My Girlfriend Who Works At a Gaybar

He smiled, slowly letting go of him.

"...Oh, that's okay, too. I get it." He toyed with his bracelets. "I'm being too forward again, aren't I?"

"What?" He asked, before he had really thought the question over. "No! It's Just...I...."

How did he even begin to explain it?

"It really isn't you! It's because I...well... It's because of me."

He groaned.

"Honey, please don't say that--that excuse is always worse than the truth, I swear. Just give it to me straight."

"It is, though! You have't dont anything wrong, I....it's really my fault. My family is crazy, I'm crazy, my religion is crazy. It's not fair to you..." Rosario shook his head. "I shouldn't have asked you out."

He pushed his dreads behind his shoulders, frowning deeply.

Alex cupped Rosario's cheeks in his hands and pulled him into a kiss.

Rosario knew he should have pushed him away, but he didn't want to. He wrapped his arms around Alex's waist, leaning into him and kissing him deeply.

He smiled when he pulled away.

"I'm really glad you asked me out," he said honestly, stroking Rosario's cheek. "You're cute. Besides, I can't say I've dated many guys who were looking for a commitment. It's a change, but I'm willing to try it."

He nuzzled his cheek. "We can either go back out there and you can teach me how to bowl, or we can go back to my place and just chat, nothing too rash. The choice is yours."

"Let's...go watch a movie or something," he said, swallowing at the thought of having to face the priest. "...let's sneak out the back, too. Please."

"Wow, pretty naughty for a church boy," he said, booping Rosario on the nose. "It's okay, though, I kind of like it."

He kissed him on the cheek. "Let's go, then."

Rosario walked out of the other bathroom entrance, into the other side of the bowling alley. Luckily, it looked like the priest hadn't bothered to check the other door.

He sighed with relief, walking to his truck and hoisting himself into it.

"Where do you live?"

"Yew Avenue," he said, climbing into the truck as well. He said it calmly, but it was one of the trashier neighborhoods in town. "We live in an apartment complex, so it's not that bad."

"You live in the black side of town?" he asked, before he had completely thought through his response.

He laughed at that, tilting his head back.

"Where else would a black man live, silly?!" he teased, gently shoving his shoulder. "Come on, my roommates won't be home so it'll be fine. The place is clean and everything, I swear."

Rosario decided not to argue, in case he made himself look more like an idiot. Instead, he started the car and drove.

-x-

He stepped out of the car, suddenly feeling more jumpy. It looked safe...but he didn't trust that.

Alex dragged him up the stairs by the arm, anxious for their date to really begin. He unlocked the front door and ushered Rosario inside, slyly patting him on the butt.

"Home sweet home," he said, sitting down on the cheap-looking sofa and patting the spot next to him. "Are you hungry? I know I am--we can order takeout, if you want."

"I'll pay," he offered immediately. "I have plenty of money."

Rosario sat next to him, very awkward. This was what he had hoped to avoid.

"Okay, gentleman, I like that," he said, crossing his legs so his skirt moved higher. "What do you wanna do while we wait, Mister Gentleman? We could...watch TV, maybe." He held Rosario's hand, stroking it with his thumb.

Rosario sat with his hands in his lap, swallowing nervously. He was glad he was so black otherwise he'd be completely red. He felt a bead of sweat run down his cheek.

"Do you have movies?" He asked, frowning.

"Yeah, a few," he said, scooting closer. "You can look through our DVDs if you want--they're right under the TV."

He jumped to his feet, moving to rifle through the DVD pile. He could barely read the covers, he was too busy trying to keep himself calm.

"Are you gonna call take out?"

Alex pulled out his cellphone, nodding.

"You care what kind? I'm kind of in the mood for Mexican."

"I want three burritos, steak, chicken and tongue, if they have it," Rosario replied, smiling at him. He pushed his dreads behind his shoulders, toying with a movie case.

"Damn, boy," he said, dialing a number and laughing, "You gonna share that? You're a big eater, huh?"

He licked his lips. "I guess it's fine--I mean, I can help you burn off all that energy, right?"

"No, I jog every morning, I don't need it," he replied, smiling as innocently as he could. "Can we watch this?"

Rosario held up a random movie, unsure of what the movie was even about.

"Oh, you wanna watch To Wong Foo?" he asked, placing his hand over the phone. "Uh, okay. It's a good movie, so. Put it in and come lay down, you can rest your head on my lap."