A hand ran through Roman's slicked back hair to check if every single strand was where it needed to be. A few stragglers hanging over his forehead were further smoothed down, as well as being pinched to make sure the gel he used hadn't overly hardened any sections. The longest strands brushed against his lashes and made his black eyeliner more prominent. Such a dark color drastically accentuated the icy blue of his irises. His makeup drew attention to the area while simultaneously doing the opposite to his freckles.

He honestly thought he looked quite handsome, with his all black, three piece satin tuxedo, a matching dress shirt, a golden tie, an accompanying pocket square, and painted nails. Roman had only planned to wear a single color; but Mikayla, having been the one to buy everything, insisted on adding bright accesssories to accentuate his overall appearance.

Seeing it all come together in his reflection made Roman thankful for his aunt's decision.

Appearing so dolled up made him look more confident than he felt.

"Hey, Ro, mom wanted me to give you your- oh, wow." Dorian paused in the room's entryway with a shoebox in hand. "Now I get why you said you prefer to wear dark colors. You look great. I'm sure you're really going to surprise Jay."

"Thanks, and we'll see," Roman answered, turning away from the full-length mirror. "I can take those off your hands, Dori."

Dorian shook his head. He guided his cousin to sit on the bed. After settling down on the carpet, he pulled one of Roman's feet closer.

"I don't want you to crease anything by bending too much. I'll help you out."

Roman gave an appreciative smile. He pulled his hands into his lap, patiently waiting. 

His grip was hard enough for it to start hurting within seconds.

Nervous jitters were expelled by twiddling with his thumbs instead.

He'd been telling himself all week how there was nothing to be anxious about. Jensen was Roman's safe space; his safe person. Sure, recent...developments...made Roman a little more excitable when he occupied the same space as his best friend. But Roman hadn't felt so skittish before.

He'd never felt so...fearful about doing something to potentially ruin their night.

Or their friendship.

"Roman."

He glanced up to look into heterochromic eyes. "Dori?"

"Don't let the negative shit your mother has drilled into your head be the reason you can't have a nice date."

Roman ignored his heart rate picking up. "We're- we're just going out to dinner."

"Dinner, date, a romp in the sheets- whatever. Don't let Rachel be the reason you keep yourself from having a good time with someone you like. Don't let her be the reason you hold yourself back from doing what you want to do."

"How...much do you know?"

"Enough," Dorian told him. "Just like my mom, I pay attention to the little things, Ro. I know you. And I know how terrified you are of thinking any little thing you do will make people leave. If there's one thing I'm sure of, though, especially when it comes to Jay, is you don't have to worry about stuff like that."

Roman scratched at the nape of his neck, drawing his gaze toward the floor. "It's not that easy. I wish I could just ignore what she's pushed onto me, but..."

"I know it's not easy to believe yourself when Rachel has painted you as the bad guy for so long. But it does make a difference when that reassurance comes from someone important to you." Dorian finished tying the second shoe, double knotting for a more secure fit. "Believe me, Ro. Jay wants to be with you. So, let him. And, for once, let yourself have this."

Roman clenched his jaw to keep any habitual arguments or words of disapproval at bay.

Dorian was right.

The only person to rightfully have a say in whether or not Roman pursued anything, or anyone, was himself.

Regardless of how many problems she tried to cause, Rachel, herself, deserved to be nothing more than a figment of the past.

For his peace of mind, she needed to stay there.

"Yeah. Tonight with Jay..." Roman nodded to himself. "We're going to have a good night."

Dorian helped his cousin to his feet, offering a gentle, encouraging clap on the shoulder. "Attaboy. Now, let's get you downstairs. Your date is waiting for you."

Steeling himself up with a deep breath, Roman nodded again. Any items of necessity were put into his pockets. One last glance over in the mirror was followed by the lights being shut off and the door being closed behind him. He followed Dorian down the staircase with hyperactive tingles settling in his gut.

