Page 33 of Dibs
Since he wasn’t online, I closed my laptop and got ready for work. The day seemed to drag by. At lunch, instead of going to the staff lounge like I did most days, I headed to my car to check my messages.
Steven:Nice. And for what it’s worth, I liked the pics you did post. ??
I smiled. It was always nice to have someone compliment me. Glancing at the top of his profile page, I noticed the green light next to his name. Did I want to message him when he might respond right away? I thought about it for a minute before deciding I couldn’t chicken out.
Me:Thanks! I appreciate that. What are you up to?
Steven:On my lunch break. What about you?
Me:Same. I’ve got about twenty minutes before I have to head back.
Steven:Sounds like we’ve got some time to get to know one another.
We continued to message each other until it was time for me to get back to class. He was quite funny, and I enjoyed talking to him. Before I had to go, we decided to meet up for a drink, which meant I was going on my first date with a guy.
* * *
When Friday rolled around,I was a giant ball of anxiety. The thought of going out on a date with a guy was both exciting and nerve-wracking. What would happen if I hated it? What would happen if I liked it?
Using the map app on my phone, I pulled up the address to the bar Steven had suggested. I’d already looked up the place a couple of days ago and knew it was a gay bar. But, having never been to one before, I didn’t know what to expect. Walking inside, it appeared to be like any other bar I’d ever been to. I scanned the room, looking for my date. Thankfully, he looked exactly like his profile picture, and it didn’t take long to spot him sitting at a small booth in the corner.
“Steven?” I asked as I approached.
A large friendly smile spread across his face. “Gage, hi.”
I took the seat across from him. “Thanks for asking me to meet up.”
“Of course. Thanks for agreeing.”
The first thing I learned was a date with either gender always seemed awkward at the beginning before the conversation started to feel natural. Luckily, someone came over right away to take our order, giving me a minute for my nerves to settle.
“I’ll take a Coors in a bottle,” I said.
Steven turned to our server. “I’ll have the same.”
“Do you come here a lot?” I asked once we were alone again. Sure, it sounded cliché, but I needed something to get the conversation going.
He shook his head. “I’ve been here a few times, but not a lot. How about you?”
“First time,” I replied as I glanced around the bar again.
The place was packed, which wasn’t surprising for a Friday night. A DJ was playing a mix of upbeat music interspersed with some slower songs.
The server brought our beers to us, and we each took a large sip.
“So, tell me about your band. California Thunder was it?”
“Yeah. A few of my friends and I started the band a couple of months ago.”
“What kind of music do you guys play?”
“Mostly covers of rock songs.”
The two of us continued to talk for quite a while. All the usual first date stuff, and while Steven seemed like a nice guy, I wasn’t feeling a spark between us.
When “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith played, Steven stood up and asked, “Do you want to dance?”
“Sure.” Despite not being certain about him, I didn’t think there was any harm in dancing together. Maybe I needed a little physical contact to determine whether there was a connection with him. Besides, I liked to dance, contrary to what my ex-wife thought. I told her no sometimes when she suggested it because I felt she was using it as a way to pull me away from my friends when I wasn’t giving her one hundred percent of my attention.
