The Art of Being a Gentleman

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

IT HAD BEEN DECIDED that the gang would meet up at Ricky's favorite diner the next day to celebrate the achievement of getting David a date. Because man, oh man, what a task that had been.

David pulled his car into a spot and turned the ignition off, noticing that Mack, Ricky, and Hannah's vehicles were already there. He smiled as he gathered his things out of his car.

He was actually kind of excited to tell them how awful dinner had been.

He was even excited for the jokes and the teasing that he knew would happen, because, let's face it... that had been one of the most uncomfortable evenings he had ever had.

Sure, the dinner had gone okay. He had nailed it, really. But it had felt so forced, and awkward, and... staged.

It wasn't fun.

Squinting against the glare of the sun on the glass windows, David pulled open the front doors, immediately being greeted by the sounds of loud cheering coming from a booth in the back. His eyes zeroed in on his friends, who had already purchased a round of milkshakes in his honor, holding their drinks out to him like a toast, big smiles on their faces.

David broke out in a grin as he made his way over to them, ignoring the looks from the other customers who were no doubt annoyed by the table's rowdiness. He pretended to bow and wave off their praises as they hooted at him like he had just won an Oscar.

"The man of the hour has arrived!" Ricky cheered as David slid into the booth next to Mack. A chocolate milkshake was pushed in front of him, and he didn't hesitate in taking a large sip as he looked around the table, shooting a smile at all his friends.

Ricky lifted up his own shake and cleared his throat dramatically, drawing everyone's eyes to him. "After months of hard, grueling, work, we're finally seeing the fruit of our labour. We spent hours in malls and restaurants, spent days learning etiquette and propriety, and it has all paid off. The man you see here today, is not the same David you once knew. Nay, he is truly a gentleman now!"

The group cheered again, and Rachael leaned forward, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear as she smiled sweetly at him. "We're very proud of you, David."

David returned the smile but felt something clench in his gut. He took another sip of milkshake to soothe it.

It was Mack's turn next and he slung his arm around David's shoulders. "If you had come to me last year and told me you'd be going on a date with Alyssa Harvard, I'd have laughed in your face."

David rolled his eyes, "I did. And that's exactly what happened."

"Oh yeah," Mack chuckled, a sparkle in his eye. He ruffled David's hair before saying with a little more seriousness, "I'm kidding, of course. You're the most dedicated guy I know; obviously you could do it."

"Thanks, buddy."

Rachael nodded her head in agreement, "I know that Alyssa appreciates a guy that puts in effort for her."

"Well, duh. She should."

For the first time, David's eyes were drawn to Hannah, who was focused on stirring her milkshake with the straw. She glanced up and when their eyes met, David's stomach clenched again, but in a totally different way.

She gave him a tight smile and a shrug, "I mean, you've done all this stuff just to get one date. Any girl would be lucky to have you put in that much effort for her." Her eyes widened minutely as she glanced around the table and quickly added, "I mean, like, if any guy did. Not just you, necessarily. Guys in general. They'd just... yeah."