“Thank you,” She whispered as she squeezed my hand. I felt a warm sensation spreading through me. I didn’t want to let go of her hand.
“Shall we check out the other shops around here?” I asked as we left the tea shop.
She nodded excitedly. Moving on, we passed most of the stores. But when we reached the bookshop, I stopped. “You want to see if they have something you like?” I asked, pointing at the door.
Sophia pulled me inside this time. She passed most aisles, and we ended up in the romance section. I never really enjoyedreading, so I just followed her around. She skimmed some before holding up two. “May I?” she asked, holding them out to me.
I noticed one of them was the first in a series. “Let’s take the entire collection. Then you’ll have a couple to keep you busy.” I replied.
She wanted to protest, but I walked to the shelf and took all six of the remaining ones. “I really don’t need all of them,” she said as I walked to the counter. Standing at the counter as they wrapped each book, I felt her lightly bumping into me. “You really didn’t have to,” she whispered.
Glancing at her, I saw the appreciation in her eyes. “Yes, we have to,” I replied softly.
We paid and left. I carried the books back to the car. As I placed them in the back, I noticed her rubbing her stomach. “Are we going to get something to eat?” I asked.
“Yes, that’ll be nice,” she replied quickly.
I felt happy seeing her enjoying herself. We headed to the corner restaurant and sat outside on the veranda. We had a delightful meal and conversation about tea and books. As we ate, I wondered what else she would enjoy. I had only planned this far and didn’t want the day to end. I was having a lot of fun. Seeing her so happy made me happy.
“Do you have other interests or hobbies except for tea and books?” I questioned as she sipped her berry tea.
“Tea is not a hobby,” she replied, smiling. “I haven’t had much time for hobbies with my work. But I used to paint, and I enjoy swimming.”
“Do you like sports? Have you done sports?” I asked as the waiter brought us the dessert.
“Not really. Sports weren’t one of my strong points. I spent most of my time in the library or at home studying,” she replied. I watched her for a moment as he ate her pudding.
“Why not?” I questioned.
Sophia laughed at me and rolled her eyes before answering. “All the sweating, being out of breath, sore muscles, none of that sounds like fun.”
“You know, there are sports that don’t include any of that. Slower-paced ones,” I commented.
She shrugged her shoulders but didn’t respond. So, I continued. “Join me for a game of golf, let me introduce you to sports.”
Her brows raised as she spoke. “You play golf?”
“Indeed, I do,” I responded.
“I know nothing about golf,” she protested.
Grinning, I tried to convince her, “I will teach you, you will see, it’s fun and easy to do.”
Sophia looked at me hesitantly. “Okay,” she finally replied. “I’ll give it a shot. But only because you have treated me with some of my favorite things.”
We finished our meal and left for the golf practice center. I knew a small one that would be perfect for her. As we got out at the golf center, she took my hand as she spoke. “I have never done this. So, please let’s do the easy ones.”
“I told you, golf is easy,” I replied as we entered.
Sophia rolled her eyes at me. “Maybe for you, who has been doing it for years.” She huffed.
Once we were signed in and had collected our bag of clubs, we selected a golf cart. I loaded the cart and drove usto the first hole. Parking to the side, I carried both bags to the starting pitch. I placed the tee in the ground and the ball on top.
“You can go first,” I said, waving her towards the tee.
She shook her head wildly as she spoke. “No, please, you go first. I want to see how you do it.” Her hair whipped left and right, her smile so gorgeous, I couldn’t resist.
Smiling at her, I pulled a club from the bag and handed it to her. “Hold this,” I said as I continued to pull one for me. “Hold it like this,” I added, showing her how to hold it. I moved to the tee and raised it behind me. As I swung the club, it collided with the ball, sending it to the greens.
