"FIRST HOLDING HANDS"

I can say that there is a big difference in that dinner compared to what Marius and I did last night. Maybe it's because we are officially friends now.

"Are you okay?" Marius asked me when he noticed I had finished eating.

I nodded and took a sip of water from my glass. "Yeah, I'm so full," I said truthfully, followed by a soft laugh.

I saw Marius's dark eyes sparkle as he continued to gaze at me. In them, I could sense the admiration that he had never really hidden from me since the beginning.

"Do you want to go home now?" he asked as we walked towards his parked car.

I shrugged quickly before speaking. "It's fine with me if you want to take a walk in the park first," I said.

The park wasn't far from where we were, and we could see a few people walking there. Most of them were couples.

Marius stopped walking and faced me. "Are you sure?" he asked, his face brightening with a happy expression, his thick and beautiful eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. It's just a stress reliever," I replied, which was actually true.

I felt like that was exactly what Marius had been waiting to hear from me. Because his next action caused my tongue to go numb. It was a mixture of surprise and a strong surge of electricity that I felt when he suddenly held my hand tightly.

"Shall we go? Or do you want to take the car?" he asked me.

I found myself shifting my gaze back and forth between Marius's face and the hand he was holding tightly now.

"H-Huh? What did you say?" slipped from my lips, even though I clearly heard his question earlier.

A wide, sweet smile formed on Marius's lips because of that. I didn't know if it was because of my reaction or maybe it was the slightly trembling tone of my voice.

I didn't know how to compose myself in those moments. The impact of the electricity that was created by a simple touch of our palms was too strong.

"I'm asking if you want to use the car to get there or if you prefer to walk?" he asked, still smiling.

I swallowed nervously and answered Marius's question. "Let's just walk. It's close by. We just need to cross the street," I replied, trying to ignore the quiver in my voice.

"Alright," Marius said and pulled my hand as we started walking.

I found myself following him without really being aware of my surroundings. It felt like I was walking without knowing what was happening around me. Because to be honest, I was focused on the hand he was holding and the current that I still felt coursing through my body.

"Tell me, I'm not the first guy you've held hands with, right?" we were in the park by then, sitting on a concrete bench when Marius asked me that.

I was taken aback, so I quickly turned to look at him. I gazed at him with a sense of confusion before I spoke. "What do you mean?" I asked.

Marius didn't immediately answer when he turned to look at me. Instead, he let his gaze linger on my face as if he was studying every angle before he responded.

"Your hand has been trembling for a while now. I mean, your hand was trembling. Why?" he asked me.

Under different circumstances, or if it had been someone else asking and saying that to me, I might have gotten angry. But because it was Marius, the person I was talking to now, and we were friends, his words didn't have any negative connotations for me. In fact, I even laughed. Of course, I managed to do that despite the pounding in my chest from nervousness.

"So, you felt it too?" I asked, laughing softly again.

Marius nodded and clasped my hand, holding it in both of his palms.

It felt like my hand became sandwiched between his. And that only intensified the rapid beating of my heart.

"Yeah, often," he replied.

I blushed at his statement. So, to make up for my embarrassment, I decided to lie instead. "Just like you, I've had many boyfriends too," I replied, following my words with a forced and gentle laugh.

"Really?" he raised his thick eyebrows.

"I grew up in London, remember?" I asked.

"Yeah. And were all your boyfriends like this?" Marius asked, amused.

I shook my head. "Maybe because you're the first guy to hold my hand who isn't my boyfriend, that's why I'm like this," I replied, laughing again and trying to retrieve my hand that Marius still held.

"So, does that mean I'm lucky?" Marius said, briefly looking up at the dark sky before turning his gaze back to me.

His dark eyes were truly delightful to behold. And I noticed a glimpse of a special, unfamiliar emotion in them. What it meant, I couldn't quite determine.

"You're lucky in what way?" I asked, confused.

