Elke anticipated the day in Leeuwarden. The taste she had of its scenic architecture and beautiful canal promised a unique experience.

She was ecstatic to wake up from her troubled sleep to see the sun shining for once. Winter's heavy rain and icy chil cleared for one day, as if smiling on the fact that Elke wanted to wear something nice and flowery.

In a pale yellow dress that had a bow on its bodice, Elke tried to not sprint to the door when she heard a soft knock. Joost's preemptive text had barely arrived on her phone's lockscreen before he was out in the hallway. With her bag on her shoulder and her hair freshly washed, Elke opened the door with a grin.

'Hey!' she cheered and stepped out of her apartment. Joost gave her the space to lock up all while speechless at the young woman's appearance.

'I don't mind driving today. I know you know the area but you drove last time, so I thought you could have a break,' Elke said, putting her key into the lock. Her rambles went in one ear and out the other as Joost stood behind her. While he had opted for a polo, knee-length denim shorts and an across-body bag, Joost was taken back by Elke.

He couldn't stop his eyes from following where her brown hair shown from the limited hallway's light to where it slipped over her shoulders. The lace-trimmed sleeves and sweetheart cut of her dress left her collarbones and spotless chest on display. A few bruises blotched her legs, making Joost think fondly about Elke's clumsiness.

As Elke put her key away, she turned and caught Joost standing with dilated pupils. Her eyebrows rose and she suddenly grew self-conscious. If Joost's crystal eyes weren't intense enough, being under them without knowing what he was thinking made Elke question her dress choice.

'Is it... is it too much?'

'No! Absolutely not!' Joost's hand flew out to emphasise his words. Although Elke took his breath away, hearing the possibility that Elke would change out of the flattering dress ignited his voice again.

'You look-uh... you look beautiful.'

Outside Elke's apartment, the two stared at each other with flushed cheeks. Their casual neighbourly conversations had been so easy and natural. Even complimenting Elke's appearance felt like something Joost had been born to do. How could he not? She was stunning with her light makeup, perfect smile and effortless beauty.

And when Joost saw Elke smile through her blush and thread her fingers together in front of her, Joost was confident he would be complimenting her more often.

'Thank you,' she said in a shy coo. 'You look beautiful, too.'

Joost laughed.

Elke drove them to Leeuwarden with Joost's directions. He was pleased to get into her Swift and find that the seat was situated in the same position he had fixed it in. As he directed her towards the free parking, Joost had already planned where they would spend the sunny, warm day in his hometown.

The break from The Netherlands' winter brought out the locals and travellers from neighbouring towns. The main square was teeming with people and Elke felt like she was in Amsterdam; only with more families and less stoic faces.

'There's a bakery that I used to go to a lot,' Joost said as they dodged the crowds. 'We can have a drink and some lunch there.'

'Sounds great.'

Elke found herself in front as they slinked in between two crowds. While Joost towered over her from behind, his hand instinctively went to her waist to steer her towards the right.

She had to stop herself from letting out an 'eep!' at the feeling. Joost's hand cupped her side almost in its entirety and she was glad when she didn't feel it leave as they stepped out of the crowd. Joost stuck close to Elke's back and they arrived at the bakery that appeared to be widely renowned in the area.

Customers sat ouside at intimate tables and the display cabinet was being emptied at a rapid rate. Joost made sure to get a space in the queue while suggesting Elke choose something to eat. He watched her as she eyed the savoury and sweet treats, unaware of the multiple envious and admiring stares from the people around her.

Joost knew he was the luckiest man in the bakery when eyes followed Elke back to his side. She leaned close to mumble what she wanted along with her iced drink. Joost lowered his ear to hear her, making Elke's heart hammer in her chest. His blonde hair and fresh smell was even better up-close and Elke resisted stepping away when he straightened up to talk to the cashier.

