Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
“A date,” Jude said to his phone, recording a message on WhatsApp. “An actual date. You and me, out at a fancy restaurant somewhere, eating a shared plate of spaghetti by candlelight?”
He tapped his phone to stop recording and send, then went back to working on the new logo for Nally’s socials he’d been designing in the high-end graphics program he’d bought for his desktop and was doing his best to learn.
A few seconds later, his phone dinged. He tapped it to listen to Nally’s return message.
“Yes, a real date.” Nally sounded exasperated, which made Jude smile, because he knew it was just an act to hide his adorable insecurity. “Normal couples go out for dates, don’t they? Especially when they’ve just started dating?”
Jude’s smile grew. He touched record and said, “So are we an official couple, then? I mean, you inadvertently made it Instagram semi-official the other day, so I guess we are. We should probably talk about it,” he teased, then hit send.
The arrows changed color immediately, and the microphone icon appeared under his message.
Two seconds later, he tapped to listen to Nally’s short message. “Wanker.”
Jude laughed.
Another microphone appeared, and after a slightly longer pause, Jude tapped to listen again.
“No, I mean I’d like to go out to dinner with you.
We’ve known each other for ages, and yes, Premier Inn happened, but we haven’t ever done things that people who are, you know, a couple do.
Don’t you want to give some of that a try? ”
Jude beamed from ear to ear. He pushed back from his computer and picked up his phone. Instead of leaving another WhatsApp message, he called Nally.
“Of course I want to go out and do normal couple things with you,” he said, face heating with affection. “But you do realize that we’ve been out to eat together more times than I can count.”
“I know,” Nally said, as if the conversation had been ongoing the whole time. “But what if we went to someplace disgustingly expensive, like the Savoy Grill or Rules.”
Jude laughed, leaning back in his chair so far he nearly knocked it over. “Those are Michelin starred. There’s no way we could get a reservation for any time before next Christmas.”
“We’re aristos, Jude,” Nally said with mock seriousness. “We should be able to get a reservation anywhere at a moment’s notice.”
“Aristos without the real money to back it up anymore,” he said.
“Exactly,” Nally said. “Isn’t that the definition of aristocratic these days? We’re posh slobs who slob knobs.”
Jude laughed harder. Fuck, he loved him. He loved Nally so much it was stupid. Nally completely got him and the bizarre mix of modern and ancient that they both were. Neither of them fit with the modern world, but they fit with each other, and that was all that mattered.
“Alright, I’ll tell you what,” he said, getting up and heading from his work room into his boudoir. “Since this is your idea, why don’t you pick the place and make the reservation. Then come and pick me up and whisk me off for a night of magic like I’m some sort of fairy princess.”
“I think I could arrange that,” Nally said. “My very own fairy princess.” Jude could hear the smile in his voice.
“And I’ll make the hotel reservation for the second half of the night and let you play top for a change,” Jude went on.
Nally’s gusted breath on the other side of the line had Jude’s dick pushing against the zipper of his jeans. “It’s a deal,” he said. “I’ll figure something out and call you back.”
“You do that,” Jude said, throwing open the door to his wardrobe.
The call ended, and Jude tucked his phone into his back pocket so he could sort through his clothes, looking for the perfect thing to wear for a hot date with the man he loved.
The man he loved. He still couldn’t get used to that. He’d always loved Nally, but opening himself up to embrace romantic love where he’d thought there would only be friendship was like throwing open a window to a sunny morning. It made the world a beautiful place.
He found a sleek, plum-colored suit in the corner of his wardrobe that he hadn’t even thought about in a long time. It was the perfect thing to wear to a date. He pulled it out and threw it on his bed, then dove back into the wardrobe, looking for the perfect shirt to wear with it.
As expected, his phone buzzed less than fifteen minutes later. He took it from his pocket and saw Nally’s text right away.
Walt has a table for us at Overture tonight. I’ll pick you up at 7:30.
Jude grinned. Of course Nally would arrange something for that night. He didn’t want to wait any longer than Jude did.
Before tucking his phone back in his pocket, Jude quickly made a reservation for the Premier Inn closest to Overture.
He could probably afford something much swankier, and there were a few top-rated hotels within walking distance of Overture, but a precedent had been set, and who was he to deny that?
