Mask off - Mick Schumacher

Chapter 8: Vulnerable

"Hey..." Sabine greeted Cristian by kissing his cheeks.

Cristian blushed as he felt her lips on his cheeks and his heart skipped a little. He had debated on whether to greet her with a kiss on the cheek or not, but now that she was the one initiating it, he let it slide.

"Ciao, bella...you look beautiful."

"Thank you," she smiled and pulled away, "you look good, too."

"Grazie..." Cristian smiled and chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "So, uh...shall we head to the restaurant? I made a reservation for us."

"Yeah, let's go." She nodded and linked her arm with his.

Cristian blushed as he felt her arm link with his, something about the act felt weirdly romantic to him. "Perfect, just follow me."

They arrived at the restaurant and had a nice little dinner. He didn't let her pay, even tho she almost begged him to.

Cristian chuckled and shook his head firmly. "Don't even think about it, I'm paying. It was me who asked you out, I'm the one who's treating you tonight."

"Thank you, but next time is on me, okay?" She chuckled. "I mean, if you want there to be a second time..."

"Of course I want there to be a second time...I'd be a fool to not want to spend more time with a gorgeous girl like you, -he smirked- but, I'm not saying yes to letting you pay."

"Come on..." She tugged on his arm playfully as they walked out.

Cristian chuckled and playfully pulled away.  "Nope, no way. I'm paying, can't change my mind, bella."

"Fine..." She smiled and took his hand in hers as they walked, it felt almost natural with him...

"Hey...would you mind if we stopped somewhere for a minute?"

"Of course, there's a park nearby." 

"Thank you..."

"Do you mind if we sit down for a minute? I promise I'll make it quick, I just want to ask you something..."

"What is it?" She asked as they sat on a bench.

Cristian sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Can I be vulnerable with you for a moment?"

Her face softened as her heart sank to her stomach. "Of course you can..."

"Okay, good..." He looked down at his hands for a moment, fiddling with his fingers as he gathered his thoughts. "I just need you to promise me that you won't judge me after hearing this..."

"I promise. " She whispered, taking his hand in hers and brushing her thumb over its back.

Cristian felt his heart practically melt as her fingers intertwined with his. Something about her was soothing, like the warm summer breeze on a hot day . "Okay, well...the thing is, I-"

Cristian swallowed, he could feel his heart was in his throat, his palms were sweating and he felt sick. "I... I've never been in a relationship before." He blurted, squeezing his eyes shut and waited for her to react.

"There's nothing wrong with that." She smiled softly, still caressing his hand.

"You're sure...?" Cristian looked over at her, relaxed. "You're not lying or anything? You're perfectly fine with dating an inexperienced, clueless idiot...?"

"Don't call yourself an idiot..." She whispered.

"But I am an idiot...I don't know anything about relationships, or how to act in one, or how to actually...have one..." He sighed and hung his head. "Honestly, you deserve someone so much better...someone who actually knows what he's doing..."

"Cristian..." she sighed softly, "How can you even say that when we haven't even tried?"

"What do you mean 'haven't even tried'?" Cristian looked over at her,  "we're a few hours away from having our first date end...how can we try anything, I don't-" He suddenly stopped as he realised what she meant and let out an awkward chuckle. "Oh...right..."

"Just take a deep breath." She chuckled. "I promise we'll go at your pace, if you need time, I'll give it to you."

"Are you sure...?" He gently squeezed her hand, his heart was racing and his throat was dry.

"Yeah, we'll learn together, I promise." She reassured him.

Cristian chuckled and felt a wave of relief wash over him. "How can you be so nice...?" He sighed, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Honestly, you're amazing. You're practically flawless. I have no idea how nobody else snagged you up first..."

"Yeah, me neither." She chuckled and hugged him.

Cristian froze as he felt her arms gently wrap around his frame, but he hugged her back anyway.

"Can I try something?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, sure." She nodded, pulling away slightly so she could look at him.

"You have to promise me that you won't laugh when I do it...or think I'm stupid...and if you-" He paused and swallowed. "If you think I'm going too fast or anything, you can stop me, okay...?"

"Cris, it's just me," she caressed his hand, "you got this."

Cristian's heart skipped at the nickname. Something about it sent a wave of butterflies through his stomach. He took a deep breath and nodded. He tried to slow his heartbeat down and steadied himself. He gently tilted her head up and cupped her jaw in his hand.

Sabine closed her eyes and parted her lips, feeling her mind shut down when his lips touched hers. Cristian felt like he was on cloud nine as he finally kissed her. Something about her lips felt right...her taste, the feel of her cheek under his hand...it all just felt right. He tried to deepen the kiss a little, gently pulling her closer and one of her hands went to his chest while the other held onto his shoulder as they kissed slowly. Cristian slowly moved a hand to her waist, his fingers gently gripping her, as if to keep her in place. He couldn't help but let out a small, almost silent groan. They pulled away when they ran out of breath, her face flushed both from his touch and from those imperceptible noises he made.

Cristian panted softly as they pulled away and chuckled quietly as he saw her flushed cheeks. "Did I really do that to you...?" He murmured.

"I'm afraid you did..." She whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder. She then glanced at her watch and then looked back at him. "We should get going, it's getting late..."

"Yeah, I guess so... -he mumbled- let's go, I'll walk you home..."

They walked back to her place and before she could go, he kissed her once more and let himself enjoy the kiss, gently holding her face in his hands. When they broke away, he chuckled and ran his thumb along her cheekbone.

"Goodnight, bella...I'll see you soon..."

"Goodnight, see you tomorrow." She smiled and pulled away, opening the front door.