Apartment 4C

Today was the day.

Today was the day that Jake got his second chance on a date with Alfie. Alfie would be meeting Jake outside college after work, and Jake honestly couldn’t think of anything else all day. He hadn’t told Elliot and Gabe about the date, so he tried to keep himself calm by burying himself in work so Elliot wouldn’t notice. It wasn’t that he was hiding his date with Alfie…he just wanted to have his mind clear from their opinions, just for one night.

That wasn’t so bad, right? To want to keep something just for himself for once?

By the time 6pm rolled around, Jake was nervous as hell. What if Alfie had terrible table manners? What if he decided that Jake really was boring? What if it turned out that they weren’t compatible and he’d gone through all this stress for nothing? But he still found himself walking out of his office and heading down to the front of the college anyway. He wasn’t missing out on Alfie for one second.

Alfie was already standing there waiting for him, and smiled as soon as he saw Jake. Jake smiled shyly back, blushing slightly as Alfie kissed his cheek in greeting.

“Hey,” Alfie grinned.

“Hey,” Jake replied, biting his bottom lip.

He was allowed to feel like a giddy schoolgirl, right? Sweaty palms, butterflies in his stomach, blushing cheeks?

“You look good in a suit,” Alfie said smoothly.

Already with the flirting? Not that Jake was complaining, he just wasn’t used to someone so forward. His dark blue suit and pale blue shirt wasn’t that impressive. Especially not on a teachers’ salary. At least Alfie got to see him without his usual beanie hat on. At least Alfie now knew he had a full head of hair. That was important, right?

“Thanks. You look good too,” Jake said shyly.

Black shirt, unbuttoned slightly at the top, and grey trousers. He looked really good. Good enough to eat. Maybe Jake would just keep that thought to himself.

“I booked us a table at a really nice restaurant that opened up a couple off weeks ago, and it’s about a 10 minute walk away, if that’s okay with you?”

That was more than okay with Jake. He loved eating, especially trying new restaurants, and he could definitely use the 10 minute walk to calm his nerves.

“That sounds great,” Jake nodded, smiling.

Alfie smiled back, and they started walking. It was the perfect evening for it, to be honest. Late February so it wasn’t as cold as it had been, just nice enough to be outside. Perfect. Jake just hoped that this was a good sign tonight would be as perfect too.

“How was your day?” Alfie asked.

“It was okay. Not too hard really. I had a freshman class this morning from 10 to 11 where I set them essays for the weekend, and I had a Sophomore class this afternoon from 2 to 3, where I also set them essays for the weekend,”

“Are you one of those tough teachers who set loads of essays?” Alfie teased.

“I set one a week for every student, but they’re only short ones. When it gets closer to the summer, in the last semester, I set longer ones to do over a period of weeks, so this is just practice at the moment really,”

“Firm but fair. I like it,” Alfie grinned.

Jake blushed slightly but smiled. At least Alfie didn’t think he was too mean. That would’ve been a bad impression.

“How was your day?” Jake asked in return.

“It was pretty slow, but the day shifts always are until March apparently. I worked the day shift so I could have tonight free,” Alfie explained, “I didn’t want to smell like the bar and grill,”

Jake just laughed. He wouldn’t have minded. He wasn’t that shallow.

They kept up the light conversation until they got to the restaurant. It was a Thai restaurant, and it looked (and smelled) amazing inside.

“This is great, Alfie. Great choice,” Jake grinned.

“Thanks. I just hope the food tastes as good as it smells,” Alfie grinned back.

Fuck this guy was attractive.

They got served their drinks and food order quickly, Jake only slightly embarrassed by his stomach rumbling. He didn’t realise how hungry he was, but he supposed he’d only nibbled at his food all day, too nervous to eat anything. Jake now knew he shouldn’t have been nervous. Alfie had immediately put him at ease – he’d never felt more comfortable with a guy. And that made him happy.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Alfie said.

“What would you like to know?” Jake mused.

“Anything. Your likes. Dislikes. Hobbies. Your family. Your childhood,” Alfie listed, smiling.

He could start with his family and childhood. They were easy enough to talk about. No big dramas there.

“Alright then. Um, I grew up in small town Abilene in Kansas, with both my parents and three older brothers, as well as the family dog Colby,”

“Three older brothers?” Alfie winced.

Jake laughed softly. While he hadn’t had a boyfriend in high school, his brothers had always protected him to the point where it got a bit ridiculous. Sure, it was welcome when he first came out and people decided they would try to beat the gay out of him (only a select few and not a reflection on his home town at all), but he’d never brought someone home to his family and it would be nice one day (when or if he eventually did) to not have his brothers acting like bodyguards. He was a grown man now, he could handle himself, not that he didn’t appreciate their 6ft4 hulking presence next to his 5ft9 slim stature growing up.

