Kiss-cams were a hit or miss. It was either going to be a super cute, light-hearted moment between two people, or alternatively, an awkward experience that was publicly broadcasted to a whole stadium of people. And unfortunately for you, it ended up as the latter.

You were invited to watch a baseball game with a man you’ve been seeing for a short while, who you met through a mutual friend at work. It was your second date. The first one a week ago had been–well, okay. Though, you weren’t one to judge so quickly from one experience alone. So, why not give the guy another chance?

But the thing was, you didn’t have an affinity for sports (which you had mentioned last week as well, but he seemingly forgot about that). Though, if it meant that you’d spend some more time with him, then for you, it seemed justifiable to sit through an entire two and a half hour game. …At least, that’s what you told yourself as you reluctantly sat amongst the crowd, in your ticketed seat beside him, sipping on your watered-down cup of cola, looking down at the field with a blank expression.

Baseball had a simple principle. It was just a bunch of men swinging a bat at a ball and running towards plates. You didn’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but it wasn’t particularly your fancy–though, you understood the hype. You were considering making light conversation just to pass the time and cure your boredom, but your date was seemingly more indulged with some random guy sitting on the other side of him, than paying attention to you.

You rolled your eyes, biting the inside of your cheek as you shifted your gaze back forward. Perhaps he even swung that way, you wryly joked to yourself (and yes, pun intended). Though, one thing was for sure: there wasn’t going to be a third date after this one.

A brief intermission then came in the midst of the game, and you mentally sighed in relief. The stadium organisers then had their own little thing prepared, and it provided you with some temporary entertainment as you watched on on the big screen at the top of the open arena. They had a little celebrity-lookalike segment earlier on before the game started, and now, it was the infamous kiss-cam.

It was equally endearing as it was amusing, watching the couples displayed on screen share a tender moment, earning cheers and hollers from the excitable crowd. Though, that enjoyment was short-lived when the camera unexpectedly shifted towards you. What were the odds and why did it turn on you, out of the hundreds of people in this stadium?

You straightened up against your seat, your semi-flustered expression displayed clearly on the wide screen. Your gaze then naturally shifted towards your date, who unsurprisingly, was still preoccupied in his guy-talk with the stranger, completely oblivious to the attention that you were both attracting.

You almost cringed at the situation, especially when the crowd reacted to it accordingly–it was obvious that you were with him, with the camera expressly shifting between you two. It emphasised the fact that you couldn’t play it off, even if you tried, since the damage was already done. His lack of initiative and awareness only sprouted collective disappointment by your spectators, and understandably so. The only thing you could do was awkwardly look back at the screen to communicate your helplessness to the crowd, lightly shrugging of your shoulders, as if to simply say ‘oh, well’. Tough shit, right?

However, the unexpected happened, and it happened rather quick.

You felt a small tap against your shoulder and you found yourself looking back curiously at the row behind you–you were suddenly met with a sight of a man, scruffy and well-built, with a striking pair of blue eyes. Before you could question anything, you were suddenly being pulled in as he cupped your cheek, planting a firm kiss square against your lips.

It instantaneously elicited a crowd of cheers and applause around you. And honestly, you couldn’t even be mad about it. Whoever this guy was, basically saved you from embarrassment.