Royal Pain {Prinxiety}

Chapter 18: The Date

Virgil's POV

"Are you asking me on a date, Princey?" I ask cautiously.

He smiles that stupid, beautiful charming smile. "Seems so." Screw science, looks can kill and I'm seconds from death. "Well, what do you say?"

"S-sure," Why did I have to stutter? I check if he noticed but he just smiles looking, relieved?

He holds out his hand. "Shall we?" Dork. I smirk and take his hand, letting him pull me up off the couch.

Roman drags me out to his car, and opens the passenger side's door for me. "What a gentleman you are," I comment sarcastically.

"As any Prince should be," He replies.

Has he always been this smooth? "So where exactly are we going?" I ask after we're both in the car.

"It's this family-owned diner, Richie's," He answers, pulling out of the driveway.

The car ride is silent as I debate the meanings of Roman's earlier words. Did he really think of this as a date between us, not as fake boyfriends but as friends that want to be something more? Did I want it to be a real date? Yes. But did he? We were alone in the living room when he asked but if they tried, his family could probably hear us from the kitchen. If it wasn't official before it sure as hell is now: I hate anxiety. Soon after I make this decision, we pull up to the diner. We both get out, and head inside. Immediately after walking in, we're greeted with this 80s style environment, complete with a jukebox and waiters/waitresses wearing roller skates.

"Hey! Table for two?" A polite, middle-aged waitress asks.

"Yep!" Roman confirms with his usual smile. She leads us over to a small booth, the kind where only one person can fit on either side.

"I've got a stupid idea," I state, setting down my menu.

Roman looks up from his own menu. "Do I want to know what it is?"

"Have you ever heard John Mulaney's 'The Salt and Pepper Diner' story?" I ask.

He smirks evilly. "Please tell me this is going where I think it is."

"How many singles do you have?" I say, grabbing my wallet. "I've got five."

"Me too, and I think it's two plays per dollar," He replies. "But the real question is, what song do we play? I want to be somewhat original here."

"Well, it has to be annoying, but not so much so that we hate it." We think for a minute, and the waitress comes over for our orders. I get a slider, fries, and a small milkshake while Roman gets a hamburger, onion rings, and milkshake.

We continue brainstorming until Roman practically jumps. "What about 'It's a Small World'?" He suggests.

"That would definitely make people hate Disney World a lot more," I point out. "Oh well, it'll be worth it."

"We can't turn anyone against my darling Disney!" He exclaims.

I shrug. "They'll just hate that one ride, I'm sure no one will turn against Disney because of it." Being the anxiety-ridden person I am; I sent Roman up to the jukebox with ten dollars to select nineteen plays of 'It's a Small World' and one play of 'It's Not Unusual.'

He returns to the table as the waitress arrives with our milkshakes. Eventually, our food comes as well, and the first play starts. It becomes increasingly difficult to keep a straight face as Roman continues to make jokes and Disney references. Jesus Christ this guy is turning me into some blushing middle-school girl.

(No offense to actual middle school girls)

"I'm just saying, Disney could expand their horizons and include more lgbtq+ characters," Roman says during our debate.

"No, you're saying that Disney should stop being scared of the homophobes and make more lgbtq+ people," I counter. The guy may love Disney but it's clear he has a slight problem with their lack of diversity, even if he's trying to be polite about it.

He sighs in defeat. "You know what? I propose a truce, to the idea that Disney needs more gay people in their movies," He raises his mostly-empty milkshake glass.

"Fine," I hold up my own glass. "But this isn't a truce, it's you raising the white flag of defeat."

He looks like he's gonna argue with me, but decides against it. "Fine, you win. But only because I want to watch this couple that look about ready to shoot someone because of the music." Oh right, the jukebox must have been on it's sixth or seventh play of "It's a Small World' by now. "It's a Small World" fades out and, I don't know if you know this, but the song begins very subtly.

The frustrated girl slams her hands down on the table (and silverware went everywhere and it was fantastic! Ok i'll go now) "That's it, we're leaving babe." She grabs her boyfriend by the arm and they leave together.

I'm able to hold in my laughter as they walk past us, but crack the second they're out the door. "Worth it." After that, "It's Not Unusual" starts playing. Several people look around, they probably get the John Mulaney reference, and you can tell that they're mentally preparing for the return of "It's a Small World." The rest of the diner reacts similarly to the way people did in The Salt and Pepper Diner when the jukebox returns to the sickly-sweet tune of pure nostalgia.

The rest of the "date" goes about how you'd expect with Roman taking the bill after we finish. The whole "date" thing has been bothering me for a while though. Once I remembered that he had called it a date, I didn't know what to think. He had never specified that he really meant it as a date, and I knew my anxiety wouldn't rest until I got an answer. If I happened to reveal my crush and get horribly rejected then oh well, I'll just feel like an unlovable dumba$$.

"Hey, Ro?" I start off, stopping outside the diner.

He turns around. "Yeah?"

Oh sh!t now I actually have to go through with this. "Earlier when you called this a date, did you mean it? BecauseImeanyourfamilycouldhaveoverheardsoIunderstandwhyyouwouldphraseitthat waysoifyoudidn'tit'sfine." Thanks for nothing, English class.

He pauses, deciphering my last sentence. "Virgil..."

A/N: Welp, I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not Janus soo... Also if this chapter seems rushed that's because it's my goal to post these before 3 p.m. my time.