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You couldn’t remember the last time you were this nervous for a date. Though technically this was not your first date with Marcus Moreno, this was much more of a proper date than when you met at the cafe a week ago. You picked out something nice to wear, but not too formal. You wanted to look good for Marcus, and also boost your confidence with your outfit. You felt like your choice was just perfect for that.
The plan was to meet at Marcus’ house and he would drive to the restaurant after dropping his daughter, Missy, off at his mother’s. He offered to pick you up from your place, but past bad dates told you not to give out your address just yet, even if this was the leader of the Heroics that you were with. The past was hard to let go, but you had high hopes for your future.
With a deep breath, you grabbed your bag and your shoes, flats for comfort, and headed out the door.
“Wow,” Marcus’ looked you up and down with wide eyes and an open mouth when you arrived at his door, “You look… Wow.”
You couldn’t help but giggle, “Wow yourself,” you quipped back as you shuffled your weight between your legs.
Marcus looked so effortlessly handsome in his button down shirt with the top button open, nice pants and dark glasses on his face. Without meaning to, the colors you both wore complimented each other and the thought made you grin.
“Missy! You ready?” he called out over his shoulder.
“Coming!” you heard a smaller voice in the distance followed by the sound of footsteps down the stairs. Missy stopped when she got closer to you and gawked almost in the same way her father did, “Hi,” she gave you a smile and a wave.
Suddenly, you felt a fresh wave of nerves wash over you. Not only did you want to impress your new boyfriend, but you wanted to make a good impression with his daughter as well. You knew how important that would be to him for the two of you to get along, “Hi,” you spoke in a cheery voice as you gave her your name.
“Ready kiddo?” Marcus chimed in and you all shuffled into his car.
Conversation with Missy came surprisingly natural for you, and you found that you had a lot in common with her. Of course you made the joke about how your style matched a child’s, but Marcus only found that more endearing about you.
“Dad!” Missy chimed in from the back seat, “Look, the fair is in town!”
You looked over into the distance where a jumble of lights lit up the darkening skyline, “I didn’t know the fair was this weekend,” you commented in a dreamy voice.
“Sorry kiddo,” Marcus said, “I must have lost track of the day. I’ll take you next time, I promise.”
That was when you got an idea, “What if we go now?”
You could practically feel Missy wriggle in her seat from excitement, “Can we?! Please!”
Marcus glanced over at you wide-eyed, “Are you sure?” This was supposed to be his chance to pull out all the romantic stops for you. He had the perfect table reserved that overlooked the city with an amazing view and the two of you would not be disturbed like last time. There were even flowers hidden away in the trunk for you too: your favorite after he noticed your reaction the last time he gave you a flower.
“I’m up for it if you are,” you replied back with a smile and a wink, “I can’t think of a more fun way to spend the evening.”
Missy squealed with excitement as he begged her dad to give in. You joined her with a teasing, “Please,” and a pout.
Marcus let out an exaggerated sigh, “I’m in trouble with you two aren’t I?”
You glanced behind you and gave Missy a wink and a grin. Truthfully, you were just happy the two of you hit things off so well right away and how natural you felt with her.
Marcus sighed as he put on his turn signal, “Alright.” He would just have to come up with another way to be romantic tonight. Not that he was annoyed at all, and he knew that there would be another chance in the future for a romantic dinner date with just the two of you.
Cheers from both you and Missy filled the car and you felt a little hand on your shoulder. Missy gave you a little squeeze which you took as a silent thanks before she reached for Marcus’ phone, “I’ll call grandma and tell her.”
“Thanks kiddo,” Marcus couldn’t help but grin. He felt the warmth in his chest as he thought about how perfect everything seemed.
Instead of a fancy candlelit dinner, you all ate various fried food from a basket and yet you couldn’t be happier. Something about being with Marcus and Missy just felt so right and it didn’t matter to you where you were. And soon after, the three of you walked off the fair food and played some arcade games along the way.
Marcus couldn’t help but feel like you belonged with him and his daughter. He watched you with fondness as you concentrated on the target game you and Missy played. The two of you laughed and he felt like the entire place lit up.
Just as you finished your game, someone called out Missy’s name and she turned to find a small group of her friends. Marcus knew by the look in her eyes that she wanted to join them, and he allowed it. The two of you waved her off with the promise to meet up in an hour.
You and Marcus were alone for the first time all evening and the nerves flared up within you again. You fidgeted with your fingers as you felt like a giddy high schooler with a crush again. He didn’t show it, but Marcus felt just as nervous. Also, he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. Before he knew it, he reached out and took your hand in his. You looked down at your connected hands for a moment before your eyes trailed back up to meet his.
The expression on Marcus’ face made your heart skip a beat. His eyes held such admiration for you, but you also saw hesitation in them. He swallowed hard as his eyes asked the silent question: is this ok? Once you calmed your racing thoughts, you nodded and squeezed his hand.
