| A date by: Scott and Koji "Darren, you doing anything tomorrow?" Daniel asked over a cup of coffee at a small diner in San Francisco on a Wednesday morning. "Meaning Savage Garden wise, or just me doing whatever?" Darren inquired. Daniel shrugged. "Both, I guess." "Well, I have no interviews or appearances, no. But as for the whatever....are you asking me for a date?" Darren said the latter in an innocent, childlike voice. Daniel was silent for a moment."Yes, Darren, I am asking you for a date. What do you say?" Darren was surprised. He'd been joking, but Daniel had appeared to be completely serious. But with Daniel, you didn't always know. So Darren decided to play along. "I'll have to take you up on that offer then!" Darren said just as seriously. "All right. I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon at one o'clock, and we'll spend the rest of the day on our date. Dress casually." Daniel began planning out their "date" in his head. "What will we be doing?" Darren asked, trying not to laugh. Trying to suppress his own laughter, Daniel said,"It's a surprise." He gave Darren a wink and got up to leave. Darren watched him pay for his coffee and leave the small diner. He just shook his head and smiled in wonder. He had a date with his best friend! As Daniel drove away from the diner, he was laughing out loud. He'd just asked Darren for a date and not been rejected. 'Oh well,' he thought, 'I'll just have to make good plans.' The rest of the day neither Darren nor Daniel saw each other. Both went shopping and Daniel got his hair cut. They each made sure their schedules were truly clear and Daniel set up a little something for the "date". They were going all out for this impromptu event. Later that night Daniel called Darren from his hotel room. Darren had offered him the use of his apartment, but Daniel had politely declined, saying that it was best to spend some time in their own "living space". Darren picked up on the fourth ring. "Sorry about that, I was in the bathroom," he said. They made small chatter for a couple of minutes, something odd for both of them. Usually they each had something to say and could talk for hours. Finally Daniel brought up the subject. "So, are you all set for tomorrow?" he asked. Even though they weren't face to face, Darren could hear the grin in Daniel's voice. "I'm ready, yeah! And I'm excited too, I can't wait to see what you've got planned!" Darren said very enthusiastically. "Oh you're gonna like it. Count on that!" Daniel replied with a laugh. "How about a hint?" Darren said slyly. "How about not.."Daniel's voice betrayed nothing. "It's getting late, I'd better get going." "All right then. See you tomorrow!" Darren joyfully replied. "Night." "Night." Daniel hung up the phone and snuggled down into his bed, to sleep with dreams of Darren. Darren dreamt of he and Daniel horseback riding together. He was in front, with Daniel behind, holding him tightly against him. Daniel's arms circled his waist and he could feel the bulge in Daniel's pants pressing against his back. The dream continued on from there, ending with sex in the forest, trees and wild animals looking on. Darren awoke in the morning at eleven. He was just lying in bed, lazily stroking himself, when he realized what time it was. Daniel would be there in two hours! He hardly had time to get ready, he couldn't even think about getting off. So he got out of bed and got some toast, then took a quick shower. While scrubbing himself as clean as he could be, a thought occurred to him. 'Why am I doing all of this? He's my best friend. We're just going as friends.' But he couldn't get the previous night's dream out of his head, and before he could act on that, he set his head right and got out of the shower. Daniel hummed to himself as he got dressed. He was dressing casual, as he'd told Darren to do. When he was done, he looked at himself in the mirror. 'Pretty sharp!' he thought to himself of the new khakis and long-sleeved white shirt. He added some gel to his hair, grabbed the things he needed, and left for Darren's place, with only one stop on the way. Darren heard the doorbell ring just as he was finishing his hair. He quickly shoved the hair-care products aside and went to get the door. Daniel looked Darren up and down as he walked into the apartment. He was wearing charcoal colored pants and a burgundy shirt. He was looking good. Daniel handed Darren some roses he'd bought, and Darren looked at him in surprise. "Roses? For me?" "Of course for you." "Wow. Thanks." Darren looked genuinely surprised and happy about the roses. So he reached up and gave Daniel a heartfelt hug, surprising him. When he broke the hug, Darren said, "Help me put these in water, then we can go, kay?" "Sure," Daniel replied, following Darren into the kitchen. There was a comfortable silence as Darren found a vase and Daniel filled it with water. It took less than five minutes and soon enough they were ready to go. Daniel led Darren out to his rented car, and both got in. "So, where are we going, what are we doing?" Darren finally inquired. "I told you," Daniel said as he started the car, "It's a surprise." He winked at Darren as they drove off. Once they got going, Daniel spoke again. "Hungry?" "Eh, not really," Darren replied. "You?" "Nope. And that's good. More time for the surprise." There was a hint of humor in his voice and Darren was now even more curious. Instead of trying to figure it out, Darren turned his attention to the scenery around them. They were just leaving the city and getting more and more into the country. Darren smiled at the whole serenity of it all. The birds were singing their songs and the trees were swaying gently in the wind. It was the perfect scene of Mother Nature's love. Daniel glanced at Darren from his spot in the driver's seat. He looked so peaceful and innocent, and Daniel's heart soared. He was filled with so much love for this man, this beautiful creature before him. He noticed that Darren was starting to nod off, but he didn't wake him. They still had about forty minutes to go anyway. For the rest of the drive Daniel couldn't keep his mind off Darren. He could only think of the good times they'd shared, and the times they'd cried on each others' shoulders. Daniel wondered if Darren knew how he felt about him. He would find out soon enough. In sleep, the dream came again to Darren. This time, though, it was much more vivid and clear. He could really see the crisp blue sky and healthy green grass. He could feel the warm hid of the soft brown horse underneath him. And he could feel the passion emanating off Daniel. Darren woke with a start. Had Daniel seen him sleeping? Had he known about the dream? After looking at him closely for a few moments, Darren decided that he had not. Daniel could feel Darren watching him, but he didn't let on that he knew. But he was glad that Darren was awake; they were just about there. "Have a nice nap?" Daniel asked casually. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about falling asleep on you...on our...date." Darren stammered. "Hey, it's okay. You really should get more sleep, you know." "Yeah, I know." "But hey, we're almost there!" Daniel said enthusiastically. By now Darren's curiosity took over. Here they were, out in the country somewhere, after a semi-long drive. What on earth could the surprise be? "We're here!" Daniel's voice startled Darren out of his thoughts. He began looking around. Grass, corals, a stable... Then he looked up at the welcome sign. It read: Keith's Horse Farm. |