The Second Date

"So... you really like her, huh?" I heard him ask out of the blue, as the game switched to a commercial break. I'll admit, the question caught me off guard.

"H-huh? Who?" I stupidly piped up as heat blazed in my cheeks.

"Oh my God, Matt, don't play dumb. You know exactly who I'm talking about," he said, shaking his head. "Rose, man."

"I mean, I... do." My cheeks turned crimson, and I couldn't help but smile at the thought of her.

"Yeah, I know. I see the look on your face when I bring her up. You got it bad, man." He wasn't wrong. He looked over at me and flashed a smug grin. "Well, I'm not surprised you two hit it off; I am the master of matchmaking, after all."

"You seem to be forgetting the previous four attempts, Mr. 'master of matchmaking.'" Ryan waved his hand dismissively at the reminder.

"Psssh. Those were just trial runs, man. I was just... feeling things out, you know?"

"Uh-huh," I said flatly, as I rolled my eyes at him.

"Anyway, you gotta give me some credit, Matt; I mean, I did get you laid, didn't I?" he asked, nonchalantly.

"Wh-what? How do you know that?!" I asked, as my face lit on fire yet again. Ryan's eyes widened at the question; he looked absolutely shocked.

"Wait, you two... really did it? On the first date? Goddaaaamn... you two really did hit it off, didn't you?" he asked, shooting me a sly grin. "I was just fucking with you, but holy shit, man!" He gave me a punch on the arm, and it actually kind of hurt. I frowned and rubbed the spot where he had hit me. He leaned in a bit closer and spoke up, his voice a bit quieter: "So, like... how was it? Did she do any crazy Polymorph shit?" I shook my head vigorously and crossed my arms.

"There's no way in hell I'm discussing that with you."

"Aw, come on!" Ryan whined.

"Nope. That's our business," I said flatly. Ryan let out a sigh.

"Fine. Are you at least gonna ask her to make it official soon?" I threw him a weird look.

"We've been on two dates, Ryan; don't you think that's a little quick?" Ryan just shrugged.

"So?" he asked, flatly. "You want to, right?" I mean, of course I wanted to, but...

"What if I... scare her off, though? What if it's too soon?"

"What if it's not though?" Ryan asked, with a grin. "Everyone takes stuff at their own pace, and relationships are no different. What if she says yes?"

"I... don't know..." I let the sentence trail off, and Ryan picked it right up.

"Look, does she make you happy, Matt?" He stared at me, and his gray eyes bored into mine. I nodded, after a moment. "Then shoot your fucking shot, man; worst she can say is no," he said, matter-of-factly. "At least... think about it. You deserve some happiness after Cait, man." I let out a sigh and nodded... to humor him if nothing else. Our attention was drawn to the door as we heard someone knock, presumably Rose. Ryan looked over at me and grinned as he nudged me gently with his elbow. "That's all you, man." I rolled my eyes and stood up, then headed over to the door and opened it up.

"Hey, you! It's been a while!" Rose chuckled at her joke as she quickly stepped through the threshold and wrapped her arms around me in another big hug. She spun me around slightly and gave me a quick peck on the cheek for good measure. She had traded her sweatpants and baggy smiling egg t-shirt for a pair of tight-fitting black jeans and a dark red blouse, as well as a coat. I noticed Ryan raise his eyebrows (and his thumb) from his spot on the couch, and I glared at him. Rose and I embraced for a few more seconds before she broke away from me; she was still beaming as she turned to Ryan and waved at him. "Hey, Ryan! You ready for this?"

"You know it," he said, pointing a finger toward the table. "Shots before we go?" Rose threw him a surprised look.

"What happened to going easy on the booze?"

"It's just one shot! We gotta pregame, right?" He looked over at me. "Plus, Matt's probably stressed as fuck about this party anyway; It'll help him loosen up!" Heat bloomed in my cheeks as I frowned at him, and he raised his eyebrows back at me. "Am I wrong?"

"No," I grumbled. Ryan looked back at Rose.

"See? Look, I'm only planning on having a drink or two at the party. A shot now won't kill me." Rose sighed as she stepped over to the table.

"Alright, then; let's do it. Just don't go crazy though, okay?"

Ryan cheered and bounced up off the couch before rushing over to the table and grabbing the bottle of vodka. He poured himself a huge shot and Rose cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows disapprovingly. He frowned and passed the giant shot to Rose before pouring out smaller ones for the both of us. We all clinked our shots together and knocked them back in unison, just like we had last week. As we set them down on the table, Rose looked over at Ryan and grinned.

