"So, Mr. Ludwig... Where is this lovely
walk on the beach leading to?" I asked, looking down at my feet, the sand feeling cool against my toes since the sun was no longer shining down on it.
"Look up, Belle.." he answered gently, his tone not so playful anymore, but more serious.
I crinkle my eyebrows and look up as my walking comes to an abrupt halt, being faced with what has to be the most romantic thing I've ever seen in person.
He had a table set up, one chair on either end of the small table, an elegant white table cloth covering it. There were two candles on the table, between them what appears to be our meal, the faint scent of Mexican food in the air, obviously my favorite.
Now, this could easily just be a friendly dinner, we've gone out to restaurants to eat together plenty of times without it being a date, but he had red and white rose pedals on the table, and just the way everything looked and the obvious amount of effort he put into this made it seem like it wasn't just meant to be a dinner for friends.
I could see Alex gazing down at me in anticipation from the corner of my eye, but I couldn't move, my lips parted. He sets the blanket and our bathing suits on the sand next to him and gently grabs my shoulder as he turns me to face him, a small, seemingly nervous smile on his lips.
"Would you like to eat?" He asks after a moment of taking in my reaction, and I nod.
He leads me over to the table as he pulls out my chair for me. I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks and take a seat, smiling softly at him in appreciation.
I didn't know what to make of all this, and I didn't know what it was supposed to mean. he could have just thought of this as a nice, friendly, birthday dinner for me, and I didn't want to make things awkward by saying anything. It was perfect nonetheless, and I definitely appreciated it.
I finally let myself grin as he said "Happy birthday" and I looked up at him, nodding.
"It really is. thank you Alex." He shrugged
"You know I'd do anything for you."
I look down at the food he had prepared and it was clearly still warm, seeing as there was steam coming off of the soft taco shells. So what if I didn't get a fancy Italian dinner served to me like most girls would want on their birthday? I'd prefer a good taco over some gourmet meal any day, and I knew from experience Alex made the best tacos to ever exist.
I was beginning to question if he really had work today, because all this had to have taken some time.
When we are eating, it's not silent, it never is with us. We talk about everything that comes to mind, and I end up explaining to him several stories of my new companion, thanks to him.
After we are both done with our food he looks up, grinning at me and standing, seeming a lot more relaxed than he was when we first came to the table, probably because I wasn't acting all freaked out about this.
Oh Alex, good thing you can't hear my internal screams.
And let's get one thing straight. Those screams are definitely happy screams.
"Let's take a swim." He offers with a wide smile as I eagerly nod, getting up.
