Something to Tell You…
Kaveh felt his cheeks heat as he walked down the Sumeru streets with Candace at his side. To his surprise, they were on a date; however, it hadn't settled in his mind yet that it was with a desert woman. It never bothered Kaveh, the specifics of the person he would choose to be with; in the end, out of all, it was Candace he chose. He didn't know what came over him at the time. Everything in his soul told him she was the one, all because of her rare, captivating eyes. He never found a beauty more rare than Candace's eyes.
Candace's smile was also calming and eloquent as if she were a walking art museum. With her, Kaveh could immerse himself in how beautiful her eyes were, complimented by her blue hair and alluring physique.
Kaveh looked down at their hands intertwined in a memorizing mix of white and brown. He never imagined how soft yet rough they were. Soft as in her skin, natural and pure as the blue gemstone on her necklace, but rough as if she had recently been alone in the hot desert storms. The thought bothered him a lot, the idea of someone being alone. But he felt she would scoff at the idea, saying she was never alone so long as she had others to protect.
The artist then looked over to the desert woman, her eyes closed and her smile as radiant as always. Yet there was not a single sign of embarrassment nor a blush. "Why is she so relaxed?" He thought to himself, hearing her soothing melody's warming hums, which caused him to heat up.
Feeling how hot Kaveh's hands were, Candace stopped and looked towards him with her heterochromatic eyes, "Is something wrong, Kaveh?"
Kaveh's body grew hotter as he looked into her lovely eyes, almost memorized by the combined mixture of blue and yellow. "H-Huh? I'm doing fine. Wh-Why do you ask that?"
"Hmm..." The woman scanned the man from top to bottom, adding more reason for him to be extra nervous. "You seem agitated. Are you worried about how other people see us?"
"N-No!" Kaveh shouted before realizing he didn't need to yell. Clearing his throat, he repeated with a lower volume, "No...hardly."
"You say that, but your eyes are darting around like a sand mole," Candace said, "Cute as it is, perhaps it'd be better if I let go of your hand?"
"I-It's not like that, Candace," Kaveh protested.
"Then what's bothering you, then?" Candace asked, staring deep into the man's red eyes, "Don't think you can hide it from me."
Kaveh felt his lips quiver under the weight of her keen gaze. Beautiful as it was, it struck a chord in his heart, causing it to thump loudly in his ears. Small droplets of sweat began to appear on his already red cheeks. "...I hope I don't regret this..." He thought before straightening himself up before her, "Candace."
"Yes?" Candace responded.
"There's something I want to tell you...but I don't think words are enough." Before he gave the woman time to question the meaning of his words, he pulled her in, grabbed hold of her waist, and kissed her on the cheek.
Candace's heart jolted, beginning to beat as fast as it usually was after a long run through the desert. Her body began to heat up, blood rushing to her cheeks as her mind focused on the sudden kiss and the fact that the man's arm wrapped around her, holding her close.
Kaveh hid his face from her gaze, hoping she wouldn't notice how redder his skin turned after the bold kiss.
Moving her hand onto the spot he marked with his lips, Candace whispered, "Kaveh...that..."
"Sorry...I know it was sudden and out of nowhere, but..." Kaveh said, finding it difficult even to form words, let alone the correct ones, to explain his actions.
"Oh my. Was I wrong in assuming you were embarrassed by the hand-holding?" Candace asked, a smile appearing across her face.
Kaveh's eyes widened as his blush grew deeper. The way she asked that with such a knowing smile began to give the blond-haired 'particular' thoughts. Words stumbled out of his mouth, but barely any made logical sense. The only thing he could recognize was how much Candace laughed at this moment. "Haa..." He breathed out, tired out of his mind of trying to rationalize things. "I-I'm not..." His mind fried on the spot, smoke coming out of his ears.
Candace chuckled at the poor state of the man before holding his hand close and kissing him on the cheeks, "Don't think too hard about it, Kaveh. I got the message loud and clear."
"Y-You did?" Kaveh asked, sighing with relief, "That's good."
"Still...if you ever want to..."
"Oh, wh-what a nice fruit stand over there!" Kaveh shouted, turning away from the woman, "Perhaps they'll have ripe ones today! Let's go!"
Candace's smile remained as she followed the man, wondering how else she would tease him. Although teasing and playing with a person was not something she usually indulged in, strangely, it was fun to do it with Kaveh.