Chapter 35 First date II.

Aria walked forward with Helena following closely behind as they approached Ace. "Hi," Aria said softly.

Ace gazed at the gorgeous lady standing before him; it felt like she had just stepped out of a painting. Helena waved her hand, saying "Hey Ace," as he seemed lost in thought.

Suddenly, Ace muttered, "You look gorgeous," from the depths of his heart, making Helena let out an "awww" sound from behind Aria. Hearing him, Aria blushed but slowly muttered, "Thank you."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Ace said, "Hi Helena, she looks beautiful under your hands, thanks."

"Aww, thank you," Helena replied, laughing.

"I'll take my leave," Helena said, smiling but also looking serious. "But I'll leave my friend in your hands; make sure you take care of her well, please."

"Same goes to you; take care of yourself," Helena said, smiling slyly at Aria.

"Uhm," Ace said, looking serious.

"You don't have to worry; I'll take care of her well, for myself." Ace said, taking Aria's hand in his, making her smile.

"Hmm, bye-bye, enjoy your time," Helena said as she turned around and walked back to the house.

"Let's go," Ace asked, which was less of a statement than a question.

"Let's go," Aria replied, turning around to open the car door, but to her surprise, Ace treated her like a princess and quickly opened the door for her, indicating with his hand for her to get in and bowing slightly.

"Thank you," Aria said, slowly settling into the passenger seat.

"You're welcome," Ace said, closing the door.

"Your seatbelt," Ace reminded her as Aria seemed deep in thought.

"Oh," Aria said, quickly buckling her belt.

As Ace drove, the car was filled with silence; no one spoke to each other.

Aria, looking out the window, suddenly asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Ace said, smiling.

Hearing him, Aria didn't say anything but waited to see where he was taking them. After thirty minutes of driving, they finally arrived at a large cinema.

"Oh, we're going to watch a movie," Aria exclaimed.

"Yes, now you know," Ace said, smiling at her lovingly as he quickly opened the car door for her.

"Thank you," Aria said, stepping out of the car, and Ace closed it.

"Did you like my surprise?" Ace asked.

"Yeah, I do, but what are we watching?" Aria asked out of curiosity.

"Patience, dear," Ace said, jerking his head toward the entrance of the hall.

As they walked into the cinema, Aria asked, "Aren't we buying tickets?"

"I've already bought them; all we have to do is get popcorn and drinks. Which one do you like?" Ace asked, standing in front of the drink stand.

"Coke," Aria said.

"Okay," Ace said, ordering two Cokes and popcorn. Aria stretched out her hand to help him.

Hearing him say he had bought the tickets earlier made Aria think, so he was already planning. Nice.

As they walked into the dark cinema hall, Ace whispered, "It's a romantic movie."

Aria's eyes widened, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

Thirty minutes later, Aria and Ace were watching the movie quietly, enjoying their drinks and picking at the popcorn now and then.

"You like the movie?" Ace asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah," Aria whispered, moving closer to his ear.

As they watched, Ace's hand slipped into Aria's, intertwining their fingers quietly without saying a word, making her raise her head to look at him.

But seeing him quietly watching the movie, she turned her face away.

Just as she turned her face to the screen, her eyes widened. Oh god, they're kissing.

As Aria watched the male and female protagonists kissing, and it got intense between the two of them, she kept watching without batting an eye, a smirk on her face.

Slowly, Ace's eyes looked beside him to see whether she felt shy or blushed, but to his surprise, Aria was keeping a silly smile on her face as she watched them kiss.

He remembered Manson telling him that girls shy away when it's a romantic scene or the couples are intimate, but to his surprise, Aria was unbothered by the scene and seemed to be enjoying it.

Unknowingly, Ace's eyebrows raised. Oh, then let him tease her a bit.

"Did you like it?" Ace asked, moving his face close to hers.

"What?" Aria asked.

"The kiss," Ace said, looking at her with a gentle gaze.

Hearing him Aria's eyes widen but her eyes widen as she turn around and look at his face that is so close to hers.

[God did he want a kiss?] Aria questioned herself, remembering their last kiss in the car. She quickly shook her head, calming down. She wouldn't be flustered; she didn't want to blush in front of him. "No, I-I don't want it," Aria replied, stuttering, to Ace's disappointment.

"Oh," Ace said, turning his face away, hiding his disappointment. He had wanted to kiss her, but she said no.

"Hmm," Ace muttered to himself, an idea popping into his mind, and he smirked at the thought.

Before Aria could focus on the movie again, she saw Ace lowering his head, looking into her eyes. For a moment, Aria was sure he was going to kiss her, but instead, she saw him take her straw with his tongue, sipping her drink.

Looking at him, Aria was stunned. God, what was he doing? "Ace, people-," Aria quickly called out.

"Let them watch," Ace said, making Aria seal her lips.

After sipping as much as he wanted, Ace slowly raised his head, looking from her hand holding the drink to her arm, then her mouth, and finally her eyes, before backing away and sitting properly in his seat.

Aria, still stunned and shocked by the way Ace looked at her, released a sigh of relief. [God, he was so close there,] Aria slowly whispered to herself.

After two hours, Ace, still holding Aria's hand, exited the hall and walked towards the entrance of the building. "Wait for me here; I'll be right back with the car," Ace said, smiling as he walked away.

Standing there, waiting for Ace, Aria removed her phone to call Helena but was stopped by someone approaching her. "Hi," the guy said.

"Hi," Aria replied, turning her face away.

Meanwhile, Ace walked to his car and, after starting the engine, smiled to himself, muttering, "I will fill your day with surprises, Aria."

Back to where Aria was, the guy said, "You are a beautiful lady."

"Thank you," Aria said, starting to check if Ace was returning. She didn't like the way the guy was staring at her.

The guy spoke again, "Can I have your number, please?"