I swore to God that I hadn't seen Zinnia and Lily this happy when I broke the news of me and Danish going for a date to them. Zinnia jumped and took me in her arms and twirled while Lily started to tear up. This may look dramatic for an outsider but only we knew the happiness that we shared. The happiness of a girl who was scared to fall in love going for her first date. 

Danish texted me that he would pick me up at 6 pm. He still kept the destination of my first date a surprise, which made me more anxious and excited. 

As of now, I was in Lily's room as she went through some dresses for me in her closet. Since it was my first date, I wanted to look good. Not for Danish, but for myself. 

"What about this?" Lily asked as she held a lavender peplum dress to which I scrunched my nose, which was sequentially the fourth time.

Lily sighed before asking me, "What do you want, Elka?"

It was normal for someone to get angry when all you did was reject their style.

"Something darker?" I asked. 

"You mean black?"

I nodded my head with my lips pressed into a thin line. 

"Have you ever seen me wearing your favorite color?" she asked me to which I shook my head after a few seconds of thinking. 

"I don't like bright colors Lily. Give me something dark."

She sighed and turned around to check for something that was according to my taste.

"Oh, Elka," Lily called out with her back facing me. "You can't refuse this, baby."

She turned around holding out an amaranth full sleeve and high neck mid knee length wrap dress. It was simply beautiful which made me smile and nod instantly at Lily.

»»---------------------►

"There you go," Lily said after tucking a bobby pin on my hair. 

She braided my hair to a side with strands of curls falling out. I didn't wear any makeup, just a shade of matching amaranth on my lips. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I was dumbstruck. I never knew that I was this beautiful that I was literally gawking at my own reflection!

"You look pulchritudinous," Lily said, making me and Zinnia, who was standing beside me, look at her with a cringe on our face.

"She looks what?" Zinnia asked.

"Pulchritudinous. It means extremely beautiful," Lily said, smiling. 

"You could have just said beautiful instead of dragging literary words," I said, brushing the tail of my braided hair. 

"Anyways, you look really pretty. Danish is one lucky guy," Zinnia said to which I chuckled. "Did he say where's he taking you to?" Zinnia asked to which I pouted and nodded my head. 

"I'm sure it's some fancy restaurant and that's why I picked out this dress for her," Lily said, wiping the lipstick shade that was on her hands. 

"Yeah. Danish is a romantic guy after all. He is a deredere while you're a tsundere," said Zinnia. 

"What?"

Now it was Lily's time to cringe hearing a new word. 

"Oh you wouldn't know. It's for weebs and otakus. So peace out!" I said as I got up from the chair.

Just then we heard a horn that made the butterflies in the pit of my stomach wake up and go berserk. He was here. Danish was here to take me to my first date. 

"Have fun baby. Call me if-"

"Shut up!" Zinnia cut off Lily. "If she's gonna be late, she will go to Danish's. That's it. Elka, no need to call us. Go have some fun," she said, giving me a wink. 

Lily looked at Zinnia, obviously annoyed, while I looked at her and flashed a smile. I said bye to them and stepped outside with the black helmet he gave me. 

To say I wasn't nervous would be an overstatement. Of course I was nervous with my hands shaking, knee caps hitting and the whole body trembling. But, I knew how to get a grip on myself this time, unlike a few months before.

While dressing up, images of Danish wearing a white shirt that was tucked inside black pants kept appearing on my mind. Being a girl that had only witnessed dates in movies and never been to one were bounded to get these pictures flashed in her mind. But all those pictures burnt away when I saw Danish wearing his usual attire. The black hoodie I first saw him in and along with the same grey sweatpants. 

Danish took off his helmet and saw me for the first time, wearing a dress with braided hair. His jaw was literally on the floor as he was astonished with my new look. 

I raised my brows to which he blinked and said, "Why the fuck were you hiding your beauty all these days? Why?"

I rolled my eyes and asked, "I thought you liked me in my usual. Am I not pretty in that?"

"Yeah, you're but today you just look wow!"

"And you look eww!"

Danish was taken aback. 

"Why would you say that? My compliments were genuine," he said.

