“I was saved when I was fifteen years old. I grew up going to church as the church and state are hardly separate entities when it comes to our country. Though, my faith didn’t become my own until I was fifteen, when I truly realized what sin was and recognized my need of a perfect Savior.”
“I was nineteen,” I say as I squat to play with the leaves of a young sweet shrub. “Though I always followed a Christian moral compass, I didn’t actually surrender my life to Christ until I was nineteen. I had thought that I had proclaimed Christ as my Savior before, but I forgot to proclaim Him as my Lord. Conviction swept over me, and I decided that I couldn’t navigate this life without His leadership and guidance.”
He squats down beside me; heat radiates from his closeness as he reaches to touch the leaves of the shrub. “I think that’s a commonoccurrence with people who have grown up in the church. That’s what happened with my sister, Astrid.”
“She’s twenty-one, right?”
“Indeed. And my older brother, Johan, is—”
“Thirty-two,” I finish for him, and then I realize what I did. I stand and offer a sheepish apology before stating, “I may have searched you after that first date. I wanted to make sure you were good enough for my sister.”
He laughs, standing. “That’s normal. So,” he trails off for a moment, “you must have seen my title of Prince of Hearts.”
“Yeah,” I say with the scrunch of my nose as we continue to walk. “About that. I figured it was fine. People date, and they date often. My sister is one of those people, which is why I thought your dating history didn’t matter. She probably has a list as long as yours. But me… I’ve never had a boyfriend as you already know.”
“Does it bother you?”
We turn down a lesser-walked path, stepping over fallen branches as I lead us deeper into the woods. “A little? If I’m being honest. It’s not that you’ve dated a lot; it’s that I haven’t. You’re experienced, and I am… not.”
“Are you worried that you won’t measure up?”
The bluntness of the question catches me off-guard, and as I turn to look at him, my sneaker gets caught between two limbs. My ankle pops, and I tumble backwards towards the ground, closing my eyes to prepare for impact.
But the impact never comes.
Instead, I open my eyes to see Finley’s perfect face mere inches from mine, his breath, which smells of peppermint tea, wafts overme as he releases a breath of relief and begins to lift me up from the dip he held me in. If we were on a dance floor, we would have received a ten out of ten for perfect execution.
Once I’m stable and on my feet, he drops his hands from my back.
“You okay?” he asks, his head tilted as he examines me.
“I’m fine,” I lie. Okay, on the surface, Iamfine. But on the inside, my heart has decided to compete with racehorses and my nerves buzz with a strange desire for more. More of Finley’s hands on my back. More of his closeness.
S-T-R-A-N-G-E.
I don’t ever desire those things. Ever.
“So, is that your worry? That you won’t measure up?”
I shake my head clear, which he must assume is me saying no.
“Then what is it?” he asks.
“No, it is that. I think. Maybe also that I might be naive to dating norms and will embarrass you one day.”
“Not a chance, Leilei.” Finley’s eyes are a blazing blue fire as he steps closer to me, lifting his hands as if he is going to place them on my biceps. “Is this okay?”
I nod, swallowing any hesitancy. Idowant to feel his hands on me again. And the feeling of being set on fire overwhelms me as he plants his hands on my biceps and tugs me closer to him. Again… mere inches between us as I tilt my head up and he tilts his down. I stand like a statue. Waiting. Though I don’t know what I’m waiting for. And I may crumble before long.
“You could never embarrass me. You are brave, kind, gentle, sweet, intelligent, cute,” his gaze trails to my lips, “arresting.” Hebounces back to my eyes. “You could fall flat on your face in the middle of a ball, and I would help you to your feet, make sure you are okay, and kiss your cheek. You could become overstimulated while in the midst of a state dinner, and I would whisk you off to a private room where you could decompress however you need to. You could,” he grins wickedly, “flatulate in the middle of a church service while everyone is bowing their heads in prayer, and I would rank it on a scale of one to ten with a sultry whisper in your ear.”
At that, I shove him away and laugh, a blush warming my cheeks and a bit of anxiety creeping in at the thought of that. I shudder, dismissing the thought. “I would never!”
“Never say never, Leilei. Stomach problems hit everyone at the most inconvenient of times.”
I laugh some more and he joins in, the sound echoing off the trees around us. “Has that happened to you or something?”
He grins. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
