Virgil wanted to sink into the floor.

He was sitting here, humiliated. He should have known he wouldn't come, he should have known. He should have known that after three months of on and off dating, three months of sometimes being stood up, sometimes being taken through the night of his life, three months of wish wash and car make-outs but never being let inside the house... Virgil should have known.

He should have expected sitting here at the restaurant, checking his watch, having to keep assuring the waitress that no, he's not going to order yet, he's sure his date is just late. He should feel a accustomed to feeling the pitying glances getting shot towards him, because they all could tell. Their food came and went, and Virgil was still sitting there, alone. They all knew. The waitress knew. And Virgil should have known.

He tried to bury himself further in his jacket. But it didn't hide him like a hoodie did. He felt so stupid, getting all dressed up for a nice dinner, expecting that something high end like this might mean that things would change. That there was commitment between them. But that was stupid. He was so stupid to think that it'd be different this time. He knew just as well as anyone around that he was being stood up, and his boyfriend, if he could even call him that, wasn't coming. However, Virgil had no idea what to do. He didn't want to get up and leave, the door felt too far away and the walk too humiliating. But, he didn't want to try to take it in stride and order, and eat alone. That was somehow just as bad, if not worse than just admitting defeat and going home right now to console himself with ice cream from the back of his freezer.

But then, a body dropped dramatically into the seat across from him. "Hey, so sorry I'm late, babe." The boy said loudly. "Missed my bus."

Virgil looked up at the other in surprise. But there was indeed a very real young man in front of him. His dress shirt was a dark burgundy, and his beach waves for hair tumbled over his green eyes. The boy picked up the menu card in front of him like nothing was amiss. Like he didn't owe Virgil any sort of explanation beyond that.

"Have you taken a look at the menu yet?" He asked, voice just as dramatic and boisterous.

"I— Uh, yeah." Virgil said, a bit wide-eyed. "I'm sorry, I—"

"Didn't think I was coming?" The guy finished for him, flipping through the menu casually. "Hope you're not disappointed." He shot a flirtatious wink in Virgil's direction. He reached out, and placed a hand on Virgil's briefly. Virgil felt something rough being pressed into his palm. The boy returned to his menu, making some comment about wine, but Virgil wasn't listening.

There was a scrunched up napkin in his hand.

Virgil slowly opened it, glancing up at the other cautiously. There's a message scrawled across it in loopy, slanted handwriting:

Hey. My name is Roman. Just go with it?

"Sorry you waited so long, darling." The guy said, setting down the menu, eyes glinting. "If you wanted, we could just leave. I don't want to make you stay if you don't want to." His smile was cheery, but his tone toed on serious, encoded under a facade.

This guy was trying to save him.

Virgil knew that this guy was giving him an option. The option was to get up, and walk right out of the restaurant and climb back into the safe confines of his car and drive home and pretend this never happened without anyone but he and Roman knowing anything had happened at all. Which he should, theoretically. He had a boyfriend. Not much of one, but a boyfriend nonetheless.

But then there was the other choice. This guy was trying to be sweet, probably leaving whatever party he was with behind in order to try to help out some stranger. That, and also this boy was probably one of the cutest things that Virgil had ever seen.

"No, uh, it's fine, Roman. I'm glad you made it. I was, um... getting worried." It was ungraceful, but it did the trick.

Roman's smile warmed, and he said: "Okay, great! Do you like rosé?"

***

The dinner was going... really well, actually. The looks of those around them had melted away, and they were left to just enjoy each other's company. For a fake date, they were getting on pretty well. They had agreed to split the bill, and Roman was digging his credit card out of his wallet, as Virgil finished off the last of his wine.

"This was fun!" Roman said, knowing that their evening was wrapping to a close. His family said they'd reconvene at the car at around nine, and he knew it was about time he got going.

"Yeah... it was." Virgil smiled at him. "Hey, Roman, thanks for doing this." He said, not really worried about anyone hearing now, because everyone's attention had shifted away from him after Roman had gotten settled.

"Hey, no worries." Roman said. "By the way, whoever stood you up is a dick."

Virgil sighed. "Yeah, well, seriously, thanks." He chuckled darkly. "Sorry I took your evening."

"Don't apologize. Actually, I rather enjoyed myself." Roman said, earnestly. He followed it by sending another coy wink his way. "We should do it again sometime."

"...Yeah. I'd like that."

They exchanged numbers, and it was only when Virgil saved Roman as a contact that he saw that he'd missed a call from his boyfriend. The one he was supposed to meet tonight.

But Virgil never called him back.