"Did you check yourself in the mirror? You look like shit!" I said, folding my arms across my chest.

God forgive me as I committed a sin. I lied.

He looked at me blankly and shook his head before saying, "Hope on. We are gonna be late."

I sighed and put on the helmet before swinging my leg over his bike and we rode off. In between our ride, I asked him where he was taking me, but he didn't say anything. Guess he was using a silent treatment. 

Wonderful! My date using silent treatment on our first date. 

"We are here," he said and switched off his bike.

I took off the helmet and raised my head to land my eyes on the neon sign board saying 'NetArcade'.

"What? Arcade? And that too this one? I asked, not believing the destination that kept me on tenterhooks. 

I couldn't believe that he chose this place out of all for our first date. NetArcade was the oldest arcade in Wellington but people still visited, despite the fact that it was under maintenance. I would be on cloud nine if he would have taken me to Whoopee, even though we had been there more than three times. 

I frowned at Danish after getting off his bike and standing next to him. He also got off and noticed my long face. 

"What?" he asked.

"Really? This place?" I asked, pointing to the board that had the letter D hung and E not working. 

"I think this place is fun. I always wanted to try this spot. And with that, my shitty outfit is only welcomed here," he said and gave me a cheeky grin to which I glared at him. "Come on, let's enjoy our first date, Elka," he said as he took my hands in his and entered NetArcade. 

We entered the arcade that was filled with dark blue and violet hue lights along with kids running around and yelling. I spotted a few that were of our age here and there as well but the majority was that of kids.

As I entered, I saw all eyes on me. Of course, people would look if you dressed up like a flower girl to an arcade. Situations where I looked like trash and the girls around me dressed up for a ramp happened before. And I couldn't care less about those stares I got. But it was a total contrast at this place. I was fully aware that I stood out as everyone, except me, was in their casual clothes here. And me, all dolled up. Eyes from here and there made me roll my eyes for the sixth time after two minutes of our arrival. 

"This looks fun as hell!" he said, smiling widely and looking at me. "Isn't it Elka?"

I forced a smile to which he frowned and asked, "What happened?"

I shook my head without looking at him. He brought his two fingers under my chin and made my eyes meet his. 

"Do you wanna go somewhere?" he asked.

I just sighed without answering his question.

"Elka, I'm sorry," he said to which a wave of confusion washed over my face. "I thought you would enjoy this place because we share the same vibe after all. I didn't think you would see our first date as something so romantic and all, I swear."

I held his fingers before saying, "Dan, I dressed like this not because I wanted a perfect candle light dinner and all. Lily thought you were gonna take me to some fancy restaurant and I wanted to look good, not for you, but for myself. And now we are here, in this arcade and everyone is looking at me like I'm some fucking alien. And it's not like I don't enjoy the arcade. I do, a lot, but it's just that there are too many eyes on me and I hate that. I hate attention."

"Elka, everyone is looking at you because you're beautiful and not because you're some fucking alien. Above all, don't mind them. It's normal for them to look at somebody or something that is different and you're different. Especially today. But if you're uncomfortable we can go," Danish said.

I looked at him for a few seconds. This guy was doing everything to not disappoint me in the slightest way. If it was someone else, they would have said 'get lost' right to my face as I was annoying. But this guy over here was managing me, waiting for me, spending time with me, not caring about the harsh words I threw at him ten minutes before. 

Is he even real?

I smiled at him and slowly shook my head. 

"It's fine. I feel better."

It was true. I felt better when Danish said that I was different. Well, he was downright practical about what he said. Everyone tended to look at something that is different and today, I was different.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am. We can enjoy our date, Danish," I said and took his hands in mine and headed to the game station. 

Bike racing was the first in my list whenever I visited any arcade. And not gonna lie, NetArcade's was the best. I walked towards Moto Racing and it was a bit crowded. There were kids, mostly around 8 or 10, who were waiting by tapping their feet on the ground and yelling to make it fast to those who were playing. 

I stood behind them, joining the line, with Danish just behind me. He flashed me a smile when I turned around to face him. 

