Firsts
Title: Firsts
Pairing: Adam Lambert/Kris Allen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,302
Summary: AU. Adam is a store owner/designer and Kris is a musician/waiter. Kris goes to Adam’s store and Adam turns into putty.
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
Beta: The lovely claire_kay and sleeptilltwo . Love you guys!
Adam was not the kind of man who would get nervous on a first date but for some reason meeting Kris had changed that. After meeting Kris, he stumbled upon many firsts. This was the first time he had asked a guy out on a date after meeting him for only five minutes and not even knowing his name, this was also the first time he had let a guy pick out the restaurant that would become the site of their first date and this was definitely the first time he felt butterflies in his stomach with only the thought of seeing him again.
The day before, Kris had come into Adam’s store. The minute he walked in, Adam was unable to take his eyes off him and he pretty much abandoned the other customer he was supposed to be helping to go help Kris instead. At first glance, he wasn’t sure if Kris was gay, after all, there were so many times his gay-dar had failed him, but it only took one look and one smile from Kris, and Adam was doomed. He really hoped and even prayed that the vibes he was getting from Kris were of the gay persuasion.
“Can I help you? You seem a little overwhelmed.” Adam gave Kris his best smile, pearly whites and all.
“Is it that obvious I hate shopping?” Kris chuckled and Adam thought that was the sweetest sound he had heard all day, maybe ever.
“Well, yeah kind of. I see you looking at these t-shirts. They’re all original designs and each one is unique.” Adam beamed at his new object of desire.
“They’re amazing. Who’s the designer? Not that I would even know who it is. I’m not up to date on fashion or designers, as you can see.” Kris shrugged and pointed to his gray and black plaid shirt. Sure, the plaid shirt wasn’t the hippest piece of clothing Adam had ever seen but it clung to his body so tightly that Adam was having a very difficult time not imagining how it would look on the floor next to his bed.
“Adam Lambert. He’s a new kid on the designer block so I doubt you would have heard of him.” Adam raised his eye brows, maybe thinking that Kris might catch on.
“No, I can’t say that I have. I love this one. It’s simple but I don’t know why, it’s just calling out to me. What does it mean? ” Kris ran his fingers through the black t-shirt with the eye of horus design in white and small cursive letters that read “Protect your light and energy”. This one was Adam’s favorite and the fact that it seemed to be Kris’s as well, made Adam practically leap for joy but he contained himself so that he wouldn’t embarrass himself.
“That’s the eye of the horus and it’s an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection. That’s a good choice.” Adam giggled and stopped himself because he was acting like a gushing 13 year old girl, or worse like a complete dork, in front of the man that at this moment he’d realized could potentially be his soul-mate. Nervously, he ran his fingers through his hair and all of a sudden, Adam noticed a flicker of recognition in Kris’s eyes, as if he had just realized something big. He was looking straight at the eye of horus tattoo Adam bore on the inside of his right wrist.
“Oh my God, you’re the designer aren’t you?” Kris covered his face with his hands, obviously feeling embarrassed but looking particularly adorable. “I’m so sorry, I kept rambling on and on. You must think I’m an idiot.” Adam grabbed Kris’s hands, partly because he didn’t want to stop looking at Kris’s face and partly because he didn’t want Kris to feel embarrassed. He didn’t know where he was getting the courage because he was kind of a wreck himself right now, his knees unbuckled and he had to steady himself by holding on to a shelf. He looked at Kris and lifted his chin with his free hand and smiled. The poor boy seemed mortified.
“Hey, hey, hey. Yeah, I’m Adam Lambert but nobody really knows who I am just yet. I’m just happy you liked my designs, and by the way that one you chose is my favorite.” Kris stared at him with warm chocolate eyes and flashed him a goofy smile.
“It is?” Kris said enthusiastically.
“Yeah.”
“Good, because I thought I really like…I really like you, I mean your t-shirts. Wow, I’m acting like a complete dork. I need to stop talking.” Adam snorted and covered his nose and mouth because really, he snorted? And that only made Kris burst into a fit of giggles. What a pair, a match made in dork heaven, Adam thought. They stopped laughing when either could hardly breathe any more.
“We are hopeless.”
“Yes, we are.” Kris sighed.
“This might be a little forward but I was wondering, do you want to go out to dinner sometime?” Adam had always gone for what he wanted but this was uncharacteristic even for him, but this boy, this man, had pretty much reduced him to rubble with his smile, his eyes, his hair and pretty much everything about him.
“That sounds like a fantastic idea. How does tomorrow night sound?” Kris took Adam’s hand and with his fingers started drawing imaginary circles in his palm. Adam was turning into putty; he had no idea how he was going to survive this day, let alone a date with this man who a few seconds ago was a silly mess and now spoke with a quiet confidence. “Could you ring that up for me, please?”
“It’d be my pleasure.” He took the t-shirt away from Kris and enclosed his fingers in Kris’s taunting hand and held it until they reached the cash registers. As Adam ringed up Kris’s purchase, they made plans for the date the next day. Adam had suggested a few places but Kris opted for Josie's because he heard it was less about being seen and more about the culinary experience. It was dark, romantic and understated; perfect for a first date which he hoped would be the first of many. Kris paid for his t-shirt and turned to leave, as Adam admired his back side which to no surprise, was just as delicious as his front. He was pretty sure he was drooling. Kris was about to exit the store but turned back again.
