A Single Rose

Warm summer evening, subdued light, two crystal wine glasses sparkle in front of me in the light of candles, and barely audible Beethoven's "Sonata quasi una fantasia" can be heard from the speakers. I feel so comfortable and calm, but at the same time, there is some incomprehensible feeling in my soul.

Suddenly, I noticed some movement in the corner of the room. A shadow of a man. Who is he? Do I know him? He walks towards me, and in his hands, he has two plates with my favourite dish: rib-eye steak with peppercorn sauce and chips for a side dish. I can smell the scent from afar. The shadow is getting closer and closer. I can finally make out his face in this twilight. Slightly chapped heavy lower lips, an unremarkable nose, thick dark eyebrows, but his eyes are just something. Brown eyes with a hint of amber-yellow colour beckon me with their attractiveness.

The stranger puts a plate in front of me. I smiled. His eyes are intently and mysteriously looking at me, and I cannot take my eyes off him. What is happening to me? Am I falling in love with this unfamiliar person? Suddenly, the unexpected but quiet pop of the uncorked bottle of Merlot forced me to look away from the handsome young man. I watch as the lip of the bottle touches the crystal and, in seconds, the deep red coloured with purple gleam liquid fills our glasses. My mysterious friend sits down opposite me. We raise our glasses, he looks at me, smiles and …

My heart skipped a beat. Time stopped. Where am I? Who is he? How did I get here?

Park, birds chirping overhead, I am sitting under a tree, hiding from the scorching summer sun. There is a book in my hands, headphones in my ears, calmness in my head, lightness in my body, but emptiness in my soul. For twenty years I have been on this planet, twenty circles around the sun, and I have never felt this lonely. I want love, I want romance, I want a first date, a first kiss, so soft and tender, but at the same time so hot and passionate.

I am still sitting under the tree, dreaming of something that seems so unreal, squinting from the sun rays that fall on me through the branches. All of a sudden, the sun is gone. A huge shadow hangs over me. I come down to earth, look up and see a man. He hands me a single rose with a smile and sits down next to me under the tree. Am I having a sunstroke? Is this a hallucination? No, everything seems to be real. We are sitting side by side in silence for a couple of minutes. I felt a spark between us, although during all this time we have not uttered a word. Then he turns to me and …

"Rose, dear, are you daydreaming?" said a voice, interrupting my thoughts.

I look around. Everything seems so familiar now. The voice belonged to that same mysterious person. But he is no longer unknown. It is the young man from the park. The man of my dreams is sitting in front of me, but this is no longer a dream. It is my reality now. I am on my first ever date in my entire life with someone special. With someone I feel like will love me, and I will love him back. I once again look at my date. There is a spark in his irresistible eyes. In my hands, I still have that raised glass of red. I take a sip of that velvety wine. Our romantic evening has only begun ...