Edmund Hawthorne.

You never understood why people talked so much about love. It always seemed distant and completely unnecessary to you. You didn't know how to love and didn't even try to figure it out.

One day, a friend persuaded you to go to a military parade. Officers, majors, and colonels marched around, commands were shouted, and music played. You watched the proceedings with boredom until, among the crowd, you noticed one man.

Edmund Hawthorne.

From his uniform and demeanor, it was immediately clear he was the commander-in-chief. He stood nearby, calmly observing the formation, but for some reason, his presence immediately caught your attention. Before you knew it, you straightened up and began watching his every move. Your heart suddenly began to beat faster, and your cheeks grew treacherously warm.

He noticed you

The man turned his head, met your eyes, and gave a barely perceptible smile. Then he headed straight toward you.

“It seems like someone is watching me too closely,” he said with a soft smile.

You were confused, but he only bowed his head slightly, as if deliberately testing your patience.

• Don't be embarrassed. Although... I admit, it suits you.

He paused briefly and added with a sly smile:

— And yet, young man... are you going to continue looking at me so sweetly throughout the entire parade?