"Nice choice by the way," I said.

"I know right!" he said to which I gave him a cheeky grin and then rolled my eyes playfully. 

He chuckled seeing my reaction. The line was becoming short along with my patience with minutes passing by. There were three more pairs of kids in front of us who were waiting for their chance to play. But me being the impatient one, did something that caught Danish off guard. 

When it was the chance of two kids to play, I grabbed Danish's arm and dragged him to the front. 

"Hey, kids. It's our chance," I said, making the boy and girl who were going to climb into the seats come to a halt. 

They both were around seven, if I was not wrong. 

"No!" the girl with two pigtails whined, making me look at her. "It's our chance. We were the next in line," she said, making a pout. 

Danish chuckled at her cuteness while I said,

"Yeah, ok. But we are in a hurry right now."

"Who are you, flower lady?" the boy, a hothead I assumed, yelled. 

"Hey, kids. It's fine. You can play," Danish said to which I snapped my head towards him. 

He furrowed his brows at me and tugged my arm.

"Yeah, better get out with your little girlfriend," the three feet boy said, making me scoff in disbelief. 

"You! Move! We are next," I said, shoving the boy slightly, making sure not to hurt him. 

"Yeah, okay. Ian, come. We can play after them," the girl said calmly. 

"No, Sophia. It is our chance. We waited for so long," the boy said, his sound now soft. 

"Elka," Danish called me. "What is wrong with you? They're just kids."

"I can't wait any longer. We will be done in a few minutes. They can wait," I said.

"What are you, five? Just let them play, we can play something else."

"Yeah, lady. Listen to your boyfriend," the boy said, making me lose my temper. 

"You little thing! You'll only play this after us," I said, determined. 

"Oh, let's see about that!" He threw back. 

And the rest was history. 

An eighteen year old fighting with a seven year old kid over a bike racing was definitely embarrassing. But that thought didn't come to my mind when I was yelling at the boy who wouldn't just back off. He became soft when he turned to the little girl called Sofia to tell everything was fine when she gripped his T-shirt in her tiny fists, but his decibels just rose steadily when he talked to me. Danish put the hoodie over his head after looking side to side to see people staring at us. He was doing his utmost to stop me but it was a vain attempt. 

As we continued to bicker, the little girl stomped her foot and said loudly, her shrieking voice booming around the whole building and heard by everyone.

"Ian! If you do not stop fighting, I'll not give you the kiss I promised!"

Me and the boy stopped spewing fire simultaneously. We both looked at the girl who was now glaring at the boy with her tiny arms crossed. Danish stopped his actions and was now looking at the girl with the same expression as me. 

The boy let out a long sigh and muttered, "Ok."

I let out a chuckle seeing the boy in a defeated state just to annoy him more and it worked as he gave me a scowl. I didn't scruple to stick out my tongue at him. 

I heard Danish cough, making me face him. 

"Elka, if you don't stop being childish, I will not kiss you."

"Huh?" I cringed, poking my chin out. 

"Yeah, I will not," he said, his face toiling to show that he was dead serious. 

I moved a bit closer to him and whispered, "Fuck off!"

"Ok, come. Let's play. We are wasting our time," he said as he walked towards the game, making me chuckle. 

The kids moved aside and made way for us. 

After inserting the coins, we climbed into our seats like the kids prior and the game started dramatically counting down from three. As soon as the race began, the competitive me woke up. I sped up as much as possible and took the lead making Danish look at me in awe. I looked at him and raised both my eyebrows to which he smirked. We took a sharp right and Danish jumped using a sloped wooden plank, pulling him ahead and taking the lead. 

"Hey!" I cried out to which he laughed. 

After a few seconds, I managed to take the lead and it was his time to cry out. We changed leads every second and after two laps, I yelled victory. Danish inserted another coin and we played again which resulted in me winning two times in a row.

"Can you stop being good at everything?" he asked to which I let out a laugh. 

"I'll try. One more," I said to which Danish shook his head. 

"No, Elka. The kids are waiting," he said, making me look back at the kids who were looking at us with puppy dog eyes. 

I sighed and said, "Fine."

