Page 8 of Mate Match: Curtis & Jae
Jae laughed. “What if I have really bad table manners?”
“Then I’ll cook for you next time.” Having Jae in my house would be nerve-wracking, but worth it for more of his smiles.
He smirked. “Good answer.”
The server appeared to take our order. We had to ask them to come back since we were too busy chatting about our days to have properly looked at the menu.
“Have you been here before?” Jae asked.
When I said that I had, he asked for recommendations. “You said you eat meat, right? What about dairy?”
“I don’t eat a lot of red meat, but I’m not restricted in what I eat by allergies or anything.”
“That’s right, I remember you said in our messages.” His eyes practically glowed with happiness. Marty and Grace would be sohappy I’d remembered details about Jae. They’d coached me to prove I paid attention to him. “Any preferences?”
“Maybe something light? I thought it was my nerves, but my stomach feels a little off.”
Shit! Was he okay? Was he wanting to bail on our date? I’d be disappointed, sure, though I’d understand. He couldn’t help being unwell. “Huh. Are you sure you want to try to eat? I can take a raincheck on dinner if you don’t feel well.”
“No! You’re sweet, but that’s not necessary. I’m enjoying being with you.” He picked up his menu and looked it over. “I’d rather try to eat. Maybe a salad?”
His words gave me a measure of comfort. He did look paler than before. I hoped he wasn’t getting sick. Did he have anyone close by to look after him if he was?
I tried to make a joke and lighten the mood to make him feel better. “Well, I could do with eating a few less burgers and more salads, so—”
“Stop.” Jae’s face was stern. “I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of body shaming shit over your lifetime. Don’t put yourself down, okay? You want the burger? Have the burger. You’ve got an active job, and the cuddly middle you’ve got going on is sorta hot, not going to lie.”
“Really?” I didn’t know what deity had put Jae in front of me, but I thanked them all.
Jae’s face flushed, a sheen of sweat beaded his brow. He took out a tissue from his pocket and dabbed at it before wincing.
“Hardly attractive.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” My fingers itched to do something to help him.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Is it hot in here?”
The restaurant was a perfect temperature for me and I ran a little warmer than most, so it was probably on the cooler side. This place was one of those nicer chains which had thepheromone control and decent AC. I liked visiting them so I wasn’t blasted with alpha and omega pheromones all the time. It was common now to wear neutralizing scents, though they only worked short term and often were overpowered by a powerful emotion like lust. It wasn’t something I liked to rely on, hence a decent place with climate control.
“Would you like me to see if we can move outside? Might be harder to talk, but if you’d be more comfortable…”
“I’ll be okay, thank you.” Jae flashed a grateful smile. It was gratifying he was persisting with his date even though he wasn’t at his best. “Oh, my goodness, I feel terrible about this. You’re exactly like your profile. Things were going well, and now there’s this. Whatever it is.”
“It’s fine. As long as you want to continue our date…”
“I do.”
When the server returned, we both put in our orders. Mine, a burger, since he’d been so determined I get one, Jae’s a light chicken salad. He ordered a virgin cocktail, and I followed his lead. His drink sounded delicious. Besides, while I liked the occasional beer, I preferred not to drink on dates.
We chatted a little more while we waited for our food. I took a sip of the cocktail, only to be assaulted by the tangy flavor.
“Wow!”
“Right?”
Jae looked brighter now that he had a drink. Maybe it was a blood sugar thing? Whatever it was, the sugar appeared to help. We talked about a few things while we waited for our food. He told me about his project he’d just wrapped up and the transition from a political science degree to an art one.
“Both were a waste of time, according to my mom’s parents.”
