[Modern Family] Ch: 12 [First date] (Patreon)

[Noon] [Red-CrabsZ] [1:30 PM]

Jason sat at the reserved table near the window, one hand resting around a glass of iced tea while the other tapped lightly against the edge of the menu.

Red-CrabsZ was busier than he expected for a weekday afternoon. The place smelled like butter, grilled shrimp, lemon, garlic, and something spicy coming from the kitchen every few minutes. Waiters moved between tables with trays full of crab legs, fried calamari, shrimp baskets, and bowls of soup.

Jason had chosen a corner table because it gave them some privacy without making the whole thing look too serious. He wanted lunch to feel normal without sounding like an important date.

At least that had been the plan.

The problem was that he had been sitting there for almost ten minutes, and pretending not to notice people looking at him had already become a full-time job.

A couple of teenage girls near the entrance had smiled at him twice, and one of them even waved at him. Two older women around their 35s or 40s at a booth had looked over while pretending to discuss the menu. A single mom with a little boy had glanced his way, then quickly looked down at her plate with a small smile.

Jason took another sip of iced tea and muttered under his breath, “Wow, am I hot or what? Fuck, that sounds bad when I say it.”

He had kept it simple. Dark jeans, clean sneakers, a plain white T-shirt, and a light jacket. Nothing flashy or expensive to scream 'I'm rich'. Somehow, the plan had still failed because people noticed confidence and a perfect body even when he wore basic clothes.

Then the front door opened.

Jason looked up.

Alex stepped inside wearing blue jeans, a blue striped shirt, and a thin black jacket. Her hair was brushed neatly, and she carried herself with that careful confidence she always seemed to use when walking into unfamiliar places. She looked around once, spotted him, and lifted her hand in a small wave.

Jason smiled and waved back.

Alex walked over to the table, and Jason stood before she reached it.

“Right on time,” Jason said as he pulled out the chair for her.

Alex sat down and gave him a pointed look. “That sounded like you were surprised.”

Jason took his seat across from her. “I wasn’t surprised. I was impressed.”

“Smart correction,” Alex said while setting her bag beside the chair. “You almost sounded like someone who wanted to lose before the appetizers arrived.”

Jason smiled and picked up his menu. “I’d like to survive at least until the crab cakes.”

Alex glanced around the restaurant, then back at him. “This place is nicer than I expected.”

“I figured if I invited you to lunch after vanishing for two weeks, I should at least pick somewhere with good food and chairs that don’t wobble.”

“That is the bare minimum for forgiveness,” Alex said, though the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

Jason leaned back, already seeing the question forming in her eyes. He knew what she was going to ask. It's obviously about the long drive plan with Haley. 

He decided to step into it before she sprang it.

“So,” Jason said, folding his menu slightly. “You’re going to ask about Haley.”

Alex looked up from the seafood specials. “Wow. That was fast.”

“I had time to think.”

“Good. That means you already know how bad this looks.”

Jason nodded slowly. “I asked you to lunch, and then I agreed to take Haley on a long drive this Sunday.”

Alex placed the menu down with a soft slap. “See, when you say it out loud, it sounds even worse.”

Jason held up one hand. “In my defense, your sister is very hard to ignore.”

Alex gave him a dry stare. “That is your defense?”

“It is not my strongest defense.”

“I really hope not.”

Jason let out a small laugh and leaned forward, keeping his voice calm. “I didn’t ask both of you out in the same way. I invited you to lunch because I wanted to spend time with you. Haley called me out because I disappeared on her too, and I told her I’d make it up to her.”

Alex watched him for a moment, her expression unreadable. “And your idea of making it up to her is a long drive.”

“She asked for that,” Jason said honestly. “I said yes because I owed her an apology, and because it was my first time- well, second time technically talking to two beautiful girls who I thought were way out of my league and this pre-date thing... I never went on a date before, let alone get asked by a girl for a long drive. So, I ended up saying yes.”

Alex’s eyebrows rose slightly. “You never went on a date before?"

“No,” Jason answered without dodging it.

His answer came so easily that Alex forgot what she was going to say for a second.

She stared at him across the table, then slowly narrowed her eyes. “No.”

Jason blinked. “No?”

“No,” Alex repeated, leaning back in her chair. “I don’t believe that.”

Jason smiled a little. “That was fast.”

“Because it sounds fake,” Alex said, looking at him like she was trying to solve a math problem that had personally offended her. “You expect me to believe you’ve never been on a date before?”

