Lights Up - Prinxiety [COMPLETED]

Chapter Eight

The date was the best experience of my entire life. After we got the ice cream, Roman took me to the Center Park's carousel and we rode it side by side. The ride was obviously made for much younger people, so we probably looked ridiculous, but the smile on his face and the sound of his laughter had convinced me that it was alright to be ridiculous sometimes.

We continued to wander around the park, discussing each other's lives and interests. Apparently Roman was a firm lover of all things Disney, and could sing the entire anthology if you asked him to. He tried to, but fortunately, I thought of something to say to keep him from bursting out into endless Disney tunes in the middle of Central Park. I told him that I'd never been on a date before and that I'd never had a romantic partner of any kind. This made him sad, and it hurt my heart to see him so upset by that fact, so I decided to wait on telling him about my mother.

I head to Patton's during my second day off; I offered to work, but he insisted I just wait until the show did a change in companies and wouldn't need my help anymore. I order my usual, but I guess he can tell that something's got me in a good mood because he leans forward on the cash register and smirks.

"What?" I ask, blushing.

"You finally went out with him, didn't you?" he questions. I gasp and blush darker, hiding my face behind my bangs as he claps and cheers giddily. "I knew it!! You just have this post-date glow about you this morning! Give me one second, you've got to tell me EVERYTHING!"

I roll my eyes and head over to one of the many empty booths. There was nobody in here this early in the morning, so Patton didn't have to worry about customers as he came around the counter to join me at the booth. "Okay! Details!" he says, slapping the table excitedly as I sip my drink. "Where'd you go? What'd you do? Did you kiss? Did you do something... more?"

He winks at me after saying the last part, making my red cheeks ever warmer. "God, Pat, who do you think I am?"

"Uh, the guy who ended up practically making out with his costar within the first ten minutes of meeting and talking to him!" he exclaims, making wide arm gestures as if it was obvious to everyone in the vicinity, which was just him and I but I didn't want to point that out.

"Touché..." I mumble.

Patton giggles at this and awaits for me to begin telling him all about the date. "Well... he called me yesterday morning cause Logan gave him my number for some reason," I start, rolling my eyes. "He insisted we go on a date, even though I've been rejecting him ever since we kissed. I just decided to take a chance this time... we went to Central Park and ate a light lunch, then he bought me ice cream."

"AWWWW!! He's so sweet!!" he gasps, dragging out the word 'sweet'. "Then what? Then what?"

"We rode the carousel, we walked and talked, then he arranged for me to get a ride home," I finish. He arches an eyebrow at me and studies my expression. I glance off to the side in confusion, self conscious under his gaze. "What?"

He leans forward on his hands. "Did you guys kiss?"

"What? No, no, we didn't kiss, or do anything like that-"

In the middle of my sentence, my phone buzzes. I pull it out of my pocket and find myself feeling guilty for no particular reason. Patton spies the name of the person who's texting me and he wiggles his eyebrows at me.

Roman <3: Good morning Sunshine! Are you free tonight?

"Well, are you?" the barista says in a suggestive voice, biting his tongue as he giggles at my expression of embarrassment.

Virgil: Depends, what did you have in mind?
Roman <3: There's gonna be a dance party in Time Square tonight, I thought it would be a fun thing for the two of us to go to, if you'd like.
Roman <3: If you don't want to because of the crowds, it's fine though :)

"What did he say?" Patton asks eagerly. 

"He wants to go to a dance party in Time Square, but he said it's fine if I'd be too nervous in the crowds," I reply. I look up from my phone to see the other man beaming at me. "What are you looking at me like that for? We've only been on one date, it's not like that makes us soulmates!"

He smiles mischievously. "You're right, being soulmates makes you soulmates."

I blush and bury my face in my arms on the table as he laughs. "I would like to know how you feel about him and this situation though," he then says, poking me gently on the shoulder. I look up at him curiously. "You know, just say what you're thinking about it all."

"What I think about it all?" I repeat softly, unsure of how to respond. He nods and gives me an expectant look. "Well... I don't know... I've never felt the way I feel about him..."

He opens his mouth to reply when suddenly the bell on the door jingles to let us know someone entered. The barista looks toward the door and he gives me an apologetic look as he heads to the cash register to return to work. Once he's left my booth, I look down at my phone uncertainly.

I really didn't know how I felt about all this. I still wasn't sure if this was a good idea, considering he was a famous Broadway star. Him dating me would out him as gay if anyone found out, and I really don't want to know what they'll say about me.

"Excuse me?" a girl's voice pulls me from my thoughts. I blink as I look up at her; she looks about fifteen and to my shock is wearing a t-shirt from Heathers the Musical. "You're Roman Prince's boyfriend, aren't you?"

I could feel myself pale as my eyes widen. My jaw falls open slightly as I stumble for words. "How do you know-"

"Oh my god! You are!! Can I get a picture with you?! The pictures of you and Roman in the park yesterday are sooooo cute!" she gushes as I stand up. I shake my head frantically as I try not to have a panic attack then and there, but she hasn't noticed my discomfort. "Everyone's talking about you two! It's even a Twitter moment!"

"T-Twitter moment..." I repeat.

She nods and continues to babble on about us as my breathing accelerates in time with my heart rate. My hands start to shake as I fumble for my phone, which started buzzing frantically. I glance at it, reading Roman's name and immediately putting it back in my pocket and bolting for the exit to the coffee shop, the fangirl left calling after me. 

I run back to my apartment which isn't very far from the coffee shop. Once I've thrown open the door and closed it behind me, I unlock my phone, ignoring the stream of texts from the actor and opening Twitter.

There it was. A big, bold title: Roman Prince Reportedly On A Date With Unknown Young Man.

It had been up since yesterday and had over 14k tweets tagged under it. I feel the urge to vomit all of a sudden as I tap the moment and begin scrolling through the tweets. I read so many things, not all of them bad, but some of them so despicable that I don't dare repeat them.

So many homophobic tweets, renouncing their support for Roman and his work, attacking him, calling him horrible names. Of course there were plenty of people defending him and I, but the fact that he was out of the closet meant that he would always have to deal with these comments and these types of people from now on.

I keep scrolling, seeing tweets aimed more at me and feeling my heart drop into my stomach. People were calling me a slut, a gold digger, and other names that cause my barely restrained tears to fall from my eyes. This was exactly what I was trying to avoid.

Closing the Twitter app, I open my text messages. There were new ones from Logan and Patton, asking if I was alright. I assumed the latter of the two had noticed what had happened and told his companion. As for Roman, I have no doubt that he'd found out about the Twitter moment and the tweets. He was texting me frantically, trying to calm me down and reassure me, but it wasn't working.

Roman <3: Virgil, please, we can get through this, it's fine
Roman <3: I don't care what they say about us, I care about you and I want to be with you, please, you make me happier than I've been in a long time
Roman <3: Don't listen to them, they're wrong about you, and they're wrong about us
Roman <3: Please! Virgil, I- maybe it's too early to say this, but I think I'm in love with you, and I don't want you to give up on me now! Please!

I feel tears rolling down my cheeks as I put my phone to sleep without responding and toss it away onto the couch. I slump down into the cushions, pulling my knees to my chest as I sob. I don't go meet him at Time Square that night.