“By the way, I’m Kris and thanks.” He smirked.
“Kris.” Adam said the name out loud and to him it felt like music to his ears and he realized that he could get used to saying that name. “And you’re welcome but really it was no trouble.” Adam said nervously.
“I meant thanks for checking me out. It seems you like what you see.” Adam blushed and with resignation and a smile, nodded in agreement. At that moment, he figured that Kris was going to be the death of him.
-
It was already 6:30 pm and with Los Angeles traffic it would take him at least an hour to get to Santa Monica. Adam didn’t want to be late so he grabbed his keys and headed out the door, not without checking himself out in the mirror by the foyer. He liked what he saw, and hoped that Kris did too. He decided to go with subtle and only wore some eyeliner to accentuate his eyes. He wore all black; black t-shirt, black jeans, black jacket and black boots, only ornamented by the silver necklaces and rings he never left behind. He spent a good amount of time on his hair to make it spiky but without too much product or fuss. He didn’t want to scare the man of his dreams away by showing up with his usual “over the top” going out wear. Kris could get to know this Adam first, the real Adam and then he’ll introduce him gradually to his more flashy side.
Traffic was a bitch and he was already five minutes late and he really hoped that Kris wasn’t one of those really anal retentive people who would get upset about punctuality. There were so many things he didn’t know about Kris, that he wanted to know about Kris. It had been a very long time since he had met someone who sparked his interest, among other things. He felt giddy and eager all at once and even though he didn’t know a thing about Kris, he felt a connection with him, like no other. He really felt good about this.
He went inside the restaurant and was going to ask the maitre d’ if Kris was already there waiting when he remembered that he had no idea what Kris’s last name was. Another first, he had never gone out with a guy that he didn’t even know his last name. Kris had pretty much taken away any rationality or reason the minute he walked into Adam’s store. He studied the room, hoping that by any chance or luck, Kris was actually one of those anal retentive punctual people and was already sitting in one of the tables. This would help him save the embarrassment of having to ask for Kris No Last Name. He spotted Kris sitting in one of the fireside tables in the back and he signaled the Maitre d’, showing him that he had found his party. Kris seemed lost in his thoughts and had not realized that Adam was standing right in front of him.
“Is this seat taken?” Adam teased as Kris looked up and flashed him that gorgeous smile of his that melted his heart at first sight.
“Hi Adam.”
“Hi Kris. I’m sorry I’m a little late but you know, traffic in L.A. I hope you weren’t waiting long.” Adam took off his jacket and placed it behind the chair and sat across from Kris.
“No, not at all. I just got here five minutes ago. You look... um... you look great.” Kris seemed a little nervous himself which in Adam’s eyes made him even cuter, if that was even possible.
“As I walked inside the restaurant, I realized I don’t even know your last name. I’m going to be honest, I had never done this before, for all I know you could be a serial killer.” Adam joked, hoping, really hoping that Kris wasn’t a serial killer or a psychopath because at this point he was so smitten he almost didn’t care.
“True.”
“Come again?”
“I said true, for all you know, I could be a serial killer.” Kris said this with a serious face which almost made Adam freak out a little because that would be his luck, the only man he had been interested in years, and what if he turned out to be a serial killer? But then Kris laughed, a loud and contagious laugh that charmed and lured Adam in ways he couldn’t even begin to explain. “It’s Allen.” Adam knit his eyebrows inquisitively. “My last name is Allen.”
“Oh, Allen, Kris Allen, it has a nice ring to it.” Who was he kidding? The name was perfect; it was perfect for the perfect man, sitting across from him. His mind was already racing with different name combinations: Adam Lambert-Allen, Adam Allen, Adam Allen-Lambert.
“So tell me Kris Allen, where are you from originally?”
“I’m from Conway, Arkansas but moved to Los Angeles, two years ago. You?”
“Southern, huh? That’s kind of a weakness of mine.” Adam played with the bread-stick suggestively, which seemed to amuse Kris. “I’m originally from Indiana but have been living in California practically my whole life.”
“Southern, really? I reckon you don’t meet too many of us here in California.” Kris emphasized his Southern accent for effect or plainly to tease Adam, he was sure.
“So Kris Allen from Arkansas, what exactly brought you to California? Following a dream or perhaps running away from someone?” Adam wasn’t sure if it was prying but the truth was that he wanted to know everything about Kris, which he knew it was going to be impossible to do in just one night but he was sure as hell going to try.
“Something like that.” There was a mystery to Kris that Adam found endearing and with every minute of conversation, Adam was more captivated.
“Too soon and too much for a first date?”
“No… well yes, I guess but I don’t care. If you must know, I left Conway because I wanted to pursue a music career but the reason I left when I left was because someone broke my heart.” Adam saw sadness in Kris’s eyes, and he wanted to wipe that look from his face because all he wanted to do was make this man he just met happy. It was insane but he felt that he now had a purpose, a new mission if you will, and that was to take away whatever pain Kris Allen may be suffering. He reached out for Kris’s hand and held it in his.
