Sunday, 12:00 PM.
I woke up seven hours before the date.
My phone had a message from Sophie:
Sophie: "I'm still excited for today! 😊"
Gino: "Me too. We're still meeting at 7, right?"
Sophie: "Yes! Outside the Arclight"
Sophie: "By the way, the movie is in French with subtitles. I hope you don't mind"
Gino: "Not at all. It'll be interesting"
Sophie: "Perfect"
A blue heart emoji. That had to mean something good.
[DATE IN: 7 hours] [FINAL PREPARATION RECOMMENDED]
I spent the day in a state of productive nervousness.
A very long shower. I fixed my hair with the products Marco had bought. I put on the new clothes.
At 5:00 PM, I applied the Cologne of Desire. It didn't smell extremely strong. It was subtle, almost imperceptible. But there was something… magnetic about it.
[COLOGNE OF DESIRE: ACTIVE] [Duration: 4 hours] [Effect: +15% unconscious attraction]
Marco inspected me at 6:00 PM.
"Gino Morretti," he said solemnly, "you don't look like a virgin nerd."
"Thanks… I think."
"It's the highest compliment I can give you." He patted my shoulder. "Now go. And don't screw it up."
"That's very motivational."
"I said the truth, not motivation."
I looked at myself in the mirror one last time before leaving.
And for the first time in my life, I didn't completely hate what I saw.
The acne had almost completely disappeared. My jaw looked more defined. My eyes brighter. My posture naturally straight.
Not a runway model. But I was no longer the pathetic Gino from three weeks ago.
[Current Attractiveness: 38/200] [Significant progress from 23/200] [Keep improving]
6:50 PM.
I arrived ten minutes early, as planned.
The Arclight was downtown, a boutique cinema that screened independent and classic films. Elegant but not pretentious façade. Warm lights.
I stood outside, trying to look casual while my heart was pounding like crazy.
I checked my phone every thirty seconds.
6:52… 6:54… 6:56…
[STAY CALM] [Control your breathing] [Remember: she already wants to be here]
Then, at 6:58, I saw her.
Sophie was walking down the street toward the theater.
And my entire brain short-circuited for a second.
She wasn't wearing glasses. She had switched to contact lenses.
Her hair was loose, falling in soft waves over her shoulders, glowing under the streetlights.
She was wearing a dark green dress, simple but elegant, reaching just above her knee. A light denim jacket over her shoulders.
Subtle makeup that made her hazel eyes look bigger, more expressive.
It wasn't a dramatic transformation. Sophie still looked like Sophie.
But she looked… beautiful.
Our eyes met as she approached.
She smiled, a little shy.
"Hi," she said when she reached me.
"Hi." I forced my brain to function. "You look… amazing."
Sophie blushed slightly. "Thanks. You look good too."
Her eyes briefly scanned me, noticing the new clothes, the effort I had put in.
[SIGNAL DETECTED: Visual approval] [She notices you dressed up specifically for her] [+5 points]
There was a second of awkward silence where neither of us knew what to do.
The guide had been clear: "Establish physical contact early. Greeting hug."
I leaned in and gave her a hug. Not too long, not too short. Warm and genuine.
Sophie returned it, her arms wrapping around me for a moment.
When we pulled apart, she was still smiling.
"So," Sophie said, "ready for pretentious French cinema?"
I laughed, feeling some of the tension dissolve. "Totally ready. Is it very pretentious?"
"Truffaut can be intense. But beautiful."
"Perfect. Let's go."