Kaden's Luna

“Your research must address the topic of providing excellent nursing care for clients of a variety of ages with various illnesses based on your learning of anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology.” Dr Eberhardt explains as we focus on the slide, taking down notes of our final assignment for this module. “You must also identify at least five drug reactions to these illnesses and recommend medication and suitable treatment. Should you choose to identify multiple medication to treat one illness I expect a detailed answer as to why you believe it would be beneficial.”

He stops to look around the lecture hall and asks if we had any questions. One or two people ask some and I also write down some more tips when he answers, believing that they will come in handy when I am completing my essay.

“Alright class, remember that I am looking for an understanding of complex clinical skills here. If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to contact me on my e-mail. Have a good day.”

I pack up my things and chuckle when Maddox releases a groan, muttering about how it’s going to take him years to do this assignment. Since our semester one finals are just one month away, lecturers are piling on the work and it’s hard trying to juggle a placement, assignments and study all at the same time.

“We’ll be okay, we just have to stay positive.” I smile, following him out of the lecture theatre.

“Yes well, my motivation is pretty much diminishing day by day so wherever this positivity is at, it better hurry the f*ck up.” He grumbles making me laugh loudly as we merge into the crowd of students.

“We have a month to do it so we should be okay to submit it by 10th December.” I reply, trying to remain positive even though I can see myself procrastinating.

“I hope you’re right Luna, I hope you’re right.”

“Where have you been?! It’s nearly one!” Eva yells as I walk in through the door.

“Um…classes? I had one till twelve today.” I reply, placing my bag and notebooks on the table.

“Need I remind you that you have a date!”

“Need I remind you that it is at three.” I retort, snickering when she huffs in annoyance.

“Get in the shower.” She orders, pushing me up the stairs.

“Eva, I don’t swing that way! And besides, I thought you were into Maddox!” I shout dramatically, laughing when she slaps my shoulder.

Eventually, I get in the shower after we decide on an outfit. Kaden had texted me saying to dress casual and Eva and I chose a floral dress, with a cardigan if it gets too cold, and some heeled boots since I want to be comfortable also.

I had waxed my legs the night before so I didn’t have to spend too long in the shower. After lathering some coconut scented shampoo into my hair, I use a shower gel before rinsing it off and stepping out. Drying myself with a towel, I put on my lotion and exfoliate my face.

Putting on my bra and panties, I slip on the floral dress and smile happily when I see my reflection in the mirror. It is a light blue number with pink little flowers running through it and I have always wanted to wear it somewhere after my mum gave it to me as a present.

Stepping out of the bathroom, I look up to see Eva smiling at me. “You look beautiful in that dress.”

“Thank you.” I murmur, walking over to the bed where she has set up a curling iron and laid some makeup products out to use.

She works on my hair first and I tell her that I want some soft curls. I don’t want to overdo it on my first date since I have no idea where he is taking me. She agrees and we chat while she works, wondering what Kaden and I will be doing.

Eventually, she finishes with my hair but doesn’t let me get up to see it. She starts on my makeup and I trust her when she takes out an eyeshadow palette with an excited smile.

Finally, she finishes and tells me that I can get up and see. I open my eyes in excitement and walk over to the mirror in my bedroom, gasping when I see my reflection. The girl in the mirror looks back at me and smiles when I do. It is me.

I feel beautiful and turn around to pull Eva into a tight bearhug, thanking her profusely. She waves me off and starts tidying up my room whilst I stare at my reflection in the mirror. My hair falls to mid back in soft curls and I love how shiny it looks whenever the light hits it. My makeup is kept light and simple with a dusty pink lip and the lightest of colour on my eyelids, noticeable only if you are standing close to me.

I am brought out of my thoughts when I hear the bell sound throughout the house. Eva hands me my boots and I quickly slip them on before grabbing my purse which I had already packed with essentials. Making sure I have my cardigan, I hang it over one arm as we make our way downstairs.

Just as I am about to open the door, Eva pulls me into a hug and whispers in my ear. “Have fun.”

