Connie gazed out onto the ocean, watching the waves tug the sand to and fro. Steven was supposed to be meeting her soon, and she simply couldn’t wait to see him again. Though they had only parted some time ago so she could go eat lunch with her mom, it sent her heart a flutter to know she was going to be seeing him again within the next ten minutes.
“Connie! Connie!” She heard him running across the sand and glanced up, watching as he waved to her and ran to where she sat on the beach.
“What is it, Steven?” she yelled back curiously, watching him slow down before he reached her, bending over to catch his breath. God, she really did love him. Wait, love? Since when had it changed from childish infatuation to love? She didn’t have too much time to focus on it, as he was yelling at her again.
“I’ve got something super important to tell you!” Her mind ran in a thousand different directions, and she hoped it was good. She couldn’t see his face to tell if it was a good thing or not, and the only real thing she could do was hope on the matter, but he had at least sounded excited.
“What?” Her tone was small and weak, and her fingers interlaced in her lap, unsure of herself at that moment. At first, he seemed to hesitate, looking to the side as he finally straightened up.
“I… I’m in love with you, Connie Maheswaran!” Stars danced in his eyes as he finally looked at her, and her heart skipped a beat. Had… had she heard that right?
“O-oh… Steven… I-I… I wasn’t expecting that… I…” she stammered, at a lose for words. He still seemed confident, though his smile seemed to be fading with each second longer it took her to get her words to work correctly. Unable to keep watching his expression darken, she glanced to her lap she took a deep breath and looked back at him, eyes hardened and thoughts clear in her head. “I love you too Steven.”
In that moment, he was the cutest she had ever seen him. His arms shot into the air, pumping wildly as he danced around in the sand. She couldn’t help herself, giggling at his antics. Even if she did feel about ready to do the same. “You’re such a dork.”
“That’s so mean!” he cried, as if hurt. Her eyes softened and she patted the sand next to her before he plopped down, his expression almost pained.
“I’m just playing,” she mumbled softly, and his arms were around her in seconds, pulling her closer to him. She didn’t resist, melting into his embrace warmly. Being around Steven always felt so natural, and he made her feel like so much more than the local librarian’s assistant.
“I know, I was just playing too.” He hesitated, glancing down at her for a moment. His cheeks were colored the same adorable rose color she loved so much, and she wanted to kiss him like no other. He was so cute. “So… Er… Connie, does that mean… will you be my girlfriend?”
“Of course I will, Steven!” she cried out, shocked that he even had to ask. The smile that stretched his cheeks next made her giggle, and they both quickly dissolved into fits of laughter.