“Yeah, three brothers. Robert is 28, Thomas is 30 and Gregory is 32, so I’m the baby, as they so nicely put it. My childhood was good though, but quite simple. We always had food on the table, we could afford a TV and a decent car, and the house was always sturdy. That’s what my momma always used to say anyway. We were happy and comfortable and steady, so I can’t complain. Um…my dad is one of the many cattle farmers and my mom is the town librarian, and while my brothers graduated high school and went straight into the farming business like our dad, I went to college to study English Literature, the first in my family ever to do so. I get my love of books from my mom, obviously,”

“I can’t imagine you as a cattle farmer,” Alfie mused.

“Nor could I, hence why I left. Obviously my dad brought us up around cattle, so I could’ve worked with them all, would’ve found it easy, but I just needed to get out. And the 10 hour drive between Chicago and home meant I didn’t see my family much over the four years of college, but I was happy. I was lucky enough to find a job straight out of college, having picked up the qualifications along the way to allow me to become a teacher at a local community college. And after a year of teaching experience, I took a job at my alma mater, teaching English Literature, and I’ve been here ever since. I can’t see myself ever leaving, either,”

“Sounds like you’ve got your life figured out,” Alfie said softly.

“For now, yeah. I miss my family though,” Jake shrugged.

It was true. He missed his momma the most, obviously, because she was the only person in his family that understood him, but he missed his strong, gruff and silent father, and his over-protective brothers, even if they didn’t have all that much in common. They’re family – that would never change.

“Where did you come from? No Chicago guy would act the way you do,” Jake asked, changing the subject.

It was true though. Alfie was direct and blunt and went after things with a gusto he’d never seen before. The determination he’d had to take Jake out on a date had knocked Jake off his feet. But Jake kinda liked it. At least Alfie wasn’t afraid to go after what he wanted and take it.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Alfie grinned, “Nah, I’m from Madison, Wisconsin. I haven’t been in Chicago all that long, about 8 months now, but it’s the longest I’ve lived somewhere for the past few years. I did actually attempt going to college in Madison after high school, but had dropped out at the beginning of Sophomore year. Studying just wasn’t my thing,”

“What did you do instead?” Jake asked politely.

He didn’t take Alfie as the type to just bum around on a sofa.

“I went travelling, everywhere from France, to Scotland, to Malaysia, to Australia, working odd jobs in bars, only staying somewhere long enough to earn enough money to move on to the next place, only owning what I could carry on my back. I liked travelling, loved meeting new people, enjoyed learning about new cultures,”

Wow. At least he was right – Alfie really hadn’t just bummed around.

“That sounds incredible. I wish I travelled,” Jake said wistfully.

He just wasn’t…brave enough, he supposed. To take a chance on the unknown like that, to give up everything and everyone, leaving everything he knew behind.

“I would definitely recommend it. I learnt a few things too, so it’s not like I wasted my time. I can hold a decent conversation in 6 different languages,” Alfie said proudly.

Holy shit.

“6 languages?!” Jake gasped, interrupting.

Alfie just smiled.

“Yeah, 6. Just picked things up as I went along. Learned a lot about world religions and politics too. My parents had disapproved, they wanted me to settle down somewhere, get a real job, but I didn’t really care what they thought. It’s not that I don’t get along with my parents, but I just don’t have anything in common with them. There’s no bad blood, no arguments, just nothing much to say. I’m an only child too. I still phone them every once in a while so it’s all good. The only relative I got on with was my grandma, and she’s the reason I came back to this country,”

Alfie paused, but Jake didn’t dare say anything. The look on Alfie face, the sadness in his eyes was more than enough to keep Jake quiet.

“After three years of travelling I found out that my grandma was ill, seriously ill, and I decided to move in with her in her small Chicago apartment to take care of her. Feeding, bathing, medicating, everything. 6 months later, just after I turned 24, she died in her sleep,”

“I’m so sorry,” Jake murmured.

“Thanks, but it’s okay,” Alfie said, smiling wryly, “I got to spend that last time with her and I’ll never forget that. Anyway, she’d left me most of her savings and the lease to her apartment, instead of moping, I decided to do her memory justice. I sold her apartment and sent nearly all of her possessions to my Dad but decided to stay in Chicago. I just sorta fell in love with the rough charm of the place while I was here, so I got myself a job at Rusty’s Smokehouse working behind the bar and moved into a new apartment. And then I met you,”

Jake just blushed. That was sweet.

“And then I messed you around,” Jake pointed out.

“Maybe, but we’re here now. That’s what matters,” Alfie said, beaming a perfect smile at him.

Jake honestly didn’t understand how he got so lucky to have this second chance. He didn’t deserve it, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to waste it.

“I just hope I don’t disappoint you,” Jake said softly.

“There is no way that’s ever going to happen,” Alfie said, smiling sweetly.

Jake could only hope so.