Immediately after him and bob hung up he called up his partner in crime to tell her the good news. "Petunia! He said yes!" Larry shouted into his phone.
Petunia laughed. "Is there anyone that can resist your cucumber charm? Haha no but really this is great. When's the date?"
"At eight."
"Woah—eight? That's in...three hours. Larry, we need to get you ready." Petunia got up and grabbed her bag, ready to go over to Larry's house. "I'm gonna perform the most spectacular makeover on you, and Bob won't know what hit him."
"I'm sure he'll know what hits him when it happens, Petunia."
"Oh shut up, Larry. I'll be over in 15." She scoffed, hanging up the phone.
———————-
Petunia and Larry worked for an hour on his outfit and the date setting, running around Larry's apartment to give it the grocery store glow up it needed.
The clock's hands moved at the speed of light and before he knew it, Larry's ears heard the sound of a knock on his apartment door.
He shuffled over, peeping through the glass. A dashing red tomato stood at the entrance, and Larry opened the door with a smile.
It wasn't like him to be so nervous- especially with someone he's known for so long. But the anticipation and sexual tension leading up to their date was unbearable.
A breeze from outside rushed in from the opening, chilly air blowing into Larry's face.
"Come in." Larry said with a confident smile, trying to hide the embarrassment residing from their prior meeting. Trying to hide the shakes in his hands from nervousness.
Bob's eyes glanced around the cucumber's house. He took in the fairy lights draped haphazardly across the couch in the living room, plugged in through extension cords falling on floorboards. Paintings and family photos and unexpected crosses were hung on the walls. Larry's casting in their show made sense because of what a great actor he was, but he never seemed like the religious type outside of the set. Bob dismissed his assumptions about the charming cucumber and shook his head to himself.
The apartment had a homely feel, despite the unfamiliarity Bob felt while looking around.
"Nice place..." Bob trailed off, offering a small smile to the green man.
"So I made us some dinner, are you hungry yet?" Larry said, the topic out of place. He felt so awkward. The two of them hadn't ever hung out in a casual setting like this, and the way his hands were shaking only made him more uncomfortable. Larry took a deep breath.
It's fine, there's no need to freak out.
"Oh yeah, totally." Bob took off his coat and put it where Larry gestured. The two of them walked into Larry's dining room, with a mahogany table and a few chairs tucked underneath it. The kitchen was a few steps away and the rooms were very open and airy.
" I made us some spaghetti!" Larry said excitedly, revealing pots on the stove top to Bob. "I made the sauce myself, it's my moms recipe. You can go ahead and sit down and I'll get you a bowl of it."
Bob nodded, sitting down.
The two of them enjoyed their meal together, talking small talk about their families and hobbies and little things that refreshed their friendship and surprised bob at unexpected times. He didn't know that Larry went to speech therapy, or that his parents gave him the nickname Kooky.
Their conversation died off with the two of them laughing, taking a sip of the wine that Larry laid out, and looking at their bowls quietly.
"So, Larry... I know it's an awkward subject especially with how well this night is going, but I wanted to talk about what happened between us."
Larry blushed, looking away with his eyebrows quirked down.
"I'm really sorry. I've just been going through something lately— maybe it's a midlife crisis or something" he laughed, looking over to the tomato who was flushed red at the topic. "I've had this, I don't know um, this crush on you. And I know that you're not one to jump start a relationship so I wanted to try, but I went of the rails and really embarrassed myself. I'm so sorry."
"Thanks for explaining it to me. Honestly I forgive you, I know you're not always as bold as that so I guess I have to give you props."
The two of them looked at each-other and laughed.
"I was so scared that the preacher would see us." Bob chuckled, slapping his knee with a broad smile on his face. "To be honest maybe if it wasn't such a public place I— I don't know maybe we-" Bob blushed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Maybe we could've..." Larry said, attempting to finish bobs sentence. His eyes were wide. Of course the two of them had sexual tension but the actual desire to act on it seemed to be purely on Larry's behalf. This was spectacular news.
"Yeah but I don't know... We're just getting to know each other on a deeper level, we shouldn't."
Bobs words were unconvincing at best, with a twinge in his tone that suggested a sort of pining that Larry knew all too well. It was like there was a barrier between them, keeping the evening from transforming the uneventful to... eventful.
"I'll respect your boundaries. But be sure to let me know if you change your mind." Larry said with a wink, feeling the pressure of the evening coming off of his shoulders. Bob smiled and rolled his eyes playfully.
"Want to watch a movie?"
