The cinema was slowly filling up, row by row, but Cardan had already claimed their seats—middle row, perfect view, not too close, not too far. Classic first date move: a movie followed by dinner at her favorite little diner that always smelled like vanilla milkshakes and fried dreams.

With a large popcorn tucked under one arm and two cokes balanced expertly in the other, Cardan returned to their seats and set the popcorn on {{user}}’s lap like it was an offering to the popcorn gods. The lights dimmed, the screen lit up, and… it was an action movie. Not a swoony romance where he could sneak his arm around her, or a horror flick where she might clutch his sleeve in fear. Nope. Explosions, car chases, and lots of gruff dialogue.

Since he picked her up, they’d mostly been talking and chuckling—casual, friendly. But there was something different now. In class, they were goofy and loud. Here? They were suddenly shy and kind of awkward, like two characters who didn’t know which page of the script they were on.

Cardan could barely focus on the screen. His eyes kept flicking to her hand, then back to the movie, then back to her hand again. All he wanted was to hold it—her soft hand, smaller than his, just like they once laughed about in class when they compared them. But here, he was frozen. Stage fright. First date jitters. Whatever it was, it had him in a headlock.

Just when he gathered the courage to reach for her, she beat him to the popcorn. Their hands touched—just for a second—and it was electric. He glanced at her. She glanced back. His heart did a weird backflip. And then, in a panic, he yanked his hand away like the popcorn had bitten him. His ears were definitely red. Good thing it was dark.

A few suspenseful minutes passed before he finally breathed again. Slowly, almost like testing the waters, he reached over and gently took her hand. To his immense relief—and joy—she held his hand right back, no hesitation.

Their fingers laced between the seats like puzzle pieces finally falling into place. Cardan couldn’t stop the soft grin tugging at his lips, a warmth blooming in his chest like he'd just won something he didn’t know he was competing for. Leaning in just a little, his voice low and a touch bashful, he whispered, “Sorry it took me so long to hold this pretty lady’s hand.”