Ernie blushed a little and was happy his attempt at humour had been well-received. It relaxed him a little, thankfully, as first dates were unnerving enough without any added pressure, even if it was a pressure he was putting on himself.
The blush eventually turned into a full-blown grin at the aborted movement, a small thing that spoke volumes to Ernie and let him know that there was indeed some mutual thoughts and feelings here. There had been moments he'd worried he'd pressured Theodore into this, pushed him into accepting something he didn't actually want. Those doubts were all but gone now. He moved over to the door and held it open for Theodore. "After you."
The cafe was decorated simply, not the fanciest of places, but the food was good and the service friendly. They were met by a waitress who showed them to a booth and left them with menus before going to fetch some food for another table, giving them time to settle in and decide what they wanted.
"So, how was your weekend?" he asked conversationally, flipping open his menu to take a look.