(NOT) A DATE NIGHT
What does it mean to have butterflies in your stomach when it’s with another guy?
What does it mean to have butterflies in your stomach when it’s with another guy? Bas didn’t really think anything of it until he told Daan that he and Freddy were meeting up later. They were chilling at Daan’s apartment playing Mario Kart, when Bas suddenly checked his watch and said he needed to leave in thirty minutes.
“Why, do you got a date or something?”
Bas chuckled. “Nah, man I’m just meeting up with Freddy.”
“Freddy? You guys tight now or something?”
Bas shrugged and kept eyeing the flat screen, ramming his Link avatar into Daan’s car, pushing him off rainbow road. “Fucker.”
Crossing the finish line first, Bas checked his phone as the instant replay passed the screen. The text from Freddy said, “Do you like Chinese?” Seeing his text made him slightly light headed. He was about to send a heart emoji but decided on a thumbs up instead.
“What are you guys gonna do? There’s that thing at Skatecafé tonight.”
“I think we’re gonna just grab some drinks.” It surprised him that he didn't feel like telling Daan that he was meeting him for dinner. Drinks is casual, nothing serious. If Bas told him the truth , it felt like an admission of something. He couldn’t explain it but being around Freddy felt different than other hanging out with other friends. He felt different. Like when he was around Freddy, it was though he were being introduced to a different side of himself that he didn’t really know or understand yet.
“So if it’s just drinks, what time are you meeting him? Like nine or something? Why do you have to leave so soon?”
“Why are you jealous or something?” It was Daan’s turn to shrug. “Bro, I still have to bike home and it’s fucking hot out. I’ll have to shower and shit before we meet up, I wreak.”
“Shower? Sounding more like a date to me.”
“We go out together all the time.”
“But that’s different.”
“Why?”
Daan left the question unanswered but Bas understood the implication. Daan and him had been friends since high school. Their friendship was built on history and familiarity. Freddy was a new friend and not only that, he was a guy friend who happened to be gay. For whatever reason, that changed things. Freddy was an interesting guy. He dressed well, had a good vibe about him, and somehow seemed connected to some of the coolest people in night life scene. They both met Freddy around the same time, but in the last month or so there seemed to be a new closeness forming between Bas and Freddy. Maybe Daan was more jealous than he cared to admit.
Once Bas got home, he jumped in the shower and decided to do a last-minute to shave. At one point he even had to admit to himself that he was beginning to over think what to wear. Was he trying to impress Freddy somehow? Frustrated with himself, he threw on a simple black T-shirt with his jeans and New Balance sneakers. But as he was about to grab his keys and head out the door, he felt the urge to rip off the T-shirt and grab a button down instead. Cologne? No. Oh fuck it, yes. Just a little Aventus Creed on the neck. Don’t overthink this Bas.
Funnily, Freddy showed up almost in the identical outfit though didn't seem to think much of it. After all, it was a pretty standard uniform for guys of a certain age in living in Amsterdam. Their button downs were almost the identical colour, but at least they sport different New Balances. Freddy also had a cap on.
“Sorry I’m a bit late man,” Freddy said slightly our of breath. They hugged and Bas suddenly noticed how nice it was to feel Freddy’s arms envelope him for a moment. “I hate trying to find a place to lock my bike in the centre.” As they wait for the couple in front of them to speak to the host about their reservation. Freddy told Bas about his haircut appointment where his barber told him the story of how one morning he was looking out the window of his apartment which overlooked a canal. Suddenly out of nowhere this drunk guy, who was obviously pissed about something, grabbed hold of his bike which was only locked to itself, and through it in the canal. By the time he was able to get down the four flights of stairs, the guy was gone and his bike was a the bottom of the canal, never to be seen again.
They talked throughout the meal. Dumplings and wanton to start, then two main dishes of beef with bak choi and sweet and sour chicken which they ended up sharing. At one point Bas asked Freddy if he wanted the rest of his rice, half of which was untouched in his bowl.
“You think I wan the rest of your rice because I’m Asian?”
“What? No!”
“That’s kind of racist.” Bas was flustered for a minute until Freddy placed his hand on top of his. “Bro, I’m kidding. And also, fuck yes, I’m going to eat the rest of your rice.”
It was ten pm. by the time they finished their meal. The restaurant that was full two hours ago was slowly dying down. When Freddy got up to go to the bathroom, Bas checked his phone. A message from Daan: How was drinks? Skatecafé tonight? Just then the waiter came by and took their plates. Bas smiled. The meal was satiating and he was almost embarrassed that he had lived in Amsterdam for so long without ever knowing of this place. “Can I get the bill?” The waiter nodded. He looked a his phone again and replied: kind of have a headache. Gonna call it a night. But he didn’t want the night to end. He was thinking of suggesting they walk a bit, grab an ice cream at a cool Gelato place he once went with Sanne.
Freddy returned from the bathroom with two fortune cookies in hand. He gave Bas one. “I paid the bill.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, man. I invited you.” Freddy looked into Bas’ eyes and smiled. Bas quickly stared at the cookie in his hand trying not to blush.
As they got up to leave, Bas took one last look at the restaurant. “Next time then, I pay.”
“Next time?”
“I’ll pick the spot.”
It was Freddy’s turn to blush though he recovered quickly. “Maybe next time we tell the other person what we’re wearing so we don’t look like twins.” So he did notice.
One the way to the Gelataria they opened their fortune cookies.
“You have to read it and then say the words ‘in bed’.”
Bas furrowed his brow. “‘In bed’?”
Freddy laughed and read out his fortune, “a new opportunity will present itself … in bed. What does yours say?”
Bas, placed the paper under a nearby street lamp to see it better and smiled.