Midnight Musicals and Coffee Ice Cream

To say he was nervous would be an understatement. Takashi checked his hair in the rearview mirror while at a stop-light, then checked the GPS again. According to the device he still had one more block to go before he arrived at the Grand Seasons Hotel, the site the agency designated as the place where he was to collect Zander. He’d been told the provider would be waiting for him out front by the south pillar. According to Mateo at the service, Zander had shoulder length blond hair he tended to wear loose and would have a purple boutonniere on his tux. 

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Kumiko’s efforts to find him a date had fallen short, just as he’d expected them to. In the end, he’d called the number on the card Thomas had given him, and after answering several questions like if he wished to spend the whole night with the provider (absolutely not), and if he preferred male or female (male, absolutely male) he’d found himself matched up with Zander.

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And there he was. Takashi could hardly believe his luck as he pulled up to the pillar to find Zander already pushing away from it and walking toward him, his gait lazy and confident. He looked young, tanned and gorgeous with hair so light a blond it was clear he spent plenty of time in the sun. The ends were practically sun bleached and curling a little, and now Takashi understood why Mateo had asked for a description of himself and what he’d be driving. He must have relayed it to Zander to make it easier to avoid any awkwardness. Fumbling, he threw the car into park and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants before getting out, knowing Kumiko would have a fit if she saw that. Heading around the car he hurried to open the door for Zander before the man could reach the handle and do it himself.

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“You must be Takashi,” Zander said, smiling so bright it made the green of his eyes sparkle. The way his name rolled off Zander’s tongue with the ‘a’ just slightly drawn out was erotic as hell and Takashi nearly forgot to answer the question as he stood there, amazed at the young man’s beauty. This was nothing like he’d expected at all.

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“Or not…” Zander muttered, smile fading as he started to turn away.

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“No, I mean, yes, I am, Takashi that is, sorry,” Takashi replied, unable to conceal his nervousness. Dammit, he needed to get it together. It wasn’t like this was a real date. He’d paid for Zander’s time, and after tonight, he’d never lay eyes on the man again. Yet when Zander flashed another thousand megawatt smile in his direction, all Takashi could do was open and close his mouth, words dying on his lips. He opened the door before he could embarrass himself any further, shocked when Zander looked at him in surprise.

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“Thank you,” he remarked, sliding in and putting on his seatbelt. Takashi went around to the driver’s side unable to believe his luck. Zander was stunning and polite, at the very least that would catch the eye of a few of his gossipier co-workers.

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“What are your expectations for the evening?” Zander asked as they pulled away from the curb.

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“I’m not certain I know what you mean,” Takashi replied.

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“From me,” Zander explained. “Like do you want me to pose as your boyfriend or am I just a friend you’ve brought along to keep you company? Would you like me to hold your hand or put an arm around you or just stand close to you? Should I talk and be social or would you prefer I give a vacant smile and nod whenever anyone speaks to me? Will you want to kiss me, or have me kiss you? Shall I flirt with you throughout the night and be coy, or aloof, or just play it by ear and improvise. Are you bringing me to make someone else jealous or capture their attention? Will a time come when you’ll want me to make myself scarce, so you can talk to them? Just, things like that.”

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“Wow,” breathed Takashi, shaking his head. “I never thought there was so much to it. I just wanted a date for the gala.”

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Zander chuckled, smooth and rich. “Well, in that case, that’s pretty simple then. I can do that, no problem.”

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“Thank you. As I’m sure you can tell, I’m pretty inexperienced with all this.”

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“It’s okay,” Zander remarked, fixing him with a smile he only half caught out of the corner of his eye. “So how long have we been dating? Is this the first date or have we gone on several already? Are we keeping it casual or are we exclusive?”

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Takashi laughed nervously. “How about we keep it as close to the truth as we can get. It’s our first date. I met you, ummm…at my sister’s studio. You were one of the models who came in to do test shots for a show. Unfortunately, you didn’t get a slot, but you did catch my eye, so here we are. If we were dating, it would be exclusive though, if that helps any.”

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“It’s perfect, actually,” Zander said.