Page 67 of The Pucking Kiss

the soft melody of a guitar player's strings wafted through the air, making the scene all the more magical.

Bryan reached across the table to grab hold of my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine. Every time he touched me, it felt just as exciting as the last, and I wondered if it was the same for him.

"Look at us," I admitted with a wide smile, "We are finally here, on our first-ever date as a couple."

"The only regret I have is that I should have done this sooner with you," Bryan replied earnestly. "I should have asked you out the moment that I first kissed you."

"Really?" A blush formed on my cheeks as I recalled our first-ever night together. "Did you know even then?"

"I knew that there was something special about this," he nodded. "Something that I had never felt with anyone else."

"Well, you were my first kiss," I laughed, feeling like ages had passed since it happened, even though it had only been a couple of weeks. "I didn't have much of a reference to go on, but it felt really special for me as well."

"You know, it makes me feel even better that I was your first kiss," Bryan admitted with a proud smile. "I wish you were mine too."

I raised a curious eyebrow in his direction. "You would have given up kissing all those girls before me just to have your first kiss with me? I don't know if I believe that...."

"You should," he insisted firmly. "If I knew that I would have found such an amazing connection with you, I would have never wasted my time with anyone else. I told you, Romai, I've never felt this way for anyone before."

Bryan's words soothed any latent insecurities I had about his past. I knew that he got attention from some of the prettiest girls in school, so it felt nice to hear him say that he valued me the most out of them all.

"I always thought that you were too good for me," I admitted in a small voice. "Like you were always this unattainable figure, and I never thought I could actually get your attention. I was too plain for that."

"Babe, you are anything but plain," Bryan reminded me, "Trust me on that. The way we got together was unique, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. It makes our relationship all the more special."

"I guess we did get super good at being in a fake relationship," I laughed. "So maybe we might be even better in a real one."

He squeezed my hand gently, and just then, the waiter arrived to take our order.

"Ready to order?" the tall waiter asked with a polite smile on his face.

I nodded, ordering a portion of pasta with a small side of salad. Bryan made his own order. The food arrived shortly afterward.

As I ate, I could feel Bryan's gaze on me. "What is it?" I said, self-consciously wiping the side of my mouth with a napkin. "Do I have pasta sauce on my face?"

Bryan shook his head, laughing. "No, it's just that you look really cute when you eat."

"Oh," I smiled, a blush forming on my cheeks.

"You better get used to the compliments, babe," he winked. "I plan on spoiling you rotten with them."

Bryan was proving to be a very affectionate boyfriend. I felt like I was the luckiest girl in the whole world.

When the plates were cleared, Bryan leaned over and grabbed my hand once again, "Do you want to take a walk by the river? I chose this place specifically so we would do just that."

I nodded my head, "I'd love that so much."

We exited the restaurant hand in hand. As we reached the riverside path, the soft lapping of waves in the river filled my ears, and the soft breeze hit my face.

“I have a confession to make,” Bryan admitted to me as we reached the riverside. “I chose this place for our first date because I wanted to give you something.”

“Give me what?” Curiosity etched across my features, “Now you have me really interested in knowing.”

“Close your eyes,” he said, a hint of playfulness in his voice. “I want it to be a complete surprise.”

Trusting him fully, I closed my eyes, and he placed something in the palm of my hand. “You can look now.”

I opened my eyes to find a small box in my hands. When I opened it up, there was a small ring inside of it. My eyes widened, and I looked to Bryan for an explanation.