That must have calmed him a lot, because Marcus dropped his shoulders and let out a heavy breath. The two of you smiled at each other before you let him lead you through the crowd. Though there were so many people around you, it felt like it was just you and Marcus. And it was nice that everyone seemed to be so enthralled in their surroundings that no one noticed that Marcus Moreno was just feet away from them. For that, Marcus was grateful.
“How about some rides then?” he offered.
You leaned into him so he could hear you and savored the warmth from his body, “Sounds great.”
The two of you went on a few rides: the swings, the pirate ship and a mini roller coaster. You also dragged him through a mini haunted house, and he was quick to wrap his arms around you whenever you came across a jump scare. Sometimes it was hard for Marcus to turn off his hero mode, especially when it came to protecting you. But it made your heart skip a beat at how quick he was to protect you.
“How about that one?” Marcus gestured to the large ferris wheel in front of you.
You froze in your tracks and tightened your grip on his hand, “I’d… rather not.”
Marcus couldn’t help but laugh, “You willingly got on the pirate ship and you’re afraid of the Ferris wheel?”
“Shut up!” you playfully shoved his shoulder with yours, “I’m not a fan of heights,” you explained. When he opened his mouth to a playful retort of his own, you added, “I know what you’re going to say! You get that adrenaline rush on the fast rides. With the ferris wheel you’re just dangling there, you know?”
Your explanation made sense, and Marcus of course didn’t mean anything by his jab, “You know I won’t let anything happen to you, right?”
His words made your heart skip a beat as you looked at him wide-eyed. You almost forgot that he was an extraordinary man for a moment. To you, he was just Marcus, and he was perfect just like that. But then his words awakened something in you and you fought back a tear of happiness, “I know,” you whispered so softly that he almost couldn’t hear you.
“Forget it. We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Marcus replied in a light tone and took a step in the opposite direction. But you stayed planted in your spot and tugged him towards the ferris wheel.
“No,” you sounded determined, “Let’s do it.”
“You sure?” he never wanted to push you into anything, but the way you nodded in response told him that you were ok. Maybe you wanted to conquer your fear or maybe you wanted to do something for him since he did so much for you already.
If you were honest with yourself, you were still terrified. But there was something about Marcus that made you feel safe and protected. For him, you were willing to give it a try. You felt calm until you sat strapped into the basket next to Marcus and the wheel started hoisting you two up. He must have noticed your nerves because he put a hand over yours and held it gently. You met his gaze and couldn’t help but grin at the way he looked at you with such concern.
Suddenly, the wheel stopped with the two of you right up top. “Of course we get stuck at the very top right away,” you grumbled.
“You’re ok… We’re ok,” Marcus comforted you as best he could. He felt a tug at his heart at how nervous you were and yet you tried to put on a brave face for him.
You were quiet for several moments as you found comfort in his eyes. It was enough to calm your nerves and your eyes wandered around you. The view was nice from this high and you realized why people enjoyed the ferris wheel so much. “It is beautiful,” you spoke in awe.
“Very beautiful,” Marcus echoed your thoughts as he didn’t take his eyes off of you.
You didn’t see the fond expressions on his face, and before you turned back towards him the ferris wheel moved and jerked you both forward. You yelped in surprise and all the nerves rushed back as the basket you were plunged into the crowd below.
Marcus immediately wrapped his arms around you and pulled you in close against his chest, “I’ve got you,” his voice was soft against your ear and immediately you felt calm and safe again. You felt his heartbeat and paired with his arms securely around you, you had never felt more protected. And you never wanted to leave his embrace.
You peeled yourself away just enough to meet his gaze without leaving his embrace. The rest of the world faded away as you and Marcus stared into each other’s eyes for several moments before you both slowly inched closer to each other. Although you were right next to each other, it felt like forever until your lips connected. When they did, you swore your heart stopped for a second. Marcus’ lips were so warm and soft and his kiss felt like home.
With a soft sigh, you parted your lips in a silent invitation which he gladly took. Marcus’ kiss felt just like his embrace: warm and safe. You found that you never wanted to break away, although you eventually had to for air.
The rest of the world faded away while you kissed because when you finally broke away, you found yourself at the bottom of the Ferris wheel and the ride operator was about to interrupt you. A rush of heat ran through you from embarrassment, but Macrus just took your hand and helped you to stand. You did hear him stumble over his words though, which hinted at his own embarrassment.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he joked with a grin that took your breath away.
“Could have been worse,” you replied in a soft voice once you were able to form a coherent thought, “And you proved me wrong Marcus,” when he furrowed his brows you added, “That was an adrenaline rush.”
He burst into laughter and was about to say something when Missy’s voice called both your attention. She bounced up to the two of you and before long you all headed back to the car. Although this was not the date night that Marcus originally had in mind, it was still the perfect night. After all, he got to see you smile and be happy and your first kiss was better than he could have hoped for.
And Missy held on to the pictures she snuck of you and Marcus on the ferris wheel to tease her father with later.