Several voices were heard coming from the kitchen.

"Jay, sweetie, I can't make your tie any straighter."

"But, Dee, is it straight enough?"

"I don't think Roman would care if it was a little crooked. I'm sure he's just happy to spend time with you. You're fine."

"Jay, Jay- you're really going on a date with Ro?" Ivy wondered, her voice breathless from jumping around in excitement. "Like how our mommies go on dates?"

"It's...something like that."

"Where's his big bundle of pretty flowers then?" Wynter asked.

"...Do you think I could run to the florist real quick and make it back in time? I know he likes things that are sweet. But I wouldn't want to get something cliche like roses. Maybe he'd like peonies?"

Mikayla quietly giggled. "Peonies are beautiful, yeah."

"Then they would be app...ro...priate..."

Jensen's voice trailed off into stunned silence as Roman finally made himself visible, leaning against the back of one of the couches.

"For the record, while I've never gotten flowers before, I do like peonies." He chuckled in response to a fascinated, transfixed expression. "Hi, Jay."

"Hey, Ro. You...look really handsome."

"You clean up pretty well yourself."

Jensen really did look amazing with his hair tied back, tiny stragglers framing either side of his face, a black dress shirt and matching tie, his velvet tuxedo in a shade of wine red, and black polished dress shoes with laces tucked beneath his pants.

His overall appearance was stunning normally. Seeing him in a suit was an otherworldly experience.

"Let me guess, you picked red just for me?"

"What can I say? I'm a man who likes to please." Jensen shrugged in a nonchalant manner, walking forward.

Laughing, Roman took the hand outstretched toward him to get back onto his feet. He was pulled into Jensen's side to present Mikayla and Denise with an opportunity to take a million pictures. They were also given Dorian's professional camera to do as they pleased, making Roman shake his head at their antics.

He wrapped an arm around Jensen's waist, leaned against his shoulder, and offered his most gentle, sincere smile.

"I can't wait to get these printed! They're going to look so nice!" Mikayla cheered while studying the photos she took. "I don't want you guys to miss your reservation, so we won't keep you. Will you be here tomorrow for dinner? Or should we push it to the next day?"

"Ro and I have plans tomorrow with my friends, so we'll be back Saturday." Jensen explained, leading them to the doorway.

Mikayla opened it and wiggled her fingers in farewell. "Okay. You guys have a good time!"

"Bye, Ro! Bye, Jay!"

"Goodnight, boys!"

"Have fun on your date!"

"Ehem. So," Roman diverted to draw attention away from his family members' teasing, "what time's the trolley coming?"

"Actually, we're not taking the trolley tonight. It's a special occasion, so I'm busting out the big guns."

Jensen fished out a key from his jacket's side pocket. A swift press of a button on the plastic end piece unlocked a car waiting at the end of the walkway. 

The vehicle appeared to be quite vintage since modern-day designs were more boxy and technologically advanced. The one waiting for them was a refurbished, two-doored muscle car from roughly either the seventies or the eighties. Dark blue metal was sleek, polished rearview mirrors reflected surrounding light with ease, and, the closer they got, the more Roman could see some dated interior features. Window rollers, a cassette tape slot, manual dials to control the radio, and details as such. Roman could make out a few personal additions, like aux-in sockets and a small touchscreen dashboard to control a few features. Other than those, though, the car mostly kept its original appearance from an entirely different century.

Like all things having to do with Jensen, it was gorgeous.

"You mean to tell me you willingly take the trolley when you could be cruising around town in this?"

Jensen opened the passenger door, motioning for Roman to climb inside. "I keep it at my grandma's. This was her husband's car back in the day. It was passed down to my dad, and, even though I couldn't drive at the time, he passed it down to me. I only use it when I'm doing something, or with someone, special."

"Well...how special are we talking?" Roman asked with genuine curiosity.