I smile gratefully and nod before bidding goodbye and opening the door once she disappears into the living room. Kaden turns his head towards me and his eyes widen when he sees me. I blush and take the time to admire him.

He is in a button-down shirt with black jeans and shoes. His hair is tamed and brushed back but still holds that tousled look that he can’t get rid of even if he tried. But I love it all the same.

“You - wow…” He clears his throat and smiles gently. “You look beautiful Luna.”

“Thank you. You look very handsome yourself.” I comment, accepting his hand as I let him pull me out of the house.

We walk towards his car and he opens the door for me, gently guiding me to the passenger seat by the small of my back. I smile at how he is being a true gentleman, strapping my seatbelt on as he rounds the front of his car.

Glancing back at the house, my eyes widen and I let out a short burst of laughter when I notice Eva peeking out the living room window from behind the curtain. She sends me a sheepish smile before waving and disappearing.

Kaden opens his door and gets in, starting up the engine before making a U turn on the road. He drives out of the neighbourhood and turns to me at a stop light with a nervous smile. “Ready for our date?”

“I’m excited but, where are we going exactly?”

“It’s a surprise.” He shakes his head, grinning widely.

“Oh! I love surprises!” I laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“I hope you like this one then.” He replies, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous manner.

I tell him not to worry and assure him that whatever he has planned will be perfect. That makes him relax a little and we drive on into downtown Berlin. I try to discreetly work out where we’re going but end up confused when we drive out of the city again.

Nevertheless, I chat to Kaden about my day and ask him about his. The scenery passes by as we drive on, the sound of a Beatles song playing softly in the background.

“Okay, I need you to close your eyes.” He says after a while, chuckling when I shoot him a confused look. “Just do it.”

I smile and nod, closing my eyes and covering them with my hands with a laugh when Kaden tells me not to peek. I hear him park and then cut off the engine before getting out of the car. A few seconds after, my door opens and he gently takes a hold of my hand and pulls me out.

We walk a few steps forward with him guiding me before he tells me to stop, his hands on my waist. I wait until he tells me to open my eyes and when he does, I look up to see a large building ahead with ‘Aquarium,’ written on it with big, bold letters. My jaw drops before I grin widely, turning to Kaden with an excited smile.

“Half of it is an aquarium and the other half is a planetarium. I hope you like it.” He replies nervously as I turn to him.

“Let’s go!” I squeal excitedly, grabbing his hand and tugging him towards the entrance. “I haven’t been to an aquarium since I was a kid!”

He smiles widely, intertwining his hand with mine as we walk up to the booth. My heartbeat races when the familiar sparks and tingles greet me and I welcome them. Kaden fishes out his wallet, handing money to the cashier who gives us two tickets in return. We walk towards the crowd waiting to go in, a woman who I assume is the guide standing in front.

“I can’t wait to see the planetarium.” I turn to face him slightly, stepping ahead when the group starts walking into the dark entrance. “I love looking at the stars and the moon.”

“I realised that when you would spend most your time looking out the window when I would pick you up after a night shift.” He grins in amusement, leading me to the first glass pane of the aquarium.

I giggle before stepping closer to the round glass, gasping in amazement when I see fish of various sizes and colours swimming around. A school of light blue fish with yellow tails swim by and I point out the little one that was catching up. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Oh my god, Kaden look at that one!” I point to a unique fish as we walk into another room.

He joins me and comments on how different it is from the rest of the group of fish. It is entirely black with a yellow tail and fins swimming with a school of black, white and yellow striped fish. I watch as it swims up to the very top of the tank before swimming back down and disappearing behind a rock.

I see what are called Gourami fishes, Cherry Barbs and Angelfish. Kaden and I read off names of what is in the next tank, pointing to the Guppies and Swordtail fishes and spotting a school of Zebra Danio behind them. Those are by far my favourite ones since they are little, striped active fish.

