Lina got out of the car, a little dizzy.
Ethan had just parked in front of a restaurant she would never have dared suggest for a first date.
A building with glass walls: soft light filtered through.
A restaurant where everyone was elegant, where the waiters spoke in hushed tones, where every detail seemed perfectly orchestrated.
"Will you take me here?" she asked, impressed.
Ethan looked at her with the same determined and irresistible smile.
"Only where you deserve to be." Her heart skipped a beat.
"It was beautiful."
Too beautiful.
He gently placed his hand on her back to guide her toward the entrance.
She realized that even when he touched her delicately… he was still the one leading the dance, controlling the rhythm, the direction, the steps.
Inside
"Let's go to that table by the window," the waiter said, leading them to a secluded table with a lovely view.
Lina looked around, a little intimidated.
"I don't even know what to choose in a place like this," she confided, almost in a whisper.
Ethan looked up from the menu. "How long?"
"You don't have to choose."
She blinked. "What do you mean?" "I know what you'll like."
He ordered a specific dish from the waitress without even looking at her.
Foreign dishes. Unpronounceable names.
"What if I don't like it?" she asked, a shy smile playing on her lips.
Ethan leaned slightly toward her.
"I won't exist..." She laughed, a little nervous.
She couldn't tell if it was charisma or arrogance.
Charm. Perfectly calculated.
Dinner unfolded in a pleasant setting.
He listened to her, but in a strange way. Very peculiar. It was as if each word that came out of his mouth was a piece of a huge puzzle he was trying to solve.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" he asked, his eyes fixed on hers.
She froze.
"Why would I be afraid?" He toyed with his glass, slowly swirling it.
"Because people are afraid of what they don't understand."
"And none of them truly understand me."
She searched for an answer, but just before she could say anything, he added:
"But you... I sense you're capable of it." His words provoked her more than she had imagined.
As she reached for her phone to reply to a message from Maya, Ethan casually placed his hand on it. "Tonight, you're with me." He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't frowning either.
He simply remained still.
Lina slowly removed her hand from the phone.
"Sorry," she murmured.
Ethan nodded, and his smile returned.
"Thank you." As if she had done him a huge favor.
They walked down the street, the city lights twinkling all around them.
Lina had never experienced such a wonderful evening.
Ethan stopped on the bridge and stood in front of her.
"I'd like to see you again. Soon."
"Me too..."
He gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips.
What might seem insignificant…
"But the contact lasted a second too long."
"Don't let anyone walk you home again," he said.
She swallowed.
"Why?"
"Because you're with me now."
He placed a kiss on her forehead.
Such a tender kiss.
They stood there for a moment, the city at their feet. Two people who seemed made for each other.
But behind this perfection… something had taken root. An invisible bond. A connection. A promise she hadn't truly made.