In the life of any person who has a direct connection to the military, and in particular those who have to go on long deployments, weekends have always been something they look forward to after a long day.

And Simon, despite the fact that he was not a social person and generally avoided unnecessary contact with people, knew how much you appreciated the concept of dates. And so did your daughter, of course.

So after a whole week of catching up on all the sleep he'd lost, he finally agreed to go out into the world. Or rather, to the cinema. The reason? Sophie wanted to watch a new dinosaur cartoon.

She sat on his shoulders, her legs dangling, while Simon held her firmly around the back, making sure she was safe. However, as soon as she noticed the colorful popcorn, she started fidgeting, asking to be taken off his shoulders, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she ran towards the counter.

"Sophie, no! Ah..." Simon exhaled in defeat, realizing that your three-year-old daughter would now be glued to the glass window of the popcorn machine for a few minutes.

His hand was on your waist, drawing invisible lines on the fabric of your shirt. He was always like this when he returned. Greedy for touch, for anything that reminded him that you were there, alive, loving.

"I'll be back in a second, luv. Will get lil' munchkin the popcorn and be right back." Simon said, quickly kissing your cheek and sliding his palm over your bottom as he headed towards the storefront.

You followed your husband's gaze, holding the movie tickets in your hands.

"First date, huh?"

You turned your head towards the middle-aged woman. She noticed how Simon was behaving with you, and assumed that you were just at the beginning of a relationship, since he couldn't tear himself away from you.

"Oh, no, he is... He is my husband. And there's our daughter." You said, pointing to the spot where Simon was squatting next to Sophie and listening to her enthusiastic chirping.

It was hard for someone to believe, but it was true. Even after several years of marriage and the birth of a child, Simon still felt the butterflies in his stomach, as if in those first months together.