A Date

Martin was always proud of himself for being a master of all situations. But today was not the day.

"Martin, hold my hand! You can't just let me hold your hand, and you are reacting or doing anything."

"Hmm, yes, sure." He tightened his grip. Her hand was in his, soft and delicate, and he didn't know if he had done anything wrong. This was just handholding. He was not in kindergarten. There was no need to be this innocent about something so small.

His behaviors were strange to even himself. He wasn't this clumsy if it was someone else. Although he hadn't gone on any date for a while, once he was on one, he was sure not this awkward. He was quite angry with himself for not being in control.

He didn't need to spend much brain power to contemplate for any reason for long—it was clear that she was the first that declared her intention and feeling so deliberately. Her stance on our relationship was so deliberate that he felt guilty. He felt guilty for his uncertainty. He didn't know how he felt about her, a young woman who kept smiling sweetly at him. But Martin knew he felt good just being beside her.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I'm not telling you."

"And what are you bringing with you?" He observed a big bag she had brought with her; it was packed.

"I told you I'm not telling you. Stop asking me."

"Do you want me to guess?"

"No. No asking and no guessing. Otherwise, you are not going to be surprised."

Celine didn't know that he could guess before we left the villa. Two hours ago, she went out to buy and prepare for this short trip. He saw it no matter how much she tried to hide it. He bet we were going to picnic, and there must be boxes of food inside her bag. He prided himself on being observant, and he could guess how dinner would unfold.

"Do you want me to help hold that? The bag seems heavy."

"No, I could hold it just fine." She was a stubborn kid and didn't let him do anything except follow her direction. She wanted him to see that she was independent and kept walking purposefully.

We walked hand in hand amidst the dim light of twilight, through buildings, shops, tourist attractions, and through the long concrete road. Soon his feet were touching the sand.

When he turned around again, there was no one else.

The only sound he could hear was the wind and the sea crashing against the shore.

Celine found a private spot he hadn't noticed on the beach before.

"Do you usually do this every time you invite someone over for a date?" He teased. Celine now took a thin cloth out of that large bag and laid it in the sand.

"No, I usually take them to a Michelin-starred restaurant," she replied flatly, hurriedly pulling out three or four boxes of food from her bag. That's it...he really guessed correctly.

"Then why didn't you take me to eat something expensive?" he teasingly asked.

"Martin, sit on this spot." She sat down first and taped her hand to the empty space beside her. He could only smile as she liked to give orders. And she did not answer his question.

"Where did you buy these from?"

"The restaurant that I assume is your favorite. You always go there. That Adriana girl knows what you like to eat. She is terribly annoying."

"You are annoyed at her, but you went to her restaurant anyway?"

"And where else should I buy all your favorite food? I don't know what you like, and you asked me to observe. I have been observing, and I have no clue anyway, so asking people is easier."

She was right... the food that she brought for this dinner was all his favorites: niçoise salad, pasta, baked fish, and two of his favorite Italian dishes.

"Isn't that the niçoise salad French? You came to Italy and still eat something French? You're weird." Celine grumbled and unpacked the boxes.

Martin smiled again. He didn't count how often he smiled. He thought she was cute, a whiny but cute type of person that found the food he liked. She was doing all that for him.

"Usually, when you go on a date with other men, did you please them like this?" Martin asked with genuine suspicion. He hadn't been out to dinner with anyone in a long time. In the past, he chose to date someone out of compatibility. He would talk about academic matters. He didn't try to please anyone, and the action was mutual. And this made him wonder if this was what other people were doing. What was the norm in dating?

Celine was stunned as soon as she heard the question.

"Why do you keep asking me about the other people I dated?" She was serious this time.

"It's not like I like anyone easily or go on countless dates." The offenses started to make him feel guilty. His words didn't honor tonight's date at all. And he was someone that admitted his fault when he was in the wrong.

"I'm sorry. I only think…well…I don't know what to do. I'm feeling a bit shy about all this. I was nervous, so I said all that without thinking it through. No one had ever done this for me on a date, and I wonder if this is something you usually do." He smiled at him, embarrassed, and as soon as he gazed into her eyes, she relieved her previous sullen face but still kept that serious expression.

"No, never, I never did this for anyone before… and the reason I did all this for you is because I think that you will like it. I just want you to be happy when they're together."

Martin blinked a few times as he stared at her.

Okay, first of all, where has that helpless girl disappeared to? And secondly, where did my self-confidence go?

He tried to concentrate, not letting Celine dominate this conversation. But he had been single for a long time, and he didn't know how to deal with girls approaching him like this.

"Yes, okay, hmm, yes, I really like everything you do. It's a good first date. Thank you, Celine. I'm happy just seeing what you have done for me." He smiled sincerely at her.

It worked. Her face turned red. It was evidence of how much of an impact he had on her. And that only made him smile broader. If she did it for him, the least that Martin could do was to make Celine smile more often.

"So, should we start eating all this delicious food?" And we started eating on the sand. We talk more about personal matters. He began to ask more questions about her. And he listened to her dream of becoming self-reliant from her family. She wanted to build her own product line within the family business. And he inadvertently told more of his personal stories. What made the night even more amazing was it turned out that the real surprise from Celine was she brought his favorite brand of red wine, and it was from the right year, too.

"When I was a kid, I didn't have many friends. My parents didn't allow me to go out much. So, I focused on studying. You know, a typical nerd, I was bored, but there was nothing else to do at that age. I didn't think of it much." He saw her looking at him intently. She was a good listener. And he felt comfortable around her talking about his childhood; even though his stories had nothing interesting, she was attentive as if it was a best-selling movie.

It was another wonderful day together. He had no thought except the woman in front of him, who smiled sweetly at him all night. It was difficult for him to restrain himself. And that was when he thought of something unexpected.