Chapter 61: The Worst Date in the World (I)
Kael had never been so nervous about something that didn’t involve a magical beast.
In front of him, Luna held a small pink-covered notebook with a smile that inspired more fear than confidence.
Seraphina stood beside him with her usual calm.
As if going on a date were just another mission.
Luna took a deep breath.
"Alright.
The moment has come."
She handed the notebook to Kael.
On the cover, it read:
"Manual for a Successful First Date"
Small hearts were drawn around the title.
And a fairly poorly drawn caricature of Kael and Seraphina holding hands.
Kael slowly opened the first page.
Rule number one.
Smile constantly.
Second page.
Maintain eye contact for at least ten seconds.
Third page.
Hold hands to strengthen the emotional bond.
Fourth.
Avoid awkward silences by talking about the weather.
Fifth.
If the conversation dies, talk about your dreams.
Kael closed the notebook very slowly.
He looked at Luna.
Then back at the notebook.
"Does this... work?"
Luna answered with absolute confidence.
"I read seven romance novels.
Five magazines.
And interviewed three couples of teachers."
Kael felt a chill.
"That didn’t answer my question..."
Luna patted him on the shoulder.
"Trust me!"
"That worries me more."
A few meters away, hidden behind a huge tree, Aurelion watched the scene with an amused smile.
Beside him stood Darius.
With a grumpy expression.
"This will end badly."
Aurelion let out a small laugh.
"Precisely why I agreed to come."
---
The first few minutes were...
Painful.
Kael opened the manual again.
"It says we should hold hands."
Seraphina looked at her own hands.
Then at Kael’s.
They remained like that for several seconds.
"Right hand?" asked Kael.
"I suppose."
They both raised their right hand at the same time.
THUD!
Their fingers bumped clumsily.
They both pulled back.
"Sorry."
"It’s fine."
They tried again.
This time they managed to interlock their hands.
But they walked completely stiff.
As if they were carrying explosives.
An old man walking his dog watched them.
He smiled tenderly.
"I remember when my wife and I used to go out like that."
Kael smiled awkwardly.
"Did you look this tense too?"
The old man let out a laugh.
"No.
But you’re young.
You still have time to learn."
The man kept walking.
Kael sighed.
"This isn’t going well."
Seraphina answered with absolute sincerity.
"No.
My hands started sweating."
Kael’s eyes went wide.
"Mine too."
They both looked at their intertwined hands.
And, almost at the same time...
They let go.
"..."
"..."
Silence again.
---
Five minutes later.
Kael consulted the manual again.
"Recommended conversation topic."
He read aloud.
"Talk about the weather."
He looked up.
There were a few clouds.
Nothing more.
"The weather is nice."
Seraphina also looked up.
She analyzed the sky for a few seconds.
"Yes."
Silence.
A leaf slowly fell between them.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Kael frantically flipped through the manual.
"Next topic.
Talk about your dreams."
He thought for a few seconds.
"I want to sleep eight hours straight."
Seraphina nodded seriously.
"That sounds pleasant."
Kael waited for her to say something else.
It didn’t happen.
"And you?"
She thought about it.
"I’d like to pet the Fat King for a full hour without him trying to hit me."
Kael didn’t know how to respond.
"I think that’s harder than mine."
"Probably."
Silence.
Again.
A group of students passed by them.
They watched them for a few seconds.
"Isn’t that Kael and Seraphina?"
"Yeah."
"Are they on a date?"
"Looks like it."
The four students started smiling.
One even discreetly gave a thumbs up.
Kael felt a strong urge to disappear.
---
The next stop on the manual was a café.
A small place with a terrace.
Wooden tables.
Pots full of flowers.
And a pleasant aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
A waiter approached immediately.
"Welcome.
What would you like to order?"
Kael looked at the menu.
There were too many options.
He didn’t know half the names.
So he made the safest decision.
"The same as her."
The waiter turned to Seraphina.
She kept looking at the menu.
Without looking up, she answered.
"The same as him."
The waiter blinked.
"I need one of you to decide first."
They both slowly looked up.
They looked at each other.
Then back at the waiter.
Five seconds later...
The man sighed.
"I’ll bring you the house special."
"Thanks."
They answered exactly at the same time.
The waiter walked away muttering something about "weird couples."
Kael rested his head on the table.
"This is a disaster."
Seraphina nodded.
"Very much."
---
The food arrived.
It was good.
Very good.
But neither spoke.
They both tried to remember the manual’s instructions.
Kael opened it again.
There was a marked page.
Step number nine.
Stare at each other for ten seconds.
Kael swallowed.
"It says we should..."
He pointed at the page.
Seraphina read.
"I understand."
They both looked up.
Stared directly into each other’s eyes.
One.
Two.
Three seconds.
Kael started to feel weird.
Four.
Five.
Seraphina also began to feel uncomfortable.
Six.
Seven.
They both looked away at exactly the same time.
Now they were examining with great interest...
The salt shaker on the table.
Kael cleared his throat.
"I think we failed."
"Yes."
---
When they finished eating, they went back outside.
Luna and Aurelion were still following them, hidden.
"They’re three minutes behind schedule."
"That would never work with them," said Aurelion, laughing.
Luna kept taking notes.
"We can still save the mission."
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes."
Even she didn’t sound convinced.
---
Kael walked a few more meters.
Then he stopped.
He took out the small notebook.
He looked at it for a few seconds.
Then he sighed deeply.
"Seraphina."
"Yes?"
"I think we’re very bad at this."
She answered without hesitation.
"Very."
Kael looked at the manual again.
He had tried to follow every step.
Every piece of advice.
Every recommendation.
And everything had been...
Artificial.
Uncomfortable.
As if they were acting.
Not being themselves.
He smiled tiredly.
"I think I figured out what the problem is."
Seraphina tilted her head slightly.
"What?"
Kael raised the manual.
And, in front of her...
He tore it in half.
"Let’s do something better."
She watched the two pieces of paper.
Then looked back at him.
"What do you suggest?"
Kael smiled for the first time since the date began.
A much more natural smile.
"Let’s forget this is a date.
And do what we normally would if we just went out together."
For the first time since the day began...
Seraphina smiled for real.
Not because Luna had written it.
Not because the manual recommended it.
But because that idea...
She liked it.
"That sounds like a better option."
The two began to walk without a fixed destination.
Without instructions.
Without schedules.
Without a manual telling them what to do.
Far away from there...
Luna felt a chill.
She looked at the notebook.
Then at Aurelion.
"..."
"I think he just broke my plan."
Aurelion smiled, amused.
"No.
I think he just started their real date."
Comments