“About going to the bathroom?” Rus scrunched his face.
“No, you weirdo. About the movie. You see the movie first and can talk about it at dinner. Also, you won’t have to step out of the movie midway for a potty break. I mean, unless you order a super-giant soda.”
“You could’ve explained that better.”
“You could’ve honed your critical thinking skills; we all could’ve done something.” Daysha did a hair flip, intentionally swiping Rus across the face. “But seriously, how are the logistics going to work?”
“Meaning?”
“Table or booth?”
Rus shrugged.
“’Cause if it’s a booth, someone is going to be left out. Table is the best bet,” Daysha said assuredly. “Also, who’s paying? Split three ways? Not the worst, but—”
“But nothing.”
“Oh, yeah, for sure.” Daysha waggled a finger at Rus. “No butt stuff on the first date. But—pun absolutely intended—how is the butt stuff going to work?”
“I thought you didn’t like talking about the squishy bits?”
“I mean, on my terms, it’s cool. Plus, I’m super curious,” Daysha said. “Is it going to be like a conga line of fuckery or more like a wrestling match where y’all tap in for each other?”
“Huh?”
“You know, two-on-one. Whoever gets pinned spends his time getting tapped, and—”
“And we’re done.” Rus pulled out his laptop, deciding to make the most of this research time provided.
“I guess my imagination will just have to fill in the blanks.”
Rus’ imagination also started filling in blanks. He couldn’t help but heavily contemplate his date. It’d gone from a fun, simple way to spend the night with two of his favorite people, toa weight of concern and stress that if everything didn’t go just right, then…
Then what?
He shook away the thoughts. Daysha had inadvertently gotten into his head, but he wouldn’t let that deter his plans. This was going to be a great night.
Although he did text his boyfriends about switching movie times earlier, so they could have dinner afterward. And he’d be sure to insist on a table over a booth.
Rus released a deep breath, exhaling the festering anxiety before it had a chance to take root.
Since Dylan and Kaiden didn’t share Rus’ enthusiasm for Halloween, he toned down his outfit for the date and picked out a casual black polo shirt and gray jeans. He did, however, add a colorful orange tie and someNightmare Before Christmasknee-high socks, which he kept bunched around his ankles. He preferred thicker socks with his boots, anyway.
Dylan and Kaiden arrived together, making their way up to Rus’ apartment to greet him.
“You could’ve just texted me to come down,” he said.
“Well, then you’d have to carry these the entire night.” Dylan flashed a bouquet of red roses from behind his back.
“He was feeling quite festive.” Kaiden revealed a second bouquet. “Do you mind if I put them in water before we leave?”
Rus sniffed the flowers, surprisingly a bit giddy at the idea of someone bringing him flowers. It was weird. Rus never considered himself the sentimental type for somethingso simple, yet the excitement on Dylan’s face only further exhilarated Rus.
“Yeah, I don’t have any vases or anything.”
“Shoot.” Dylan smacked his forehead. “I knew I forgot something important.”
“No worries at all,” Kaiden insisted, rushing off inside with both bouquets, determined to find the right glass to turn into a makeshift home for the evening. “We can grab something later.”