Jensen gave a daring sweep of the eyes, settling his gaze below eye level. "I'll put it this way. The only person who has ever ridden in this car with me is my grandma. My friends have only ever seen it because we like to go out of town for my birthday. You're the only person outside of my family to ever sit in here."

"And...what makes me so special?"

Instead of answering right away, Jensen glanced down toward the ground, his expression turning bashful. He shook his head as if to say the answer would be revealed in due time. The passenger door was closed, cutting off the cold breeze which had been pushing its way into the car.

Jensen got into the driver's side, bringing the car to life with a loud purr of the motor. Quick work was made of the heating system to make sure neither of them froze. He offered the aux cord once they were both fully settled in.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." Roman took the cord, ignoring how his heart fluttered when their fingers made contact. "Ready."

*

 "Good evening, gentlemen. Welcome to Aurelio's. Please follow me to your table."

The couple trailed after their host, Roman holding onto Jensen's arm to make sure they wouldn't get separated. Together, they took in the sights of a spacious, intimate lounge with a wide selection of beverages at an exclusive bar. The layout morphed into a fancy restaurant when crossing into another room.

Dazzling chandeliers gave extra illumination alongside dim candlelight. A back wall had several barrels on display to show what types of wines the restaurant had on-hand. Each table was done up with beige tablecloths, black starter plates, shiny utensils, and wine glasses meant for specific reds and whites. Smooth jazz played throughout the entire establishment, cementing an air of relaxation for any patrons fortunate enough to be inside.

When Jensen said the restaurant was upscale, he really meant it.

Roman brought his attention to a nearby wine fountain. He focused on that to not focus so heavily on how, yeah, apparently, they were on a date.

Roman didn't confront particular situations - to the point of actively denying their existence. But he wasn't stupid.

He noticed when certain conversations shifted from harmless teasing to obvious flirting. He understood Jensen's proclivity to stare below eye level happened because he was focusing on Roman's lips. Being given the opportunity to ride around in Jensen's car, when his closest friends, or even Mikayla's family, had never done so, placed Roman on a higher pedestal than most people.

Jensen, both consciously and not, kept doing things to ensure Roman knew he was special.

While he didn't understand the scope of his own emotions, he got a better read on what Jensen's meant through his actions.

Roman wasn't turned off to the idea. He just...

Well, that was something he'd address later.

"One of our servers will be right with you to take your order. In the meantime, here are your menus- and you can find the wine selections in greater detail in the back. I hope you both have a wonderful night. Please, let me know if you need anything."

Their host walked away, leaving the couple alone once again.

"So, Roman," Jensen spoke while perusing through the wine section. "How drunk are you trying to get tonight?"

"Uh...why?"

"Because I can tell something has been bothering you over the last couple of days. If it's bad enough that you don't even want to talk about it, chances are you'd rather not think about it for a little while either. So, I'll ask again. How much are we drinking tonight?"

Roman could only give kudos to Jensen and his impressive way of reading between the lines.

Since he'd been working all week, they could only reach each other through short calls and dodgy texts. If Roman was ever asked how he'd been, his go-to response was to evade the question without truly answering. When he canceled their routine Wednesday lunch with Juniper under the guise of not feeling well, he could imagine several alarm bells had been set off. 

Jensen knew better than to pry. Yet his willingness to move past certain subjects didn't mean he was ignorant of them.

As much as Roman didn't want to think about those things...

"Not too much, honestly. I'd like to make sure I remember our night."

"So I won't get to see you be a sleepy drunk? How sad."

He gave a gentle kick to Jensen's ankle, leaning closer in his direction to keep from talking too loud. "By all means, drink as much as you want. Maybe I'll finally see for myself how clingy you are when you're half a bottle in."

Jensen leaned forward in his seat as well. "You wound me, Roman. Right in my teeny-tiny-affectionate little heart."

They were still laughing together when their waitress for the evening approached the table. She started them off with a sweet red wine, warm bread, and fresh calamari.

Roman used the alcohol in his system as an excuse for why his entire body felt so hot.