I couldn't tell if Marius was just teasing me with his words, but I couldn't deny that I felt a flutter of excitement. And that made it difficult for me to control my smile.

"Because even though I'm not your boyfriend, I held your hand," he said, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I didn't speak anymore, but after hearing Marius's words, my sweet and wide smile seemed to be permanently plastered on my lips.

Several moments passed between us in silence. During those moments, I tried to adjust myself to the continuous flow of electricity coursing through my body, despite the discomfort.

But despite the discomfort, I didn't want Marius to let go of my hand because I enjoyed the warmth of his palm.

"You know a lot, huh? And I must say, you're good at teasing. No wonder you've sustained your playboy persona," I replied playfully, giving him a mock glare.

After that, I focused my gaze on the distance. I knew Marius was watching me. And because I didn't want to meet his gaze, I made an effort to ignore his actions. Even though I knew he was capable of holding my gaze, I pretended to look away.

"Do you have plans for Sunday, Sam?" Marius asked me.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed that he had regained his composure, so I briefly glanced at him.

"I'll be going to church. Maybe I'll also take Andrea out. Why do you ask?" I inquired.

I could sense the reason behind Marius's question. But because I didn't want to get my hopes up, I chose to wait for confirmation from his response.

"Oh, perfect timing I was about to invite you to go to church on Sunday as well," he replied, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Oh, sure, let's bring Andrea along," I enthusiastically responded.

"You don't understand. I mean, I wanted to ask you out on a date, on Sunday," he emphasized his last words.

"A-a date?" I asked, unable to believe it.

Marius nodded in succession, facing me. "And if it's okay with you, after church, we could watch a movie?" he asked in a tone that implied he knew I couldn't refuse.

"But, um, you see," I hesitated.

"Promise, I'll behave," Marius said, raising a hand as if taking an oath.

I fell silent for a moment and stared at him. Along with that, I contemplated whether or not I should indulge him in his request.

"You haven't even told me the reason behind everything you've been doing, and now you're already asking me out on a date?" I finally thought to say, followed by a soft laugh.

"Seriously, Sam? Do I really need to explicitly tell you the exact reason behind everything I've been doing? Isn't that like something out of high school?" Marius asked, his tone filled with amusement.

A wide smile spread across my face at Marius's reaction, especially when he scratched his head like a puzzled child.

"I may have grown up in London, but I'm not like what you're thinking. I prefer things to be clear and have clear communication," I clarified to him, attempting to retrieve my hand that he was still holding onto.

"Okay, fine. To be honest," he sighed.

From what I could gather, it didn't seem easy for Marius to do this. And that thought brought a different kind of happiness to my heart.

Marius wasn't the first guy to show interest in me. But because he had been causing discomfort from the beginning, I couldn't deny that I was feeling more excited now.

"Yes?" I said, maintaining eye contact with Marius as he remained silent.

"I like you so much, Sam. That's the reason behind everything I've been doing. I really, really like you, and I believe you're the woman who can change me. The woman who can heal my playboy ways, if you know what I mean," he said.

The triple dose of excitement I felt because of Marius's confession was overwhelming. Honestly, if it weren't for him admitting earlier that he was a playboy, I might have already answered him. But I needed to know if his intentions were genuine. Because my real concern was that Marius was the only one, the very first man, who had stirred up a mixture of emotions that I couldn't explain.

"At least now I know the reason behind your actions," I said, chuckling softly.

Marius didn't speak, but instead, he gazed directly into my eyes. Then he raised my hand that he was holding and planted a tender kiss on it.

"I'm happy that you came into my life, Sam," he said.

I smiled again, although, in my heart, I felt the overflowing joy. But of course, I didn't let that show to him. I didn't want Marius to have the idea that the day would come when he would also receive my sweet "yes."

Right. Now that everything is clear between the two of us, sooner or later, I have a feeling that my life will be filled with joy. That includes the rosy hues that will color my world. Because the day will come when I will answer and become the girlfriend of this handsome man who has captured my heart.