We climbed off our seats and walked towards Space Invaders. And I didn't fail to meet the eyes of the boy who was already looking at me and blew a raspberry. And I swear, it took every ounce of strength in me to not flip the bird at that small fry.

We played Space Invaders, Pac Man and a few more games. It was so much fun that my stomach was hurting because of laughter. The thought of being here for our date eventually faded away. We were like kids who enjoyed each other's company that came to have some fun after consecutive tiring days of school.

We got out of NetArcade around 8 p.m. as Danish said he was hungry, making me stop playing Basketball. I put on my helmet after getting on his bike and asked where we were going, only to get a smile from him. After fifteen minutes, his bike came to a halt, making me look at a fancy restaurant called Pot Au Feu. 

I laughed as my hands went to take off the helmet after getting off. 

"Really?" I asked. 

Danish got off his bike and stood next to me.

"As you know, Elka, I'm romantic."

He took the helmet from my hands and after keeping it on his bike handle, he intertwined his large hands with my small ones and walked to the restaurant. 

A guy that was well dressed in a suit and neatly gelled hair came to us as soon as we entered the restaurant. 

"This way, sir," he said to Danish and directed us to a table that had a reserved sign. 

Of course, Danish had planned everything and that thought made me break into a smile. 

The ambience was so romantic with yellow bulbs dangling from eggshell white ceiling and the corners were embellished with flowers of bright colors. Our table was decorated with a glass tealight candle and an Ingrid Bergman that was in a small vase with half filled water. 

After settling, the guy that guided us called for a waiter, who was looking elegant in his attire, with a bottle of Masseto red wine. 

I looked at Danish and grinned widely to which he shrugged his shoulders. 

Our dinner date went with us talking and laughing that gained frowns from the nearby tables and the manager coming at ours, pleading to keep our voice low. Everytime he came, Danish apologized but after a few seconds, we would be back to square one.

Without finishing the expensive food that was served in front of us, we got out of Pot Au Feu as we got tired with the manager and people around us. Well, it was actually the other way around. 

"Let's go to the park," I said as Danish kicked his bike with me behind him. 

"Now? It's already past nine, Elka."

"So?" I asked to which he shook his head. 

I wrapped my hands around his torso and leaned on his back. 

"I wanna spend more time with you," I mumbled but it was loud enough for him to hear. 

"So do I," he said, smiling and placing his hand over mine that was on him and caressing it for a few seconds before riding off to the park. 

»»---------------------►

Full moon shining above us, intensifying the beauty of the night, the sounds of crickets and katydids, fireflies that can be spotted here and there, the chilled breeze that enveloped us and him beside me, my hands intertwined with his. The calidity of his touch made the cold air that blew on my face go numb. I could only feel his touch, his presence in the midst of this fascinating twilight. I could only feel him. 

"We can sit there," he said, pointing towards a park bench. 

I nodded my head and we walked towards the bench and let go of our hands. We sat quietly for some time, neither of us uttering anything. 

"Heard about Lily and Andrew? They're pregnant."

"Yeah, I did. Andrew came to my apartment screaming he was going to be a dad. And me and my brother are so fucking happy that we are gonna be godfathers."

"You both are the godfathers? Well, me and Zinnia are the godmothers," I said, grinning. 

"Wow. We are gonna spoil that kid. I swear," he said to which I laughed. 

"Valid!"

We were quiet for some time. A blended atmosphere of tranquility and awkwardness was lingering around until Danish opened his mouth. 

"This feels like a dream," he said, making me look at him baffled. 

"Why though?"

"I never thought you would date me. I thought you considered me just as a friend until Zinnia told me that you like me."

I smiled and nodded my head. 

"Even me. I never thought I would date you. Not just you, anyone, to be honest."

"Wh- why were you running away from your feelings, Elka?" Danish asked me which made me hold my breath for a second. 

I averted my gaze from him after a few moments and closed my eyes. After taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I said, "Danish, there's something you have to know about me."

If I was born as a blackthorn tree
I'd wanna be felled by you
Held by you
Fuel the pyre of your enemies