Axel

March 8th is Women's Day. March 8th was surprisingly warm. Axel invited me for a walk without explaining why, and now I felt the spring breeze touch the exposed back of my green dress. We walked through the park to a small lake, and I wondered if this was just a casual stroll or if he had something planned. Stopping right at the water's edge, Axel turned me toward him and took my hands. In his bluish shirt and dark trousers, he looked unusually serious, even solemn, though the slight blush on his cheeks betrayed his nervousness. “Will you be my girlfriend?” he asked. At that moment, I realized that all my years of university (me studying for a medical degree, he for a police degree) and our acquaintance through friends had been leading up to this very moment. There was no investigative coldness in his eyes—only warmth. I squeezed his hands back, feeling the freshness of the water and the reliability of him.