“Now, what we want you to do, is walk up to William, kiss him on each cheek and say, ‘Nice to see you again.’ Then take his hand and walk into the park together,” a cameraman said.
“Okay,” Holly said slowly. She was not liking how artificial this set up was. She looked ahead to see William, standing strong and tall, framed in sunlight. He gave her a small wave. She smiled back.
“Three, two, one… and action.”
Holly did her best impression of a catwalk model, placing one boot in front of the other and clutching her purse like her life depended on it.
“Hi Holly, you look beautiful,” William said, stooping down to kiss her. They pecked each other on each cheek and Holly put on her biggest smile.
“Hey William. It’s nice to see you again,” she said in a voice an octave higher than her own.
“You too. Are you ready to have some fun?” William asked.
Holly nodded, took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Then the two of them started walking to the park.
“Great. Now, just do it again one more time.”
Holly frowned.
“What?” she said, turning back to the cameras. She let go of William’s hand and the two of them shared a puzzled look.
“If it means I get to kiss you again, I won’t complain,” he said with a slight shrug. Holly blushed.
They repeated the greeting four times until the director was happy. Then they staged some playful banter and a carriage ride. William was a natural, even with the cameras hovering around. Not once did he seem wooden or shy. Nor did he pay any attention to his surroundings. Holly could imagine him in the midst of a tropical storm, with hundreds of people running around him, arms flailing. He would be stood with his hands in his pockets wondering what all the fuss was about.
It made Holly relax. She enjoyed sitting next to him in the carriage. He pointed things out and gave her commentary as the carriage did a loop. Holly tried to listen, but found herself in a daze. William’s words were floating above her head, not even reaching her ears. She hummed and nodded along, but was secretly savouring the moment.
Happy with the footage, the director allowed them to have a real date, without the cameras following their every move.
“Have you ever been in a hot air balloon?” William asked once they were alone. Holly noticed they were still holding hands and was surprised at how comfortable it was.
“No, but if it gets us away from people, I’m up for it,” she replied. William squeezed her hand.
“Agreed.”
They turned a corner and Holly gasped at the sight of a huge hot air balloon towering over them. A man stood inside and smiled at them expectantly.
“Want a ride?”
William helped Holly into the basket and the gentleman pulled a chain. A blast of gas sent the balloon rising off the ground. Holly clutched William’s arm and yelped.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights?” he said with a smirk. Holly gave him a guilty grin as she bit her lip.
“Only a little.”
William brushed her hair away from her shoulder and rested a hand on her back.
“Why don’t we talk about something to get your mind off it?” he suggested. Holly swallowed.
“Good idea,” she said. “How about you start. What do you do for a living?”
William chuckled to himself. But Holly cocked her head to the side and frowned. This was the second time she was missing one of his jokes.
“I’m a jack of all trades,” he said finally. “I design apps and then sell them on. I dabble in the stock market. And I invest in businesses.”
“Wow. Sounds like you’re a busy man,” Holly said. She gripped the edge of the basket and dared to look down. They had flown so high, the trees looked like broccoli florets and the people were like ants crawling along the paths.
“Yikes,” she said. Her palms were sweating now and her knees were shaking. William nudged her.
“Hey,” he said, and rested his finger under her chin. Holly looked at him and focused on his eyes instead. His breath tickled her face and Holly’s knees grew even weaker.
“I find it is always better to look up,” William said softly. Then he tilted her head upwards ever so gently. When she moved her gaze away from his handsome face, she caught sight of the fiery inferno burning above their heads. Her eyes widened in horror and she gasped.
“Nope. That’s worse. Much worse.”
William followed her line of sight and shook his head.
“That played out differently in my head,” he said. “I mean, look out at the sky.”
He pointed and Holly looked out.
The sun was setting and the sky had turned a delicious shade of orange. Cute fluffy clouds hung like cotton candy and a flock of seagulls crossed the sky, honking in the distance.
“Oh. That’s better,” Holly said in a hushed voice. The two of them stared at the beautiful sky like two lovers admiring an exquisite painting in an art gallery. William slinked his arm around her waist and Holly settled her head on his shoulder.
Being with William was warm. Comfortable. Like coming home after a long day at work. Her mind returned to Emily and their compatibility score.
“Tell me something,” she said, lifting her head to look at William. “If an app says we’re incompatible, why does this feel so right?”
William’s cheeks lifted and his eyes sparkled.
“I don’t know,” he said simply. “But I’m glad it’s not just me enjoying this.”
The two of them settled into a happy silence as the balloon descended to the ground once more. It bumped as it met the grass, knocking Holly into William’s torso. He automatically grabbed her arms to stop her falling even further. She looked up, her face just inches away from his. Kissing him would have been easy. All she’d have to do was rise on her tip toes. She wondered what his plump
