single dad!vinnie and readers first date !
after the coffee shop incident, vinnie found himself thinking about you a lot, more than he’d like to admit. the two of you ended up running into each other again a few days after that.
vinnie wasn’t one to think much about fate, he honestly never really believed in it. when he saw you again though, he knew it wasn’t just a coincidence.
the two of you talked for a bit before vinnie finally got the courage to ask for your number. once you gave it to him, he had mentioned something about a date.
you thought he was just joking around with you, you had gotten the idea he didn’t really want anything serious anyways.
once vinnie had put his son to bed, however, he was up until late hours of the night texting you. getting to know you, what hobbies you’re interested in, what you do for a living, any question he could ask.
he finally brought up the date again, asking if you were free on the upcoming friday night. you were, and even if you weren’t, you’d find a way to go out.
vinnie couldn’t help but smile ear to ear when you had said you were available. he was ecstatic, practically counting down the days until it was time for the date.
once saturday rolled around, he texted you right after he got jj ready for the day. he asked if you were still up for it, which of course you said yes.
he let you know he’d pick you up around seven, not wanting to be too early, but also not wanting to be too late either.
all throughout the day both of you could only think about the night ahead. never had you thought you’d agree to a date with some guy you just met at a coffee shop.
seven pm finally came and vinnie was right outside your house. he texted you saying he was there and you quickly made your way out to his car.
“hey.” you smile as you get in the car. buckling your seatbelt, you put your purse on the floor beside your feet.
vinnie glanced at you for a moment, taking in your appearance. you wore a long black dress that he thought looked absolutely beautiful on you.
“hey,” he says, giving you a smile in return. “you look beautiful.”
blushing, you reply, “thank you.” shyly. vinnie thought it was the cutest thing.
after making sure you were ready to go, vinnie put the car in drive and the two of you were off to the restaurant.
on the way, he made small conversation — or tried to. he couldn’t help the fact he was nervous. he hadn’t been on a date since before jj was even born, so it’s definitely been a minute.
once the two of you made it to the restaurant, vinnie put the car in park and got out. he rounded the car and opened your door for you, smiling as he held out his hand for you to take.
with a thank you, you took his hand and the two of you walked into the restaurant.
once seated, the two of you talked for a minute before ordering drinks and then food. you noticed vinnie eyeing you every time you’d look away. you almost caught him a couple times as he did.
“so,” you say after taking a sip of your drink. “how long have you lived in LA?” you ask.
vinnie finishes sipping his drink before he says, “since i was eighteen.”
you nod, vinnie can tell you were probably doing math in your head about how long he was in a new city before becoming a father.
but in reality, that wasn’t what you were thinking at all. you watch vinnie sigh, he opens his mouth to speak, but you beat him to it.
“i’m not thinking what you think i am,” you tell him. “stop judging yourself, vinnie.” your tone isn’t stern, he knows you’re not upset, just giving him the self esteem he needs.
he nods his head, sipping his drink. this date isn’t to talk about his son, it’s to get to you and for him to get to know you.
the night continues with smiles and laughs, getting to know each other more and more as the night goes on.
vinnie learned you were into drawing and dabbling in some creative writing. while as you learned that when vinnie has down time, he loves to play video games and practice guitar.
you watch him talk, watch how his hands move and mouth twitches up into a smile when he talks about interests he loves.
“you in college or anything?” vinnie then asks, making you smile and nod.
you put your drink down before answering. “UCLA, coincidentally for creative writing. but i got a few other electives and classes to branch out on.” you explain.
vinnie nods with a smile. “that’s cool, you like it?” he asks.
you hum. “love it,” you smile. “in my last year, just have to figure out a career now.”
vinnie chuckles softly. he takes a sip of his drink again. the two of you continue talking, learning more and more about each other and your lifestyles, along with interests and hobbies.
before the two of you know it, it’s nearing ten pm. vinnie checks his phone and sees a few missed texts from his mom and dad.
“it’s already ten?” you chuckle with a smile. “shit, time does fly when you’re having fun.”
vinnie smiles, feeling relieved at the fact you had fun with him tonight. the two of you pack up your things and he pays the bill before you heard back to his car.
he drives you back to your place, walking you up to your door to say goodnight. as he stands there, the urge to kiss you grows, but he doesn’t want to overstep not only your boundaries, but his own too.
so, he settles on kissing your cheek, caressing the spot he had planted his lips on for a moment. you lean into his touch and smile.
“thank you for tonight, vinnie,” you tell him. “i had a lot of fun, we should do this again.” you smile.
vinnie let’s go of your cheek, putting his arm to the side. “yeah, i had fun. definitely should do it again.” he tells you.
the two of you say goodnight and he gets back in his car and drives home. once he’s settled in bed, he tells you he got home safe and talks to you just a little bit longer before deciding to really call it a night.
as he closes his eyes and starts to drift off to sleep, that’s when he realizes that maybe dating isn’t all that bad.