(But not really)
Pulling on the ugliest pants imaginable, Charles thought about which shirt would best clash with the rest of his outfit. He chose a bright yellow button up that matched the yellow zipper of the clown pants. The sleeves were already short but he rolled them up once more. He then accessorized with a copious amount of bracelets and rings. He dug around his closet before finding shoes to complete the look. Saddle shoes, the perfect mix of retro and bowling.
He looked in the mirror at the atrocious fit, smiling. He sought to deter Max on their date tonight, and the outfit would definitely help. He hadn't had the balls to cancel the date, and honestly he did need something to distract him from Carlos, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to their dinner. It bothered him that Max had asked him out in the first place, but he tried not to think about it.
They agreed to meet at a secluded, private restaurant, which served trendy, small portions. The lighting was dim and the atmosphere was undeniably romantic. They sat across from each other at a small table, sipping quietly from glasses of red wine.
It was Max who spoke first. "I didn't think you'd actually show." His tone was joking, but there was a slight look of insecurity in his eyes. It made Charles's chest tight with guilt. He almost didn't show up. He ignored this feeling and bantered back with ease.
"Hey, I am a man of my word," Charles said, grasping his chest in mock offense.
Max laughed. "Good. I'm glad."
Charles smiled back, taking another sip of wine. "You know, I thought you had a girlfriend?" He asked, genuinely curious and a little scared of being a home wrecker.
Max's face remained neutral. "I do. She doesn't mind."
Charles must have not hidden his doubt as well as he thought because Max's next words were, "No, really! I can call her right now if you want!" He was grinning now, obviously amused by whatever face Charles was making.
Charles waved his hands, "No, no! I believe you!" He was suddenly curious about what freaky stuff Max and Kelly were into. They had to have a clone kink, that much was obvious. He quickly stopped thinking those thoughts, however, when their waiter arrived.
He smiled genially at the two and took their orders. With their dozens of dishes memorized, he turned back to the kitchen, still sporting that costumer service smile.
"I hope we ordered enough, I'm so hungry," Max groaned when the waiter left.
Charles scoffed. "We ordered the whole menu, practically."
Max gestured to the tables around them. "So??? Look at how tiny the portions are!"
Charles laughed. "You're the one who suggested this restaurant," he countered.
Max suddenly blushed. "I thought you'd like it," he admitted, his eyes wide. "I may or may not have looked up 'romantic restaurants near me,' but this one... yeah." He didn't finish his sentence, only averted his eyes and took another sip of wine to prevent himself from rambling on.
Charles's eyebrows curled up in a mixture of endearment and guilt. He knew he had to let Max down now, before he really led him on. He sighed, trying to find the right words. When their eyes met over the table, soft candlelight dancing across Max's face, he realized something. He was on a date... with a man... in public... and he didn't feel nearly as weird about it as he thought he would. Charles supposed it was because it didn't feel like a genuine date; like if someone asked questions he could deny it with no hesitation. He wondered if he could do the same with Carlos. Could he look someone in the eye and say he had no feelings for the Spaniard?
All at once he felt guilty about all the times he stood up Carlos, but at the same time he was ecstatic. He was on a public date and wasn't on the verge of a panic attack! Maybe this was a sign that he could make it up to Carlos. They could actually be together, and do it right this time.
"What's wrong?" Max asked suddenly, making Charles aware of the bewildered expression he was making. He supposed now was as good of a time as any to come clean.
"I know we haven't even gotten our food yet, but I need to be honest with you because I don't want to lead you on. I'm in love with someone else, and the only reason I accepted this date was because I needed a distraction from them. That was messed up and I'm sorry." He was talking fast and sort of mumbling, but Max seemed to understand everything, nodding when Charles finished.
"Is it Charlotte?" Max asked, only genuine curiosity in his tone. There was nothing to suggest he was at all offended by Charles's honesty.
"What?" Charles was confused before he remembered the recent fake break up. "No," he admitted at last.
Max raised an eyebrow before humming in interest. "So who is it? Wait no, you don't have to tell me."
Charles was feeling strangely confident, and before he could stop him self "Carlos," fell from his lips.
Max's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Carlos. Like Carlos Sainz? Like your teammate?" Despite his shock, Max's voice remained hushed, and Charles trusted Max to keep the secret.
"I don't know why you're so shocked when you asked me on a date," Charles countered, trying to steer the conversation back into banter territory.
"Ok yeah but I'm not in love with you!" There was a beat of silence before Max asked. "Does he know?"
Charles laughed, thinking about if Carlos hadn't confessed to him they'd be two idiots still pining after each other. They were still two idiots pining after each other, but it felt like growth nonetheless. "Yeah-" he rolled his eyes "-Who do you think he was kissing in that photo from Spain??"
Max's jaw somehow dropped further. "I wasn't expecting that at all."
That reassured Charles, convincing him that their relationship could remain clandestine if he so chose.
A team of waiters showed up with their food at that moment and the conversation lulled. When everything was served Max raised his glass in a toast. "Well cheers to that! I hope it works out for you two!"
Thankfully, Max didn't pry with questions about Carlos, and the conversation flowed easily. The food was delicious, and they shared many laughs, but by the end of it neither party seemed too broken up by the fact this date would be their last.
They parted with smiles, but before Max could drive away a spike of insecurity shot through Charles. "You won't tell anyone about Carlos and me, right?" He had to ask.
Max was about to joke, but thought better of it. "Of course not," he reassured. When Charles relaxed, Max's face morphed into a smirk. "What are you still doing here? Go get your man!"
Charles only laughed as Max drove away. Carlos wasn't his, not now, but he wanted him to be. He'd never been so sure of something in his life.
***
Thoughts on the clown pants? Abie and Reyrey have an argument to settle.