Which brother should I choose

I stood astonished. I have never seen anything more romantic or cute in my life. I wasn't the girl who received big gestures. I was the girl helping the man to organize these gestures to their girlfriends. My friends. Whenever a boyfriend of my friends wanted to surprise them, I always helped them genuinely. But I must admit I always admired the girls who received such treatments, and I secretly wanted to have something like that.

But tonight, everything was for me. When Matt pulled me from my hand towards the beach instead of restaurants, I didn't understand what he was up to first. But, when he took me there, he touched a string in my heart I believe even he didn't calculate.

There, under the palm trees, a table for two was set with its perfect white cover and candles on it. There were lanterns hanging between the palm trees to slightly enlighten the table but not enough to smother the twinkles of stars above us. A rattan carpet was laid under the table on the sandy floor, and a service cart was standing with a waiter next to it. Red roses in high vases were circling the rattan carpet and rose petals were spread on it as well. Everything was perfect on this beautiful summer night. Everything, including the handsome man standing next to me as holding my now sweaty hand.

He sprinted forward and pulled one of the chairs for me. After he placed me, he turned the table and sat opposite to me. He took my hand and kissed the back of it. What a gentleman.

I took in the view one more time. I was amazed by the beautiful setting under the night sky and the beauty of the gesture itself.

"Did you like it, love?"

"Like it? I love it. Thank you so much Matt."

He smiled sheepishly. He was content to see me amazed I could tell. How I couldn't.

"This means more to me than you think. But you shouldn't have troubled yourself this much."

"I gladly take trouble if it comes from you, but this is not trouble at all, this is pleasure." he said.

I instantly blushed again. His smile widened to display the perfect dimples, and I found myself holding my breath. Before such a scene. Matt and his handsome face with perfect dimples, his eyes glimmering with the reflection of candle lights under the twinkling stars. I could have died in this moment as a content soul and never would have complained in after life.

He gestured to the waiter to serve whatever he had them prepared. The waiter professionally opened a bottle of champagne first. Not in the world I am drinking this, but I didn't say a word. He kindly raised his flute glass to me.

"To the beauty of tonight, of you." he said. I smiled and mirrored his gesture. We clicked the glasses gently and he raised his glass to his lips. I did the same, but I didn't sip it. I just touched my lips to the glass. I had no intention of losing myself tonight.

Then the waiter started serving the meal. It was sushi. I liked how Matt kept details about me in his mind, and had me served the meal I like most. I took a bite, it was delicious. But he didn't. He just watched me eating. He was looking at me like I was the most important thing in the world and if he just averted his gaze I would evaporate.

"Aren't you eating?" I asked.

"What? Are you after my meal again?" he said smiling. I laughed at this accusation. "Not tonight Matt."

"Why not?"

"You prepared a beautiful meal for me, you deserve to get enough tonight." I said.

He smiled again. What a view to look at. He casually dragged his fingers from his hair.

"I don't think I can get enough tonight." he said suggestively. I understood what he was implying and instantly my cheeks started burning. I avoided his gaze and looked at my plate. He was like this all the time. All those plays and implies, but when it comes to admitting what happened between us, he just acted like he did not remember it.

"I hope you can remember this time." I said. His brows slightly lifted towards his hairline.

"What do you mean?" he asked. I bite my tongue in my mouth. I should keep my thoughts to myself. "Nothing." I lied.

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"Love, what is going on? You know something that I don't know, and somehow it is bugging you. Could you tell me what?"

It started being really embarrassing now. Like I was eager to smear to his face what happened between us. Like I was the only one caring about this. I didn't buy it. I simply shrugged.

"Nothing. Nothing happened." I said as I was copying his denial. His eyes suspiciously darted all over me, but when he convinced, that I won't explain anything further, he released an annoyed breath and continued talking normally. We chat about light subjects like the beauty of the night, how both of us liking the seaside, growing up with siblings and about our ex-love life. Well, his ex-love life. Mine was a giant zero.

"... And she just threw the whole cake to my face when she found out." he finished a funny story about how one of his ex girlfriends freaked out and the night ended with a giant cake plastered to his face. It was a really funny story and I laughed my eyes out. When the story ended, my jaw was aching from laughter and my eyes were watery.

He laughed with me and dragged his beautiful fingers through his messy hair.

"And what about you?" he asked finally, when I returned breathing as normally as possible after all that laughter.

"About me?" I asked as I dried my eyes with the back of my hand.

"What about your exes? Were they funny, or bad, or good enough to make me jealous?" he asked.

"Well, none of those. I don't have any exes to talk about."

"What does it mean?" he asked, surprised. Damn! I felt ashamed. I was a grown up woman who had no relationship in her life. It was a real shame. I felt the creeping sensation of climbing blood to my cheeks again. "You mean they were that bad, you choose not to talk about them?" I huffed with annoyance. But I wasn't going to lie to him. I didn't see anyone before as a boyfriend and it was a part of me. There was no use of lying.

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"I mean I haven't had a boyfriend so far." I said in a small voice, smaller than I intended to.

And I saw his jaw dropped open. He stared at me with blank eyes and a dreamy look for a while, like a race of thoughts were going on in his mind. Then he shook his head slightly like bringing his consciousness back to the moment. "You mean... like you never... have any..."

"Yeah I meant that." I cut short. It was getting more annoying with every passing minute. I pressed the back of my hands to my cheeks in the search of some coolness for my now burning cheeks.

"I am sorry. I shouldn't act like a jerk." He said instantly. I raised my head and looked into his green ocean eyes, and I saw genuine regret in there. He paused a little to let the apology sink in a bit between us. Then continued,

"You have every right to decide when to have someone special in your life. It shouldn't be so surprising that a girl like you couldn't find a worthy man to share her precious attention so far."

I blushed again but for a good reason this time.

"It's not that I didn't want to. But I was always too busy to spare time for it, and men weren't so eager to create time to have with me. So, I ended up being alone. And now I got quite used to the feeling and taking someone into my life seems like a burden to me." I blurted out more than I wanted to. He nodded in anticipation.

He pushed his chair back suddenly and rose up. I watched him in a slight surprise to understand what he was up to next. Before I understood what was happening, the voice of a violin started to fill the crisp summer air. I looked behind him and saw a violinist playing a joyful dance song. He turned around the table and stood before me as holding his hand out for me to take. I took it without a second thought. I have never danced before with a man, except in the high school prom when my dad bribed a distant cousin to take me there. We only had one dance and he was holding me an arm length away from him while dancing. So, I was counting this as the first.

He pulled me closer to his body. I tensed with his touch but didn't cower back. I wanted this. I wanted to have this moment for me, and have its memory for the rest of my life. As the first night being dated out, the first gesture has been made to me and the first dance I share with someone that I actually liked.

I placed one of my hands onto his large shoulder, and left the other in his palm. He raised the hand he was holding a bit and wrapped his other hand around my waist. I was in his embrace now. We started slowly rocking according to the pace of the song. Cool summer breeze was caressing my cheeks as his breath touched my ear. I started losing track of time and place. I was flooding over clouds in an indefinite moment and in the arms of a man that I dreamed of more than I wanted to admit. With a last note of violin, he gently twirled me around and lowered me down on the arm he placed behind my back. Our faces close each other enough to let our noses touch and his hair tickling my forehead. He leaned in closer, I could have felt his breath on my lips. Just a nudge, a small willingness would do the rest. I was about to kiss him, again...