Resolutions - Part 2 - February
This is part two of the "Resolutions" serial. There will be one chapter out every month for the year of 2015 and they will be at least one thousand words long. It's a little project that I'm doing to keep myself writing throughout the year. I know it's not much but something is better than not writing at all.
I hope you're liking this so far everyone.
Resolutions (Part 2)
February: Dinners and double dates
By: Al Song
February 14th, 2015
Arvin and Geo sat across from me wearing suits and ties. I was wearing a white golf shirt with a plaid sweater and black jeans. The buck and the kangaroo were trying to keep me in the conversation and not just talk amongst themselves, but I knew they were also trying to not talk about my outfit. It was a half hour process to figure out what I should wear since the two of them kept saying 'no' to the clothes I picked out. They settled for the red plaid sweater and jeans but they knew I was trying, and they kind of respected my desire for comfort.
They wanted me to dress up since the restaurant was pretty swanky. The place was called "Amici" and the entrance had a small fountain had pink water running through it with little plastic hearts floating in the different tiers and there were porcelain statues standing around it as if it were a water cooler. A rabbit in a tux was playing a grand piano in the corner and the wait staff was decked in formal dress shirts, bow-ties and vests. All the tables had gold embroidered tablecloths. There was also a chandelier with crystals melting off of it that hung from the middle of the ceiling. It was lightly glittering in the dimly glowing bulbs on it.
My phone buzzed and I took it out of my pocket to check Nathan's ETA. He wrote that he was just a block away from the restaurant. I pressed the home button and it made me smile to see a picture of the two of us making silly faces behind the apps.
"So, looking forward to your 'date,' Wes?" Arvin asked and then winked me. The two of them liked to tease me but the tall deer took the cake when it came to mortifying me.
"Come on guys, be cool. You know he's straight and he's just a really good friend of mine." And that was true. Ever since we ran into each other at the café we've been hanging out almost every day since then. Even after we finished our drinks we went to the park and in the brisk winter chill and then we checked out the university's art museum. He was always really kind to me and he was a great distraction from melancholic thoughts about my ex. Geo said that he would pay for everyone tonight so maybe this was their way of apologizing for letting that jerk come to our New Year's party.
"Relax, we're just kidding. Aren't we sweetie?" The kangaroo asked his boyfriend and then kissed him.
"Yeah, definitely, but you two are so cute together," Arvin jested.
"Thanks," I blurted and then stared at him blandly.
The two of them kept joking with me for the next couple minutes and soon I spotted a black wolf in a dark blue pea coat and cream colored khakis walking towards us with a waiter guiding the way through the dimness. I waved to him and he smiled back at us with his big, fluffy, black tail wagging back and forth.
"Hey everyone, how are you guys doing?" Nathan asked us and then took a seat.
We each said a combination of 'we're good,' to him and I gave him a side hug and a pat on the back.
"Wow, this place is amazing. I don't think I've dined anywhere like this in a really long time," he said as he gazed around.
"It's a special day and a special place. Four years ago, this day at this very table Arvin dropped a plate of fettuccini alfredo on me after I was stood up on a date," Geo announced.
"Wait, this was the restaurant?" I asked in astonishment.
"Yep, there are so many memories here, okay, one really good memory," the kangaroo corrected himself.
"I think you have to tell Nathan the story," I said to Geo.
"Well, I was supposed to meet up with a guy I met in my drawing class here for a date and I had set up a table for two," he explained.
"No wonder this table's smaller than the other ones," I said.
"It was for nostalgia and we still have some elbow room too," the kangaroo retorted. They just pushed two tables that were meant for just two people together.
"Okay, that's true."
"Arvin was my server and he was so cute, and still is." He then kissed the buck on the cheek. "And he wished me luck on the date. I was sitting here for about half an hour and he came over looking really sorry. I had just finished my spaghetti and he offered me a plate of extra fettuccini that was cooked by mistake and I agreed. When he was walking back to the table someone stood up and pushed the plate of pasta from Arvin's hands onto my chest and lap."
"Were you wearing something similar to that suit?" the wolf asked.
"Yeah, I was younger and more desperate so it was an even more expensive one," Geo said and motioned to his sleek suit.
"Dang," Nathan said and shook his head.
"It's okay I got it dry cleaned. So, I told him it was alright since he'd been so nice to me the entire time and he was so flustered and scared. He helped clean me up. I asked if he was getting off of work soon and he was and then we went to get ice cream together. So that was how it all started."
"I also got fired," Arvin said.
"Aw, I'm sorry," Nathan replied.
"It's okay. I got him as a boyfriend so that makes it okay. I found a new job later."
"How did you know he liked guys, Geo? I mean if you don't mind me asking," Nathan said.
"I told him that I wished that I had a nice guy to date on Valentine's Day," Arvin replied.
"Ah, alright."