We stroll from one darkened room to another, pointing out our favourite creatures as we stare at them swimming past us behind the glass. We are lagging and the others have already followed the tour guide onto the next rooms. I like that we aren’t rushing because walking through the softly-lit aquarium with no sound other than our breathing is calming.

“Look, there’s Nemo.” Kaden nudges me, pointing to a clownfish and making me laugh.

“We just need to find Dory now.” I tease playfully, reading the names off the guides as we walk past some tanks.

As we walk on, the tanks start getting larger to the point where they are taking up an actual wall. I gaze at the manta rays in awe before squealing and jumping back when a fish larger than me swims past, extremely close to the glass.

Kaden chuckles as he comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as I try to calm my racing heart. “Easy there, it’s not like they can get out of the tank.”

“I know, but they’re so much bigger in reality. Are these ones harmless?”

“They are.” He nods, resting his chin on my shoulder as he points at what I thought was a manta ray swimming past. “That is a blue spotted stingray.”

“Wow.” I breath out, listening carefully as he points out eels, yellow boxfish and giant spider crabs as we walk on.

I hurry to catch up to Kaden as he disappears into the next room. He stands close to this next tank with a big grin on his lips, calling my name. I chuckle when I see what’s behind the massive glass pane, walking over to him and letting him drape his arm across my shoulders.

“And this, is the last exhibit. The sharks.” He states excitedly, his eyes focused on the hammerhead sharks as they swim past.

“I’m beginning to think you only brought me here so you can gaze at the sharks to your hearts content.” I tease, looking up at him.

He laughs loudly and the sound echoes in the quiet room. “Dammit, you caught me.”

I grin, loving the way his blue eyes turn darker when he is near a tank. He looks down into my eyes and we stand there, staring at each other. I take in his flawless skin, not a blemish in sight. He has a dimple in his right cheek when he smiles but not in his left one. Midnight black hair falls into his eyes and I itch to run my hand through his soft strands.

“Luna…” He trails off in a whisper and I don’t think he meant to say anything further.

I smile gently and lean up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek, pulling away to see a soft look in his eyes. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

He nods, the faintest signs of a blush on his cheeks as he looks away and takes my hand, the tour ending as the lights turn on. Kaden tells me that at the back of this building is a Planetarium and leads me down a wide hallway to black double doors.

We walk into a large room and take our seats. Not many people are here and I’m secretly glad that it isn’t packed. There is a dome ceiling up above our heads which is currently dark. I notice a black telescope at the front and wonder if we will be able to look through it at the end.

A man walks in wearing a white shirt with a nametag, standing at the front before flipping a switch. The lights darken and the dome ceiling is suddenly lit up with a view of the stars. I gasp in amazement, my hand unintentionally squeezing Kaden’s.

“Holy shit.” I breath, gazing at the constellations in awe.

“Luna…” Kaden murmurs my name with amusement. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you curse.”

I gasp and cover my mouth with both hands when I realise what I said. We stare at each other before he lets out a short burst of laughter. The man at the front squints before glaring at us, raising a finger to his lips. We nod before grinning at each other, a mischievous glint in Kaden’s eyes.

The first constellation that the man explains is one of the Greek constellations. It is named after Andromeda, the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus in Greek mythology, who was chained and left for the sea monster Cetus to eat, and then saved by Perseus, hence the name; the chained maiden.

The next is called Aries, known as the winged ram with a golden fleece, sent by the nymph Nephele to save her son Phrixus after his father, King Athamas of Boeotia, had been given a false prophecy that he had to sacrifice his son to ward off famine.

The Centaur constellation is shown next and we are told that it is the half-man, half-horse hybrid creature from Greek mythology. It’s followed by a constellation called The Dove from the 16th century, introduced by Petrus Plancius. I listen as the man tells us about its meaning before he moves onto the next one.

I try not to think about the Harry Potter films when the dragon constellation is mentioned, otherwise known as Draco in Greek mythology. Apparently, it is a creature with a hundred heads who guarded the gardens of the Hesperides.

“This is my favourite one so far.” Kaden whispers to me when we are shown the Lupus constellation, also known as the wolf.

