Triple the Love

Bar Date

Hank

It felt surreal to be walking into the bar with Corey by my side. This was our first date, and I was surprised that it was out in public. My heart was pounding in my chest as we headed toward one of the booths located in the corner of the bar. When Corey had suggested that we double-date with Alastair and Jacob, I had been surprised, but extremely hopeful. Alastair and Jacob were already seated next to each other, and I immediately knew that something was right. Sure, they smiled when they saw us coming, but I knew Alastair. My normally outgoing boss looked tense and uncomfortable.

“Hey, guys,” Corey greeted them as he slid into the seat across from them. Jacob smiled far too brightly as his eyes darted between me and Corey.

“Hey, Corey…Hank,” he greeted. I nodded in greeting as I glanced over at Alastair, who avoided my gaze.

“Hey…good to see you guys,” Alastair said. His tone was clipped, and he drummed his fingers on the table. When he finally looked over at me, it was brief. Almost as if he couldn’t meet my gaze. I tried to shake off the awkwardness and reminded myself that this was our first date. It was supposed to be fun. Maybe Alastair felt weird being on my first date with Corey. It was weird, wasn’t it? We ordered drinks and I tried to relax.

“So…ah…how’s work?” Corey asked, and it was so obvious that the air felt thick and stifling. Alastair shot Jacob a look I couldn’t decipher, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. Didn’t they think Corey and I belonged together? Or was it something else? Alastair took a sip of his drink as his eyes briefly met Corey’s before he shrugged.

“Work is work,” he remarked, and I sighed softly. Talking about work wasn’t all that interesting, since we worked together. And since Jacob and Corey worked together, it just felt like the topic of work seemed boring. I leaned back in my seat as I tried to make sense of what was going on. It wasn’t like Jacob or Alastair to behave this way. Especially with Corey. Jacob and Corey were best friends, but something felt seriously wrong. Was it me? The silence that hung over us was extremely uncomfortable, and I tried to think of something to say. My mind was all over the place. Alastair suddenly downed his drink and slipped out of the booth. He stood awkwardly at the head of the table as we all looked at him.

“Alastair?” Corey whispered, but he shook his head.

“This is…weird…and I…I think I’m just going to head home,” Alastair explained, and I was somewhat relieved that he also felt like it was weird. Maybe that was it. Maybe he felt weird being on our first date. I thought it was weird too. “I have an early morning,” at least I knew he wasn’t lying.

“Oh…ah…are you sure?” Corey asked, but Alastair’s gaze flickered to me as he nodded.

“Yeah…ah…have a good night,” he said. I watched as Alastair leaned down and kissed Jacob quickly before he hurried off and left the bar. The silence that followed felt even heavier than before, and I had no idea how to fix it. One thing was clear. Jacob was even more uncomfortable now that Alastair had left. He glanced between the two of us, and it looked as if he felt guilty, or uncomfortable. I couldn’t tell which.

“Ah…what is going on?” I finally asked, unable to hold back any longer. Jacob’s eyes went wide as he ran his finger along the top of his glass.

“What do you mean?” Jacob asked as his gaze flickered over to Corey.

“Come on, we are grown-ass men. There is this tension between us…what is going on?” I asked again. “I mean…Alastair just about ran away…something is wrong,”

“It’s not that there is something wrong, Hank…it’s weird that Corey asked us to join the two of you on your first date together,” Jacob explained as he avoided eye contact. He confirmed my earlier suspicion, but yet, I still felt like there was something else. “It’s just…” Jacob’s voice trailed off as he looked directly at Corey. “Don’t do this again,” he muttered before he set his empty glass aside and slipped out of the booth. I stopped him as I reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Why don’t you just say what’s on your mind?” I asked him. I just had a feeling that there was more to it than that. Jacob hesitated.

“We don’t want to be involved,” Jacob whispered, and I frowned. “When Corey asked us to meet you guys here…it felt weird and uncomfortable,” I shook my head, confused by that. “We were surprised and…honestly, we just don’t want any part of it,”

“Part of what?” I asked curiously as I glanced back at Corey, who looked horrified. It seemed as if the two of them were having a private conversation, and before I could do or say or ask anything else, Jacob hurried off. Now it was just Corey and I and this heavy blanket hanging over our heads. “What was that?” I asked Corey as I slid out of my seat and slid in across from him. Corey immediately avoided my gaze, and I groaned. This was not how I had envisioned our first date. In fact, this was right at the top of one of the worst dates ever.

“Um…” Corey sighed softly as he ran his fingers through his hair. The bar seemed quieter somehow, but the tension was still so thick.

“Corey…what the hell is going on? Part of what?”

“I don’t know,” he said, and I frowned. That didn’t sound like the truth. “Part of our first date?”

“Corey…” I groaned as I tried to understand what the hell was going on.

“I think…I don’t think Jacob liked the fact that I had basically used him and Alastair as pawns on our first date,” Corey finally admitted, and I frowned. “I want us to be a secret, but of course, my best friend knows. I don’t think he wants to be a part of it until we are out in the open,” it wasn’t that I didn’t believe what he was saying, it was just that I felt like there was more to it.

“Well…we are just two guys at a bar…and we are going to enjoy a nice greasy burger and fries with a few beers,” I remarked as I tried to shift gears. This was still our first date. We should enjoy it.