And, of course, he had to quickly put together some content for his socials before Nally made his way into London to fetch him.
“Hello, chaps,” he said as soon as he started the video…
in his underwear, of course. Because even though everything with him and Nally was changing, Jude the Obscure would always be the same.
“I guess the cat’s out of the bag. This devoted bachelor might not be that much of a bachelor anymore.
I’ve got a very special date tonight, and I’m inviting you to get ready with me. ”
He recorded the whole video of himself getting dressed and dolling up with some cleverly placed make-up, then as soon as the recording was done, he took most of what he’d done off and changed into comfortable clothes to finish his work.
By the time Nally arrived at his parents’ door, he was back in his fancy kit, hair styled to perfection, looking like he could walk the catwalk in one of Nally’s brother’s fashion shows.
“Wow,” Nally said, sweeping him with a hungry look as he stood in the back doorway, looking a treat himself and holding a bouquet of petrol station flowers. “I should start dating you more often. You look fab.”
Jude laughed. “You look pretty great yourself.” He grabbed the flowers, ducked around the corner to put them in the kitchen, and before Nally could walk all the way into the house, he raced back, grabbed his hand, and pulled Nally back out into the courtyard.
“Come on. I don’t want my parents to know what we’re up to. ”
“You don’t want your parents to know we’re…you know,” he lowered his voice to a whisper as he finished with, “dating?”
Jude stopped halfway across the cobbled courtyard and faced Nally with a serious look. “Do you want to deal with my mum’s reaction when she finds out we finally did it?”
Nally’s eyes went wide. “No, you’re right. I’m barely ready for a fancy restaurant, let alone your mum’s reaction.”
It was all a joke. Or at least it was supposed to be. But something about Nally’s underlying uncertainty, still, after everything they’d done and everything they’d talked about, made him feel like a cat whose fur was rubbed the wrong way.
“I hope you don’t mind if we walk to Overture,” Nally said, reaching for Jude’s hand as they strode out of the courtyard and onto the side street.
“My family may have the title, but we do not have that many cars. Once again, I’ve had to rely on Southeastern Railway to be my white steed to bring me to your door. And the Tube.”
“I don’t mind walking at all,” Jude said, grinning and squeezing Nally’s hand, even though the subtle reference to not having any money as they were heading out to a posh restaurant nagged him a little. “I just want to be with you.”
“Aww, darling,” Nally said teasingly, then nudged him with his arm the way he always did.
Jude laughed and relaxed a little, but he bounced right back to feeling tense again as their conversation died right there.
They strode toward Hyde Park in increasingly tight silence, then made their way across the twilight green.
He and Nally had never been at a loss for words with each other before.
Nally was still smiling and they held hands like they were head over heels, which they were, but it was… wrong.
Worse still, Jude couldn’t think of a damn thing to say until they reached Overture.
“I’ve been wanting to try this place for ages,” he said as the hostess led them to a cozy table by one of the windows. “Everyone in The Brotherhood has been talking about it ever since Walt set it up last year.”
“I know, right?” Nally said, nodding to the hostess as he took his seat. “The whole concept of a high-end teaching restaurant is an amazing idea.” He froze suddenly as he picked up the menu card, his face coloring. “Oh. Shit. I should have held your chair for you if we’re on an actual date.”
It was a tiny oversight that didn’t matter to Jude one bit, but Nally seemed gutted by his mistake.
“It’s nothing,” Jude said. “We’re just playing pretend anyhow, aren’t we?”
“Playing pretend?” Nally’s expression pinched even more.
“Pretend fancy date,” Jude said, fighting to keep the mood light and fun but feeling like he was losing, for some reason.
“Oh, right,” Nally said, blowing out a breath and sitting back in his chair. “Pretend fancy date.”
Nally didn’t look relieved in the least. In fact, he looked more anxious than ever.
“I mean, it’s a real date,” Jude said, reaching across the table for his hand. “We’re actually going out, and this is a real date.”
“I know, I know,” Nally said, taking Jude’s hand and holding it tightly. Maybe a little too tightly. “This is the real thing. Definitely.”
They were doomed.
Jude despised that that thought jumped into his mind. They absolutely were not doomed. They were just fish out of water, gulping and flapping their way around as they got used to the new way things were between them. It was a huge change, after all.