“I’m sorry, that must have been really hard for you. You must have really cared for this person if you felt the need to escape.” Adam felt a little pang of jealousy which was completely ridiculous because he had just met Kris and this had happened two years ago, in a faraway place.
“It did but that was a long time ago and I’ve moved on. I’m in a happy place right now, you know?” Adam had a feeling that Kris didn’t open up too often or too easily with just anybody but he was glad Kris was opening up to him.
“What about the music? Are you doing anything with it? What exactly do you do?”
“I’m a singer/songwriter. I play the guitar, piano and I'm in a band. We have some gigs here and there, nothing too big but we’re getting there. A record producer came to see us play the other day and he told us he really liked our sound and we’re going to meet with him next week.”
It warmed Adam’s heart to hear Kris talk about something that he was so passionate about, he sounded just like Adam did when he was at the drawing table coming up with new designs.
“Wow, I’m really happy for you. I’m sure you’re amazing and I would love to hear you play.” Some may consider this an almost pathetic attempt at getting a second date but Adam was sincere about it. Someone who sounded so passionate about music had to be really good.
“I’m sure that could be arranged.” Kris winked at him and Adam playfully caressed his arm with his fingers.
“What a tease! So is that your day job?”
“I wish! I work as waiter. Cliché isn’t it?” Kris almost looked embarrassed with the revelation but Adam laughed to put him at ease but mostly because the minute he sat down at that table, he couldn’t stop grinning.
“A little but hey you’ve got to pay the bills right? So what do you mostly sing about?”
“I guess love. When I first got to L.A., my songs mirrored my life, I sang mostly about broken hearts, but now I sing about finding true love.” Kris looked up at Adam at that moment, and that was all Adam needed, it was all the reassurance he needed to know that this was probably it for him, that this was what falling madly over heels in love felt like. His eyes were fixed on Kris’s and he soon realized that what he was feeling was reflected in Kris’s eyes too.
“I wish we were on our fifth date already.” Adam broke the silence as Kris stared at him with surprise.
“Why do you say that?” Kris asked with curiosity.
“Because I would have taken you home right now and pretty much ravished you. Just so you know, you’re kind of adorable.” Adam laced his fingers with Kris’s over the table.
“Fifth date, huh? I would have guessed third date at least. And just so you know, you’re kind of adorable yourself.”
“Wow, third date, you’re kind of a slut aren’t you? And here I thought I was going out with a respectable good boy from Conway, Arkansas. ” Adam teased.
“Number one, I’m not a boy and number two I’m neither that good nor that respectable.” Kris’s eyes opened wide and he gave Adam a look of wonder. “Oh my God, what is wrong with me? I can’t believe I just said that. I’m normally not like this, Adam Lambert what have you done to me?” At that moment, Adam was conflicted. Should he bend him over the table and fuck him until oblivion or put him in his pocket?
“I don’t know but I like it.”
They never ran out of conversation and although Adam didn’t know everything there was to know about Kris Allen, he learned that Kris loved his family above anything else, green was his favorite color, no one could make dump cake like his mama and he was obsessed with the cheese dip from some restaurant in Conway. Little things that made him fall hard and fast for the man sitting across the table from him. In turn, Kris learned things about Adam that he would never reveal to anyone, certainly not on the first date. Kris learned about Adam’s fascination with glitter, his fear of being alone and his first heartbreak, among other things.
They would have stayed there in that place, in that haven, forever but the restaurant was about to close and the staff were looking at them with annoyance so they decided to leave and meet the next day for coffee and later for dinner. They figured that if they did more than one date per day, that fifth date would come much sooner.
They left the restaurant holding hands and walked up to Kris’s car. “This is my car.” He hesitated as if he didn’t want the night to end and Adam didn’t blame him because he didn’t want the night to end either.
“Right. Hmm, I really want to see your band. Would you let me know when your next gig is?” Kris held both of his hands and played with his fingers.
“Absolutely. I…So I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Kris looked at Adam with anticipation, perhaps because of their dates the next day or because he, just like Adam, wanted sparks to fly when they kissed for the first time.
“Yeah.” For the millionth time, Adam’s pulse was racing in the presence of this beautiful man, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest and every breath he took was through his mouth. This was the moment of truth - his first kiss with Kris Allen. He bit his lip until it almost bled. Kris untangled his fingers from Adam’s and lifted one to trace it over Adam’s bottom lip. He moved his hand to grip the back of Adam’s neck to push him towards him so that their lips met for the first time. He sucked on Adam’s parted lips and pushed his tongue inside his insatiable mouth. He couldn’t get enough. Adam responded with the same intensity, by pressing his own lips against Kris’s swollen ones. Adam ran his fingers up and down Kris’s sides and if it wasn’t because they were in a parking lot, he would have taken Kris right then and there.
Their fears were invalidated as sparks flew left and right, and maybe there were even some fireworks, Adam wasn’t sure. All he was sure about was that this kiss wasn’t going to be their last.