Jason opened his mouth to answer, but the waiter arrived beside the table with a small notepad in hand and a friendly smile. “Are you two ready to order?”

Alex glanced at the menu quickly, then folded it closed. “I’ll have the grilled shrimp platter, fries, and lemonade.”

Jason looked at the waiter. “Crab cakes to start, garlic butter shrimp, calamari, and iced tea refill, please.”

The waiter wrote it down. “Great choices. I’ll get that started for you.”

Once he walked away, Alex turned right back to Jason like the interruption had only delayed her interrogation, not ended it. “Okay. Back to what you said. I still don’t believe you.”

Jason picked up his glass and took a sip before answering. “Why?”

Alex gave him a look. “Because you’re sitting there looking like that and telling me you’ve never been on a date.”

Jason glanced down at himself, then back at her. “Looking like what?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” Alex said, trying to keep her face calm and failing slightly. “You’re good-looking. You’ve got the face, body, confidence, and somehow you’re acting like girls never noticed you before.”

Jason’s smile softened a little. “That’s because I wasn’t always like this.”

Alex’s expression shifted. “What does that mean?”

“It means I used to be pretty average,” Jason said, resting his arms on the table. “Average face, little fat body, almost zero confidence. There was nothing special about me. I wasn’t the guy people looked at twice when he walked into a room.”

Alex studied him carefully. “You’re serious.”

“Yeah,” Jason said. “I know it sounds weird, but I’m serious. I didn’t grow up looking like this. I wasn’t walking around with girls staring at me and asking for my number.”

Alex tilted her head. “So what happened?”

Jason laughed under his breath. “Life happened. I woke up one day, feeling as if I was reborn. It was like I had an epiphany or something. I don't know. I started taking better care of myself. Got lucky with genetics later than expected, I guess.”

“That is not how genetics works,” Alex said immediately.

Jason smiled. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”

“I notice a lot of things.”

“Yeah,” Jason said, looking at her with a grin. “I’m starting to realize that.”

Alex looked away for a second and reached for her lemonade, mostly to hide the tiny smile that tried to appear. “Still, average guys go on dates too.”

“Sure,” Jason said. “Just not all of them. Some of us were busy being awkward, broke, tired, and way too stuck in our own heads."

That made Alex quieter.

Jason leaned back and continued in a more casual tone. “I like girls. Obviously. I just never got good at doing anything about it. I always thought I needed to be better first. So, I tried, but 'zero confidence' and jocks got in the way. Then time passed, and I gave up.”

Alex looked at him again. “That’s actually kind of sad.”

“A little,” Jason admitted, then smiled. “But I’m here now. Seafood, nice table, girl way out of my league sitting across from me. I’d say things improved.”

Alex rolled her eyes, but her face warmed. “Stop saying I’m out of your league.”

“Why?”

“Because it sounds ridiculous coming from you.”

Jason leaned forward slightly. “It doesn’t feel ridiculous from my side. Besides, now that I think about it, maybe it was for the better, or else we wouldn't have met.”

Alex held his gaze for a second, then looked down at the table. “You’re annoyingly good at saying things like that.”

“I told you. Rare moments.”

“Too many rare moments in one lunch,” Alex said, though she was smiling now.

Jason chuckled, then glanced toward the kitchen as the smell of garlic butter drifted past them. “I try. But it's all true."

A few minutes later, the waiter returned with their food, and the table quickly filled with plates.

The crab cakes came first, golden and crisp around the edges, followed by Jason’s garlic butter shrimp and calamari. Alex’s grilled shrimp platter arrived with fries, lemon wedges, and a small cup of sauce on the side. The smell alone was enough to pause the conversation for a moment.

Jason looked at the plates, then nodded like he had made an important business decision. “Okay, this place already earned a second visit.”

Alex asked, “You’re deciding that before tasting anything?”

“I believe in judging restaurants by smell and quantity.”

“That sounds like a terrible system.”

Jason took one bite of the crab cake, paused, then pointed at it with his fork. “Nope. System works.”

Alex tried not to smile as she took a bite of her shrimp. A second later, her expression changed slightly, and she nodded despite herself. “Okay, that’s actually really good.”

“See? I know things.”

“You know one restaurant.”

“One restaurant is still a thing.”

Alex rolled her eyes and reached for a fry. “You are very proud of the smallest victories.”

Jason dipped a piece of calamari into sauce. “Every win counts, no matter how small they are.”