"I don't know if I would have asked him out if I didn't know for sure that he liked guys," Geo said and put his arm behind Arvin.
"What's good on the menu guys? What should I 'otter' get?" Nathan asked and then nudged me.
"Hey, stop that," I said and Arvin and Geo looked like they were trying not to die.
Geo was the first to break. "I'm sorry but that was completely adorable," he said. "Your expression was full of sublime dismay."
"You two like to tease him too? That's good to know," the wolf said and then all three of them leered at me in unison. They then shared a chuckle at the price of my comfort.
I looked back at the menu, which was apparently printed on waterproof paper, according to Arvin. It looked like fancy rose colored paper and the lettering was some typeface that looked like it was made by a calligrapher that studied their craft for decades.
Geo got us chocolate infused red wine but didn't want any since he was the driver. We also had stemless wineglasses that were pre-chilled. Each table had a candle and the most of the lights were dimmed for the evening. It was nice being in the lap of luxury for a night and sharing it with people that I was close to.
"But yeah, anything looking good to you guys?" Nathan asked trying to get back to his original question.
"Their mushroom ravioli is really good," Arvin suggested.
"I'll order a caprese salad as an appetizer for the table if everyone wants some?" Geo offered.
"Sure, that sounds good," I said and licked my lips.
We talked on and eventually we got to order from our cheerful vixen server and later our food arrived. Nathan and I both got mushroom ravioli and we shared a side of garlic bread. Arvin and Geo both got fancy salads with fruit and some leafy greens that I'd never heard of before.
"I propose a toast to amazing friends," Arvin said after we finished our entrees.
"I can definitely toast to that," I said and raised my glass of chocolate wine. Nathan and Geo followed suit.
"And thank you Geo, for the food," I said and smiled at him.
"Yes, thank you very much," Nathan said.
"It's no big deal. I hope we didn't embarrass you too much, Wes," the kangaroo said.
"No, all that was nothing, I'm glad I went to dinner with you guys. If it weren't for Nathan I think I would have stayed home and watched sad indie films on my laptop all night because of... that guy," I said and rolled my eyes.
Everyone else nodded in understanding. It was nice to have everyone be supportive of me and everyone helping me to heal emotionally.
"I'm being social and that's helping me with my New Year's resolution," I said.
"Oh yeah, you haven't broken your resolutions yet," Arvin teased.
"We plan on keeping each other in check," Nathan said and put his fist near me. I bumped it with my own. I wondered if any of the other finely dressed patrons scoffed at that.
"I don't know if I could keep going without having him helping me out," I said.
"I'd have some faith in you," Nathan replied.
"I think I'd still be a mess."
Soon the server came by and placed a red velvet cupcake between Arvin and Geo. "Alright, here are the two special valentine's cupcakes free for the couples to share," she said with a big vulpine smile.
Arvin and Geo thanked the server.
"And here you two go," she said and placed the pastry between us.
"Oh we're not..." I started to say.
"Sweetie, stop joking around and just take it. I'm sorry he's always playing around and trying to cause a stir," Nathan explained to the server and put a paw on my shoulder.
"Yeah... I'm sorry," I said a little shocked.
"Not a problem at all, you two are so cute together," she said with a gleeful smile. "And here's the bill."
Geo happily took the bill and the pink pen that came with it.
Arvin looked over at it and said, "Hmm, just as I suspected. That's a lot. Are you sure you want to pay for it all?"
"It's fine. My dad wanted to do something special for us today," the kangaroo said.
We left the restaurant and hopped into Geo's cherry red 2012 Fjord Festival. It was a sleek European car with a spoiler and a million features he rarely ever used. He also didn't drive much and took the bus to work. It was his graduation present from his parents and he could do whatever he wanted with it.
"Sweet car," Nathan said taken aback when we got to it.
"Thanks," the kangaroo said with a smile.
"I hope you had a good time," I said when I started to buckle myself in.
"It was wonderful. I got to hang out with you guys and I ate some awesome food that was paid for. Thank you again, Geo," Nathan said with a large grin.
"No problem," the kangaroo replied.
Geo drove to Nathan's apartment and along the way he played sappy pop songs about love. My good mood distracted me from the terrible, cheesy lyrics and how factory produced all the songs sounded.
When we got to his apartment complex Nathan wished my roommates a good night and I walked him to the door of his apartment. The night air was chilly as we scurried up the flights of stairs. A part of me was sad since the night was still young and I wanted to spend more time with Nathan.
"I had a great time tonight," I said and dug my black sneaker into the floor.
"I had a great time too," he said and smiled back.
"Are we still up for hanging out tomorrow?" I asked.
"Yeah, of course. Thanks for being my 'date' tonight," he said and grinned wider.
"Thank you for helping not think about being single," I said back to him.
The two of us said 'good night' to each other and then Nathan gave me a big hug and I embraced him tightly back.
To be continued...