Pull yourself together, man. Come on, it's just a date!

Tormund takes one last deep breath before ringing the doorbell, his other arm hidden behind his back. He is feeling somewhat ridiculous. This is far from being his first date with a woman, and yet he does feel butterflies in his stomach, just like a teenager nonetheless. He knows this is not just a date. Tonight his date is with Brienne.

The fact that the magnificent Brienne of Tarth actually accepted his invitation to a play and dinner in a nice restaurant afterwards still amazes him. From the moment he laid his eyes on her at a rather crowded pub, he knew he was before the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. After a few beers - and a sip of his sour goat's milk - he felt brave enough to leave his table, walk toward her and flirt with her for a bit.

When he was about to touch her shoulder, a couple of drunk men bumped into them, making him accidentally spill all her drink on her. Tormund quickly proceeded to help her dry her clothes, apologizing profusely, whilst she insisted everything was alright, obviously annoyed. Then something, probably his homemade drink, prompted him to introduce himself.

"Nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Tormund, and you are," he had stopped what he was doing to gaze into her eyes. "Gorgeous."

Tormund will never forget the way she had looked at him. He had seriously thought she would slap him there and then. Feeling his chances with her go down the drain and completely mortified, he was ready to apologize for that terrible pick-up line and leave the pub, when, after what had seemed an eternity, she uttered her name in his ear. A wave of relief crashed over him,? and the rest was history: Brienne invited him to sit with her, they chatted for the rest of the night, swapped phone numbers and he promised to call her soon.

And now, after some texts and phone calls, he is waiting for an answer after having rung her doorbell, about to take her on their first date. He is dressing dark blue suit and trousers and a purple plaid shirt. Ygritte, one of his best friends, had helped him choose tonight's outfit. He had almost felt like a 16 year-old girl trying several dresses for her party.

The door finally opens and the sight that greets Tormund takes his breath away. Brienne is wearing a blue dress, which makes her beautiful eyes even bluer, and a nice black shawl. He is certain he is before a goddess.

"Hello, Tormund," Brienne greets him, shyly. "Right on time."

"Hello, Brienne," he replies, a little distracted by her presence. "You look stunning."

A lovely shade of pink taints her cheeks. "Thank you. So do you."

"Thanks. Are you ready?"

"Yes, let's go." After locking her door, Brienne loops her right arm around Tormund's left one, and he leads her to his car.

"Before I forget, here, this is for you." He gives her the yellow rose that has been hidden behind his back.

She smiles and takes the flower, bringing it to her nose to smell it. "Oh, that's so lovely. Thank you so much."

"You're most welcome, Brienne." He then notices a slight tremor in her arm. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little nervous, I guess. I actually have never been to a date. Not a proper one, anyway, so I don't really know what to do."

"Don't you worry about that," he assures her as he opens his car door for her. "Just be yourself and everything's gonna be alright. If it makes you feel better, I'm a little nervous, too."

"What?" she gasps at Tormund's confession. "You? Nervous? Really, you have got to be kidding me."

"Am not! A woman like you deserves to have a special night, and I'm intended to give you exactly that."

Brienne ponders his words. "Wow, that's not something I hear everyday."

"Allow me correct that, then." Tormund takes her hand, helps her enter his car and closes it. While he goes to the driver's side, he is looking forward to what the evening has stored for them.

Hours later, they are back at Brienne's door. Tormund does not think he has had so much fun with a woman before. Wicked was amazing, they both have enjoyed it greatly. Another good idea he has to thank Ygritte for. And dinner was simply fantastic. Food was delicious, of course, but they had spent their time getting to know each other, sharing some stores, a couple of secrets and simply enjoying each other's company. And the best part is that he had felt she was feeling more and more comfortable with him as time passed by. A perfect night in his opinion.

"It's been a wonderful night," Brienne announces after opening her door, still laughing at the last story he has shared. "Thank you very much. I've enjoyed it a lot."

"I must be the one to thank you, Brienne. I'm glad you've enjoyed it as much as I have." Suddenly Tormund's face grows serious.

"What's this face?" Brienne asks with a quizzical look. "Are you alright?"

Tormund chuckles. He is thinking how nice it would be to spend the rest of the night with her, but he decides to keep it to himself. No, not now. Perhaps it's too early for that. Instead he says, "I am. I was just wondering whether it'd be okay to kiss you goodbye."

"Oh, that." She pauses for a couple of seconds, then shrugs with a smile "Well, it certainly would, Tormund," she smiles.

He smiles back to her, comes closer, closes his eyes, but suddenly he is stopped by both her index and middle fingers on his lips. He opens his eyes and stares at her, bewildered.

"Tomorrow morning," Brienne adds, her lips forming a grin.

He blinks a few times. He cannot believe his ears. "You-you sure?"

In lieu of a reply, her fingers simply release his lips, before grabbing his hands and pulling him inside.

Gods help me, I can't believe this woman! Tormund eventually processes what is happening and smirks to himself, closing the door behind him.