TONIGHT WE'RE GOLD

FOUR

Frank stands in front of the mirror, trying a white shirt, but he's still not sure. It's the fifth shirt he's tried, and he's not convinced. He doesn't have a lot of dress shirts, mainly his black ones for work, and obviously the last thing he wants is to look like an Olive Garden server for the date.

Wait –

Date?

Fuck! Nervws invade Frank again, feeling like he doesn't look good enough, so he goes back in his closet, until he finds something nice. Gerard never mentioned if it was a fancy date or whatever, or just a casual dinner, or – he's overthinking now. He hasn't gone out on a date in a while, and it was usually with younger people, to a restaurant, so that made it easier. Now he's going to the guy's house, a guy who looks like a fucking wizard, and he's afraid he's gonna dress like a D&D character. In the back of his closet he finds a gray short-sleeve shirt, and tries it on. Meh.

He runs his fingers through his hair, making it look a little messy. We're going on a date, he says to his reflection, and can't help smiling at the thought. He puts some cologne, and leaves a full bowl of water for Lois, and a couple treats. 'I'll be back okay,' he says to her, his voice already shaking. He doesn't think he's gonna stay the night – wait, is he? No, this is different.

Are they even –

He's thinking too far ahead. Gerard doesn't look like that kind of guy. But he could be, who knows.

Stop overthinking!

He grabs his keys and phone, and heads out of the apartment. It's ten minutes till eight, already dark outside, and a little chilly. The walk from his apartment complex to Gerard's place isn't even five minutes long, so he makes it too soon.

He's not ready.

Once at the door, he takes a deep breath, exhales, and almost backs out. Don't think of it as a date, he thinks. You're just hanging out. Breathe in, breathe out.

He finally knocks on the door, even though the anxiety is killing him.

Two minutes later – what the fuck is Gerard doing, he's just making it worse! I'm just gonna go, Frank thinks – Gerard finally opens the door. And he's –

He's wearing what looks like several layers of shirts, and a green jacket on top. He trimmed his beard a little, and – he looks so good Frank's heart skips a beat.

He can't help smiling. They both are, for a minute or two. Just standing by the doorway, and looking at each other, how different – and good – they look than their morning outfits. They don't say a word, not knowing if it's real.

'Hey,' Frank says, breaking the silence, smiling big.

'Hey!' Gerard hasn't let him in, so Frank doesn't know what to do. 'Oh, you brought wine!'

'It's actually non-alcoholic, but –'

'Come on in –'

About time, Frank thinks, following him inside, and closing the door behind him. Then, he looks around at the house. Nice! It's big, and fancy, very white and bright. Frank doesn't know much about styles, but it has a very modern design. Open plan, a living room that looks like nobody ever sits there, and a fancy kitchen. Stairs on both sides of the room, and a dining room facing some big ass windows. 'You have a nice place,' he tells Gerard, leaving the bottle of wine on the counter.

'Thanks – it's mostly my friend Lynz' work. She's the one who knows about this stuff. I usually spend my entire day on bed or glued to my desk upstairs, so –' Gerard replies with a shrug, placing two glasses on the counter and pouring wine on them.