“I don’t think I’ve ever done any of those things.”
“I have.”
“I figured.”
Aspen knew what it was like to be overstimulated. The clipped quality to Charlie’s words meant he was probably way past overstimulated. Aspen hurried to find them a restaurant and ended up settling on an Italian place. Maybe Aspen couldorder multiple courses, and it would allow them to stay in the restaurant for a while.
The host was a young blonde guy who batted his lashes a few too many times at Charlie. When he led them to a table right along the walkway, Aspen insisted they sit inside, and the host tried to share an exasperated look with Charlie, but Charlie’s entire focus was on Aspen. He looked almost desperate, his hands clenched into fists in his pockets.
“I don’t handle crowds well,” Aspen said, and the host frowned at them. “Can you please put us inside so I don’t have a very dramatic meltdown and make a scene over my spaghetti. I can be very loud.”
Aspen flipped their pink bangs off their face as if that would prove their point.
The host glowered at them but led them deeper into the restaurant to a booth in the very back corner. They had a feeling they might be forgotten back here, since there was no one seated within five tables of them, but that was fine with Aspen.
“Thank you,” they said curtly before sliding into one of the booths.
Charlie glanced at the seat across from Aspen and then wordlessly slid in next to them, so they were both facing out towards the rest of the restaurant. This finally seemed to drive the message home to the host, who rolled his eyes and walked back up to the front of the restaurant.
“Did you want to face this way? I can move to the other side if you want?” Aspen offered, but Charlie just scooted closer to them.
Usually, Aspen would take this as an invitation, but since their last two attempts at physical affection hadn’t gone well, they folded their hands in their lap and leaned sideways against the wall.
Charlie turned to the side and began rummaging through his bag until he pulled out a pair of over-ear headphones. Aspen nearly fell out of their seat when they saw they had dog ears on them, sort of like the more common cat ear headphones they’d seen.
“My…foster parents got them for me. They thought they were cute. I know they’re kind of embarrassing, but?—”
“I love them,” Aspen said, reaching out to pet one of the ears.
Charlie gave Aspen a small, grateful smile before sliding them on his head. “I won’t play anything, so I can still hear you, but…it helps sometimes.”
Aspen nodded, and even though he said he could still hear them, they didn’t want to bother him. They looked over the menu, chose an appetizer and an entrée, and closed the menu again.
It took several minutes for a server to come back and take their drink orders, and she cast Charlie a curious glance.
“Coke, please,” he said with barely any intonation in his voice.
“Just water for me,” Aspen said, and Charlie scooted somehow even closer to them still without touching them.
“Would you feel more comfortable on the inside?”
Charlie glanced across the booth at the vacant seat before nodding.
They quickly switched seats, and once Charlie’s entire right side was pressed up against the wall, he reached out and took Aspen’s hand.
“I’m sor?—”
“Please don’t apologize. I’m going to do weird shit cause of my ADHD, and I hope that when I do, I won’t need to apologize.”
Charlie stared at their joined hands for a moment before nodding. They sat in silence that wasn’t quite comfortable, but also wasn’t bad until their drinks arrived. When Aspen orderedan appetizer, Charlie cocked his head. “I was going to order the same thing. Would you mind if we share?”
“Of course. You know I love sharing.”
Charlie squeezed their hand and then said very quietly, “Maybe we can get dessert as well? Might…let us stay a little longer?”
Aspen squeezed his hand back once, and then twice more.
The food was okay, and the conversation was nearly nonexistent, but it was still one of the better first dates Aspen had gone on in their life. Charlie kept his hand either linked with Aspen’s or on their leg throughout the entire meal, and his headphones stayed on, which seemed to keep his shoulders relaxed and allowed him to eat most of the appetizer and his entire entree.