"Just... go easy on the booze-ness this time, okay?" she asked. Ryan raised his hands submissively.

"Alright, alright. I will." He headed over to the door and grabbed his coat off the coat rack. We both followed close behind, and I grabbed my own coat off the rack - it was too damn cold out for a jacket. With that, we all headed out the door, and Rose hung back with me as we let Ryan lead us to... wherever the hell we were going.

It was a beautiful night out despite the cold. Ryan chatted with us as we walked, and eventually he turned around and asked Rose a question as we turned onto another street - I was kind of impressed that he managed to successfully turn the corner backwards without falling on his ass. When we had caught up to him a bit, he spoke up.

"So, Rose... Matt mentioned that you guys had an 'eventful' time today? What's all that about?"

"Well, we ran into an asshole in the park who turned out to be actually not an asshole, and then we ran into another asshole in the bookstore, who turned out to be... still an asshole," Rose said, with a shrug.

"Gotcha," Ryan said, as he turned around and kept on walking. "Sounds like a lot to deal with."

"Yup," Rose said, but then she suddenly perked up and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Ooooh, speaking of that asshole, I forgot to check out that Pure Polly thing he told me about. Lemme look it up real quick." Rose tapped on her phone and scanned her screen as we walked. I saw her frown deepen in the harsh white glow of her phone screen the more she scrolled. "Yeeeaaahhh... this ain't great - they're just pandering to the Purists. 'Pure Pollies, my ass - more like Purist Pollies."

"That's a thing?" I asked. "How?"

"Well, it says here they're a 'small but passionate grassroots movement fighting for a brighter future for all by encouraging Pollies to reject change, resist conforming to societal ideals, and... embrace their purest selves.' Honestly, this shit sounds kinda cult-y to me." She grimaced as she shoved her phone back in her pocket. "No fucking thank you. These so called 'Pure Pollies' are rolling over and eating right out of the Purists' hands." She let out a sigh and her shoulders sank a bit as she slumped forward ever so slightly. "God, now they even have fucking Pollies on their side. It's all about control with them... The Purists, these so-called Pure Pollies... it's all the same fucking shit, only instead of bigoted assholes telling us what we can and can't do with our bodies, it's... fucking Pollies now? No wonder that Dylan guy was so up in arms about my appearance... and at you, for putting all that 'societal pressure' on me." She rolled her eyes and scowled.

"Wait, so this guy was a Polly... who sides with the Purists? What the hell? You guys should be free to do whatever you want... ya know, within reason, of course," Ryan said, with a shrug, as he continued to walk ahead of us.

"Right? Thank you," Rose said, with a frown. I looked over at her and spoke up.

"So, if this Pure Polly thing is a so-called grassroots movement, maybe they're just a small fringe group? You said it yourself that you hadn't heard of them, and it seems like that guy was pretty keen on spreading the word."

"Hopefully. You know, there seems to have been a lot of 'spreading the word' going on today," Rose said, a bit glumly.

"Well, all we can do is try and talk some sense into people, right? You know... educate them? Like you did with that guy at the park earlier today." Rose nodded after a moment and flashed a weak smile as she took my hand and squeezed it.

"Yeah. Thanks, Matt." She leaned over and kissed me, and I felt warmth radiate through my body, fighting off the chill of the night. Also, my dick got hard again, much to my embarrassment.

"N-no, problem," I said, flashing her an awkward smile. We walked a bit further, going down a couple more roads and making another turn before Ryan pointed off into the distance.

"We're almost there, guys!" he piped up, as he picked up his pace a bit. I could start to hear the distant thumping of music off in the distance, and I let out a long exhale to try and calm my spiking heartrate. Rose looked over at me and offered a reassuring smile as she traced little circles on my hand with her thumb.

"It'll be okay, Matt. We can head out at any time, okay?"

"A-alright," I said, as I tried my best to calm my nerves and steel myself for what was coming. If Ryan could change, then I could, too.

It wasn't long before we reached the house, and I felt my chest tighten just looking at the place. It was an unassuming white house with green shutters, and the paint was peeling in places. I heard music coming from somewhere nearby. A few people sat under the covered front porch with beers in hand, chatting with each other. A few people were walking around the side of the house toward the back yard, and I heard a riotous cheer erupt from somewhere within the house. Ryan's voice drew my eyes toward him just in time to see him shove his phone back in his pocket.