For a little while, they ate without saying much. It was not awkward. The silence settled easily between them, broken only by the sounds of plates, passing waiters, and conversations from nearby tables. Alex seemed more relaxed now, and Jason was glad he had picked the corner table. It made the whole thing feel less like an interview and more like two people sharing lunch.

After a few minutes, Alex wiped her fingers with a napkin and looked up at him. “So, you’re going on that long drive?”

Jason swallowed before answering. “Yes. I promised.”

Alex leaned back in her chair, studying him over the rim of her lemonade. “You promised Haley a long drive after asking me to lunch.”

Jason nodded once. “Yeah. That part does sound bad.”

“It sounds extremely bad.”

“I know.” Jason set his fork down and looked at her properly. “Do you think it’s weird that I’m going out with two sisters at the same time?”

Alex stared at him for a second, then gave him a flat look. “It’s slightly disturbing.”

Jason laughed before he could stop himself. “At least you’re honest.”

“You asked.”

“I did.”

“Yes, it’s weird,” Alex said, picking up another fry. “You had lunch with me today, and you’re taking Haley for a drive on Sunday. Most people would see that and assume you’re either confused, reckless, or a very confident playboy.”

Jason tilted his head. “Which one do you think I am?"

Alex thought about it for a moment. “Somehow all three.”

“That’s fair.”

“It is also annoying,” Alex added, though there was no real anger in her voice. “Because I can tell you’re not doing it just to mess with us.”

Jason’s smile faded a little. “I’m not. As I've said before, this is just a lunch between two new friends. And that drive with Haley is also going to be friendly.”

“If you say so," She replied with a little shrug.

For the rest of the lunch, the conversation drifted away from Haley and into easier topics.

Alex talked about books first.

Jason quickly discovered that once she found a subject she genuinely enjoyed, she could talk for a long time without realizing it. She jumped between science fiction, classic novels, environmental studies, and random facts she had picked up while reading. Most people probably tuned out halfway through those conversations.

Jason didn't. 

To Alex's surprise, he actually kept up.

Why wouldn't he? He crammed too many books this morning at the library, and thanks to his enhanced memory, he remembered them all.

When the topic shifted toward climate change and polar regions, she expected the conversation to become one-sided again.

Instead, Jason casually mentioned emperor penguins, krill populations, Antarctic research stations, and the differences between Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems.

That caught her completely off guard.

Most people mixed everything together. Penguins, polar bears, ice, snow. It all became one giant frozen blob in their heads. Jason somehow knew enough to keep the discussion going without sounding like he was reading from a textbook.

The conversation flowed naturally after that.

Books became documentaries.

Documentaries became wildlife.

Wildlife became travel.

Travel became random stories from childhood.

Somewhere along the way, both of them stopped paying attention to how much time had passed.

The food slowly disappeared from their plates while waiters moved around them carrying trays loaded with seafood and drinks. The restaurant grew busier as the afternoon continued, but neither of them paid much attention to the people around them.

By the time the bill arrived, the lunch had lasted far longer than either of them originally planned.

Jason paid before Alex could argue about splitting it.

A few minutes later, they left the restaurant together.

The afternoon sun felt warmer than before as they stepped onto the sidewalk. Jason handed Alex a spare helmet, and after a brief moment of hesitation, she accepted it.

The ride back to the Dunphy house was comfortable.

Traffic moved steadily through the city while Alex sat behind him on the bike. Neither of them spoke much during the ride. There wasn't really a need to.

The lunch had already filled most of the silence between them.

By the time they reached the neighborhood, the initial awkwardness from their first meeting felt distant.

The bike rolled to a stop in front of the Dunphy house.

Alex climbed off first and removed her helmet while Jason shut off the engine.

For a second, neither of them moved.

Jason smiled as he took the helmet from her hands.

"Today was fun."

Alex nodded.

"Yeah. It was fun."

Before Jason could say anything else, Alex stepped forward. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

Jason froze. '...' His mind went blank.

The surprise lasted less than a second before instinct took over. He kissed her back softly, still trying to process what was happening. Her lips were so soft, and he could feel her breath on his skin. It wasn't fishy thanks to the mouth freshener Alex was eating.

When Alex finally pulled away, a small smile appeared on her face. 'I took his first kiss. Suck on that, Haley.'

"Guess this was your first kiss," She asked.

Jason blinked once before nodding.

"Yes."

Alex looked strangely pleased with that answer.

For a moment, neither of them noticed the movement behind the curtains of the Dunphy house.

Several people inside were already watching.

"Bye, Jason," Alex said with a confident smile.

Jason nodded. "Bye, Alex."