his lap as he smiled. Tyler was making an effort to make sure he wasn't feeling uncomfortable. He put his feelings aside for the evening to turn the night into a way to get to know each other better. He could have flirted and tried to force his feelings on him, but he didn't. Tyler was a gentleman, and Terrance liked him more for that.

"Oh, thank you so much," a woman spoke as she exited the restaurant. Tyler followed behind her with Spencer and another woman. "It's rare for a gentleman to hold the door open like that."

"Oh, it was nothing," Tyler chuckled, and the girl swooned softly. "You ladies have a lovely night now," he said, finishing with a wink in the direction. The girls giggled as they walked to their car in the parking lot.

Spencer walked up to Zora and Terrance and said, "So, we've agreed to split up for the night." Taking Zora's hand in his own, he smiled. "We'll see you two later."

As they began to walk down the street, Zora asked, "What did you have in mind?"

Watching Zora and Spencer walk off, Terrance refused to face Tyler. He could feel his eyes lingering on him, but he refused to pay him any attention. Once again, he flirted with someone else. Even if Tyler didn't think of the date as a date anymore, it didn't mean he should flirt with someone else while he was around him. He did say that he liked Terrance, and the flirting made it seem like he didn't take that confession very seriously.

Tyler watched Terrance in concern. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he kicked a pebble on the ground and stared out at the street. "I'm sorry," he said, prompting Terrance to glance up at him. "For whatever I did wrong, I'm sorry. I don't know what I did wrong, but if it bothers you, I'm sorry. Can you please tell me so I won't continue to do it?"

"You flirt a lot, you know that?" Terrance stated, refusing to make eye contact.

"What?"

"You just flirted with the girl you held a door open for," he exclaimed, pointing at the restaurant's entrance. "And you flirt with girls at school all the time. They're always touching your arms," he snapped as he began to trace his fingers along Tyler's arm, "and they're always giggling like this" - he let out a mock girly giggle - "and you do nothing to push them away. You allow them to fondle all over you."