"Linsey's already here!" he called back to us excitedly. "I'm gonna head inside and look for her." With that, he broke away from us and rushed off toward the house, casually waving to the people on the porch as he passed. They raised their beers at him as he pulled the door open and headed inside. I frowned a bit as I stared at the house looming ahead - I really wasn't looking forward to going in after him.

"You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to, Matt," Rose said, offering me an out. I let out a long sigh and shook my head.

"I already came all this way, anyway - there's no way I'm backing out now." I looked over toward the side of the house, where the people had headed around the back. "Let's head around back and scope things out for a bit, though, first; I don't think I'm ready to go in just yet."

"Gotcha. Well, come on, then." Rose smiled at me and gave me a quick kiss before she grabbed my hand, and off we went around the side of the house.

The back yard was actually sporting a surprisingly cozy setup. There were strings of white fairy lights strung up between poles, providing a nice amount of light. A few people sat around a fire pit, where a decent-sized fire crackled and danced. The music I had heard earlier was flowing from a speaker on the cracked stone patio, where a group of four sat on at a glass table, seemingly playing a game of poker.

"Well, there's a few spots to take a breather out here, but hopefully things clear out a bit if I need to get away for a little while."

"I mean, you could always sit on the ground," Rose said, with a chuckle, as she pointed off toward a cluster of large bushes in the corner of the yard that were sitting next to some trees. "Or you could hide back there in the bushes. Just make sure to check for people pissing, first."

"Gross," I said, rolling my eyes. We heard the sound of the glass door sliding open, and the sounds of the party emanated from the house as someone stepped outside with a beer in hand. A gust of wind blew by, scattering the cards laid out on the table; the players grumbled and scrambled to collect the fallen cards. My body was warm thanks to my coat, but the cold still stung my face a bit, causing me to grimace. "We should probably head in and look for Ryan now." Rose nodded.

"Yeah. It should be a warmer in there, at least," Rose said, with a shrug. She walked up and slid open the door.

It was definitely warmer inside - that was putting it lightly. A rush of sweltering air flew towards us and the sounds of the party suddenly hit us in full force; a cacophony of ceaseless chatter, clinking beers, and yet more cheers beckoned us inside; it vaguely reminded me of walking into Whiskers earlier that afternoon, except nowhere near as pleasant.

We both slipped inside and found ourselves in the kitchen, which was where the alcohol was being kept. Bottles of liquor and cases of soda sat on the island, along with packs of red plastic cups and stacks of smaller shot glasses. There was a small crowd grouped around the booze, waiting for their turn to make a drink; clearly, people had been partaking of the options on offer - there were cups, bottles, and plastic shot glasses strewn about the countertops, and aside from the crowd gathered at the island, people seemed to be constantly moving through the small space. Someone opened up a cooler set up next to the counter and fished a bottle of cheap beer out of it before moving on. We moved aside so as to not block the door, and as I looked around the room, I couldn't see any sign of Ryan anywhere. It was strange; I figured if he was anywhere, it would be next to the booze. I let out a sigh.

"I don't see Ryan anywhere," I said, frowning. Rose looked over at me and shook her head as she moved out of the way as a group of three people awkwardly sidled past us.

"Neither do I," she replied. There was a hallway, leading off to the right of us, and another passageway leading elsewhere on the opposite side of the room. Rose shrugged and pointed toward the passageway, where a stream of people trickled in and out of the transitory space. "Should we go see where that leads, then?"

"Sure," I said, and we headed off into the line. The passageway was a t-shape, and I couldn't get a good look at the room that lay beyond, but as we passed by the hallway, I saw that it led to a foyer, and the front entrance of the house. There were people leaning against the walls, chatting and drinking, and another guy almost bumped into me as he scooted past. I grumbled as I continued to follow Rose, and a moment later we had entered the room that lay beyond.

My eyes widened, and my heart thumped in my chest when we arrived in the space, which was the living room. Nearly every piece of furniture was occupied, so people found space wherever they could: leaning against walls, sitting on the floor - hell, one guy was sitting in a girl's lap. The sound of chatter in the room was grating as crept through the throngs of partygoers looking for Ryan, but he didn't seem to be in the living room, either.

