The Notebook

“How does this one look?” Frankie asked, examining how his shirt looked in the mirror. It was Saturday afternoon, and he was preparing for his first date with Gerard. They hadn’t even spoken since Mikey had matched them up the day before.

“Fine,” Mikey replied without even glancing up. Frankie sighed.

“Could you at least look?”

Mikey rolled his eyes and looked up at him. “You look fine. Okay?”

“But is fine good enough?”

“I don’t know. He’s your date.”

“But he’s your brother!” Frankie shot back, frustrated. Mikey closed his book with a sigh.

“Wear the black one,” he suggested. “He’s complimented that one before.”

“He has?” Frankie’s frustration was instantly replaced with curiosity. “When?”

“I don’t know. Whenever you wore it to my house last, I guess. He said it fit you well or something.”

Frankie picked it up and looked it over. “You don’t think it’s too… casual?” he asked, unsure. Mikey shook his head and Frank pulled the red shirt he was currently wearing over his head.

“Jut wear what you feel comfortable in,” Mikey advised. “If things go well, it’ll be because he likes you, not your shirt.”

“Well, first impressions are important,” Frankie reminded him, pulling the black tee-shirt on. Mikey gave him an incredulous look.

“You’ve known him for years!”

“But this is different.” Frankie surveyed his reflection in the mirror and sighed wistfully. Mikey rolled his eyes.

“What now?”

Frankie turned back to him, frowning slightly. “What if he doesn’t like me? What if I’m not good enough for him?”

Mikey’s expression softened. “Don’t be an idiot, Frank. You’re a great guy. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

The doorbell rang then and Frankie gasped. “Is that him already?” Mikey looked out the window through the cracks in the blinds.

“Yeah, that’s his car.”

“But I’m not- Fuck!” Frankie squeaked nervously as he went fishing through a small drawer for his eyeliner pencil. He swiped some on under each of his eyes and ran his hands through his hair wildly. “Shit, I totally forgot about the time. Do I look terrible?”

Mikey shook his head and pulled his friend into a hug. “It’s going to be fine. Just calm down, okay?” Frank too a deep breath and nodded, smiling weakly.

“My keys are on the desk,” he reminded Mikey, who glanced over and nodded.

“I’ll bring the car back tomorrow morning. Have a good time.”

Frankie nodded and had to remind himself to breathe as he made his way downstairs. He pulled open the door and smiled shyly. Gerard smiled back and Frankie was relieved to see that his outfit was no more casual than his date’s.

“Hey Frank.”

“Hi Gerard,” Frankie replied, trying not to sound too breathless. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this nervous, and he desperately hoped he wouldn’t start hyperventilating.

“Ready to go?”

Frankie was jealous of Gerard’s composure. “Yeah. Sorry for the wait.”

“No problem,” Gerard assured with a grin that made Frankie’s heart beat faster. He led the way to his car and they both ducked into the front seats. Gerard pulled away from the house and Frankie took another deep breath.

“So, where to?”

Gerard smiled at him. “I was thinking the movies. You know, the whole typical first date thing.”

“What movie?” Frankie asked, now more interested in the subject than in simply trying to keep the conversation going.

“There’s this new zombie movie I’ve been wanting to go see, and I thought you’d like it too. I know Mikey likes that sort of stuff.”

“Yeah, I do too.” He smiled and they sat in silence for a few minutes. The radio was on but Frankie couldn’t focus on the music.

“So, I was pretty surprised when Mikey called me last night,” Gerard said, breaking the silence. “I never suspected you had a thing for me.”

Frankie blushed and looked away. “Yeah, well,” he mumbled. His cheeks were getting redder by the second. “I tried to keep it secret.”

“Why is that?” Gerard asked, smiling curiously.

“Well… you’re Mikey’s brother, for one. I didn’t think he’d like knowing I liked you. And two, you’re older than me. I’m just some stupid freshman,” he muttered, scowling slightly. He laughed.

“Mikey seemed happy about this whole thing,” Gerard told him. “And I don’t think you’re stupid.”

Frankie blushed again, “Is that why you agreed to do this?” he asked. “Because Mikey was excited about it?”

“No.” Gerard took a left turn into the movie theatre parking lot.

“Then… why?”

Gerard glanced at him. “I think you’re a nice guy, Frankie. When Mikey told me you were interested, I thought about it and realized I’d like getting to know you a little better.”

Gerard parked the car and looked at his date, who was smiling widely and still blushing. He grinned and opened his door.

“Now let’s go watch some brains get eaten.”