I smile at him and nod. “I like the dove one, but they’re all so beautiful.”

We both agree that the phoenix, knows as The Firebird is our next favourite when the man points it out to us. After that some horoscope signs are shown and we point out ours to each other.

As we move onto Asterisms, Kaden drapes his arm across my shoulders. I lean into him, secretly glad that there is no armrest between us so I can feel his body pressed up against mine. Warmth radiates off him making me sigh in content as I look back up at the domed ceiling.

We sit there as the Big Dipper, Orion’s Belt, Northern Cross and the Great Diamond of Virgo are pointed out to us along with many more. Many Nebulas and Galaxies are shown to us and I’m loving it. I’m so glad that Kaden brought me here because I have never experienced something like this.

As the show came to an end, we stand up and file out the door. Kaden grabs hold of my hand again and rubs the pad of his thumb across my skin in soothing circles as we make our way out of the building.

“I hope you enjoyed it.” He speaks, looking at me as we walk out of the exit.

“I absolutely loved it! Thank you for bringing me here.” I smile sweetly, looping my arm through his.

“Thank you for saying yes.” He chuckles, unlocking his car and helping me into my seat before closing the door.

I suddenly wish that the date hadn’t come to an end. I love spending time with him and although we have spent two hours here, it still didn’t feel like enough. However, it’s as if Kaden had heard my thoughts because when he got in the car and started the engine, he asked me if I wanted to grab something to eat.

I agree and in no time, we are driving back into the city, suggesting good food places we have either tried out before or wanted to try out ever since we moved here. I scroll through my phone, naming out places that we can go to and we finally settle on a Mexican restaurant.

After parking on Bayreuther Street in the city centre and finding the restaurant, we walk in and take a seat at a corner table. It has a rustic style with an easy-going vibe which I like. We order some tacos between us and a burrito each. I choose a passion fruit mojito while Kaden opts for a beer.

As we eat our meals I slip into a comfortable state like I always do around him. We chat about what we are doing tomorrow and he asks me what is my course like. I explain everything from my lab assessments to which profession I am thinking of venturing into.

He listens carefully and gives me all his attention which I like. As the night carries on, we dine on Mexican food with upbeat music playing in the background.

But eventually, the night had to end and Kaden is now driving me back to my house. He turns into the familiar neighbourhood and parks right outside house number twenty-four. Before I can even open the door, he is rushing around to my side and opening it for me, taking my hand and helping me out of the car.

I thank him before putting my bag over my shoulder. He walks me up the path to my door and waits there as I rummage around for my keys, taking them out before turning to him.

Only to find that he has stepped up to me and there is barely any space between us. My breath hitches as I stare into his darkened eyes, the now stormy blue making my heart race in anticipation. He tucks away a strand of my hair before wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Can I?” He asks in a low murmur, his gaze flickering to my lips.

I nod, unable to speak…unable to breath because I’m so overwhelmed with desire right now. He presses his lips to mine in the softest of kisses and I kiss him back with the same passion, sparks exploding and tingles dancing everywhere on my skin with delight.

His lips are soft, slightly chapped but I don’t mind. I feel his hand leave my waist to cup my cheek and pull me closer, deepening the kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck, letting him guide the kiss as I enjoy the pleasurable feeling that has overcome me.

Before it can go any further, we pull away for air and he rests his forehead against mine. He smiles handsomely and I almost swoon, unwrapping my arms from around his neck and letting them rest against his chest.

“Can I ask you out on another day sometime?” He murmurs, caressing my cheek.

“Of course,” I nod with a shy smile, feeling a blush grace my cheeks with the intensely seductive look he is giving me. “I’d love that.”

“Good. I should probably let you head inside now.” He laughs, pulling away making me yearn for his touch.

“Goodnight Kaden. Thank you for the perfect date.” I smile, unlocking the door and crossing the threshold before turning to face him.

He takes my hand one last time and brings it to his lips, kissing the top of my knuckles before letting me go. “Sweet dreams, Luna.”