Little Hoodie Thief

6.

"Dude, you're really choosing a date over me?" William winces when he hears Alyssa's question over the phone. It's thirty minutes to 7 pm. He's already getting ready or at least trying to. He's not even sure what to wear and is trying as much as possible to not think of this dinner as a date.

    But hearing Alyssa call it one makes him wonder. Is it? Do I want it to be?

    "No, it's not a date! I promise," William says. Of course, it's not. Why will he want to go on a date with that guy? Surely not because of his good looks or nice voice. Nooo... none of that. "I'm just thanking him for his kindness, that's all."

    Even he finds it difficult to believe his own words when he sees the shirt he's put on. It's a black long-sleeved button-up shirt. That's way too much, William thinks. If he met Oliver in that, Oliver would definitely know that he's developing a little crush, and of course, William does not want that. So he immediately takes the shirt off.

    "By buying him 100 dollars sushi?" Alyssa sounds dumbfounded at her friend's logic. After all, why would anyone spend that much on someone they don't know?

    "It's not 100 dollars!" William argues.

    "It's a date."

    "It's not." It almost sounds like a whine, but William is getting frustrated at this point. Not because his best friend insists that he's going on a date, but because he's trying so hard to not make it seem like one.

    And really, it isn't. Oliver never even suggested something of the sort so William does not understand why he's in over his feelings over that fact. He's the only one here who's overthinking this. It's just a dinner, a thank you dinner, and after this, he doesn't have to see Oliver or talk to him ever again.

    "Keep telling yourself that," says Alyssa with a laugh. "See you tomorrow." She hangs up and William is left standing in front of his mirror, almost annoyed with himself but confused.

    It's not a date. It's not a date. It's not a date! He says it over and over in his mind. He has to keep reminding himself that a relationship is something he does not want, especially if it's with someone he doesn't know such as Oliver. His little crush on the man doesn't change that.

    William sighs. He picks a sage green T-shirt instead of his black long-sleeved shirt. He pairs it with a pair of black jeans. He doesn't want to look overly nice because he doesn't want Oliver to think that he thinks it's a date. And really, why would he think that? It's not like Oliver is the most handsome man he's set his eyes on. It's not like Oliver's eyes match perfectly with the kind eyes of a stranger that he dreams of.

    No, it's nothing like that.

    William bites his lip as he looks into the mirror in his bathroom. He wonders how Oliver will look. He can't stop himself from wondering if Oliver will comb his hair back, or if he'll ruffle it up to look like a perfect mess. He can't stop himself from wondering if this dinner could lead to them being civil with each other.

    Or perhaps more.

    His eyes shut and he bites his lip. He shouldn't think that. It's just a thank you dinner, nothing more. Nothing could -nor should- come from that.

    William watches himself again. He has no idea how he ended up with a little crush on Oliver but he wills himself to push it to the back of his mind, especially for tonight. The guy did a nice thing for him once, so what? That shouldn't make William want to know him.

    It's 6:45 pm when William leaves his apartment. In ten minutes, he's at Oliver and Jason's door, knocking. The door opens and Jason comes out.

    "Oh hi, William! What's up?" Jason smiles at him although his eyes speak of confusion. "What are you doing here?"