"Wow. This is... a lot," I said to Rose, raising my voice to be heard over the din. Rose looked around the room and nodded.

"No kidding. I don't see Ryan or Linsey anywhere in here, either. Let's try going the other way past the kitchen." We made our way out of the room, sidestepping more drunken revelers as we went, and soon enough we had arrived back in the kitchen, and it turned out that we didn't even have to check out the other hallway.

As we broke from the line of people funneling into the room, we found Ryan standing by the table, with a drink already clutched in his hand. There was a young brunette woman who looked to be around our age standing next to him, nursing a beer - she must have been Linsey. She was dressed in a puffy yellow turtleneck and slightly ripped jeans, and a pair of glasses with large, circular frames sat on her nose, covering her brown eyes.

"Hey guys! You found us!" Ryan said, raising his red plastic cup as soon as he saw us.

"We were in here earlier, but we must have missed you guys," Rose said. She looked over at the brunette and beamed. "Lins!" She put her hand gently on my lower back and scooted me up next to her. "This is Matt!" My cheeks turned crimson as Linsey smiled at me. She was a bit taller than me and Rose, which was unexpected; she was around the same height as Ryan.

"Hey there! I'm Linsey," she said as she thrust out her free hand. I reached out and shook it. She flicked her gaze over to Rose for a moment then met my gaze again and winked. "I've heard so much about you from Rose, so it's nice to finally meet you."

"What the hell, Lins?" Rose asked with a hint of playful indignation, following up the question with a chuckle and a roll of her eyes. "Shush!" She looked a bit pink as she turned to look at me, and I found myself blushing too as I ran a hand through my hair and flashed an awkward smile toward Linsey. It felt like the temperature in the room had risen by a few degrees, and it was already hot enough in there.

"What? It's true," she said nonchalantly, shrugging as she took another swig of her beer. She jabbed her thumb toward the bottles of liquor on the kitchen island. "Anyway, you guys want to grab a drink? There's plenty to go around." Rose and I looked at each other and nodded in unison. We were both still blushing as we made our way over to the booze.

"So, you've been talking about me, huh? Only good things, I hope?" I asked, playfully.

"Yes, Matt; don't worry," she said with a grin, as she grabbed a couple of plastic cups and slid one over to me. "You holding up alright so far?" I shrugged and let out a sigh, but I needed to stay positive - I had made it this far without stressing out, after all.

"It's... definitely more people than I'm used to, but I think I'll be okay." Rose nodded and smiled as she perused the options for mixed drinks.

We both ended up making ourselves a rum and Coke, and I grinned as Rose poured a ridiculous amount of rum into hers. We made our way back to Linsey and Ryan and sipped on our drinks. I scrambled to the side to avoid a guy who stumbled through the kitchen, making a drunken beeline for the booze. This was already getting on my nerves, and I was starting to sweat from the heat. "Is there somewhere I can put my coat? It's pretty hot in here." Ryan perked up at the question.

"We saw a beer pong table set up in the garage when we were wandering around earlier. It was cooler in there; we could maybe go play a round?"

"I'd be up for that," Linsey said, before looking at me and Rose. "Sound good to you two?" She and I both nodded, and then we followed Ryan down the hallway we hadn't been down before. There were a few closed doors which probably led to either bedrooms or closets, and I was surprised to walk past a door that led down to a basement. There were a few people waiting outside of one door, which must have led to the bathroom.

"Hurry up!" the guy at the front of the line yelled into the bathroom door as he banged on it a couple times; he was clearly impatient to use the facilities. We walked past all of them and finally found our way to the garage, which was mercifully cooler. The garage door itself was closed, and there was a beer pong table set up longways against it. There was already a game in full swing, with four people standing around the table; they had looks of pure concentration on their faces. A small group watched intently from the edges of the table as the two teams played their game. We all huddled in the corner opposite the door and waited for the room to clear. It wasn't long before Ryan held his drink out to me.

"I've gotta take a piss. Hold this for me?" I rolled my eyes but nodded nonetheless as I took his cup from him, and he scurried off. At that point, Linsey asked Rose to go get her another beer. My gaze followed Rose as she left the room, and it was just Linsey and I left out of the four of us. Color blazed in my cheeks as my eyes snapped toward Linsey's face. She studied me as she casually tossed the beer bottle toward the bin by the doorway; it landed squarely in the trash can with a soft thunk, and she looked me up and down as she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. My eyes widened at the obvious power move.