Sitting outside, the two were situated opposite each other. Elke used her hand to block the sun's glare when it moved through the leaves in the trees above. Joost sat with sunglasses over his eyes, the bright blue never standing a chance at the brightness.

'I used to come here every Thursday after school,' Joost told her, eating his sandwich contently.

'I'm surprised they didn't give you a discount for your loyalty,' Elke said jokingly.

'They probably don't recognise me. I looked very different in highschool.'

As he talked, Joost brought out his phone to search through his camera roll. Elke waited as he scrolled and watched the people that passed on the cobblestone street. She caught movement in the corner of her eye and turned to see Joost holding his phone out to her. She took it, cupped the screen to block the sun and saw an old photo of some familiar faces.

'Oh my god,' Elke put a hand to her mouth that sat agape. 'That's you?'

'That's me; scrawny and pubescent.'

The photo was of Joost, Enzo and Apson. While Apson and Enzo looked as they did now, only younger and with remanents of baby fat, Joost's teenage self hung off their shoulders with a youthful glow. His platinum hair was swept to the side amidst the Justin Bieber/Harry Styles takeover. He was yet to dawn the moustache he currently maintained and his cheeks were hairless. With his tongue out and in a plain grey t-shirt, Joost posed in between his friends.

'Cute,' Elke cooed while handing Joost his phone back. 'It's good to see you kept some of your school friends.'

'We didn't really have anyone else. We weren't the coolest bunch and all three of us dropped out before Year 12.'

'You never finished highschool?'

Joost shook his head and Elke sat surprised. She wouldn't have pinned Joost as the highschool drop-out type. From what she had gathered, Joost was extremely intelligent and had a good head on his shoulders. But after some thought, Elke supposed that going into the mechanic field didn't always need the academic skill or mindset. Joost seemed passionate enough to teach himself about the workings of cars and grew his own knowledge.

That, in itself, was admirable and overshadowed the fact that Joost never finished highschool.

'What about you?' Joost leaned his elbows on the table. 'I bet you were part of the popular group at school.'

'Oh, not really. I was such a dork,' Elke said in embarrassment. 'I was one of those weird kids that enjoyed maths. It's why I went into finance.'

'Hey, it seemed to work out for you,' Joost held his hands up while shrugging. Elke agreed and drank the last of her drink in a loud slurp.

While looking across the table, Joost admired Elke in a new light. She practically glowed in the sun and Joost found himself falling deeper into his infatuation with her. Sitting in his hometown at his favourite bakery was a drastic change from running into her in the hallway or watching her from across the carpark at a car meet.

To think that he had nearly run her over in their first meeting was comical. He remembered her wide eyes and sheepish apology as she stood next to his car. Even then, Joost's heart had leapt when Elke bent down to talk to him through his lowered window. After meeting her as his neighbour, Joost had worked out that she had been going home on her lonesome that night.

'So, you were a weird math kid at school, you got into consultancy and you got your own place in the middle of Amsterdam. I have to ask and please, stop me if I'm overstepping here,' Joost preempted cautiously and waited for Elke to nod before he continued. 'How did you get involved with such a deadbeat like Roan?'

Apson's constant hounding to ask her about the man had bothered Joost. He didn't want to connect her to anything to the world that he and his friends were involved in. Elke was meant to be a safe space, one that he Joost could relax in and live the life of a normal 24-year old. But one question wouldn't hurt, especially when Joost doubted Elke would mention anything that would be of any value to their secret investigation.

'Well, I was out with my friend—you remember me mentioning Arabella?'

Joost nodded.

'We were out drinking in Leidseplein and him and his friends parked on the street of the bar we were at. Arabella was never a fan but Roan eventually walked over and... we got together a little while after.'

'How romantic,' Joost snorted and Elke glared playfully.

'You're just jealous that he didn't nearly commit manslaughter on our first meeting-'

'Yeah, yeah, whatever, liefje.'

Elke grew lightheaded. She said nothing at the nickname but felt its full effective in her stomach.

Joost waved his hand dismissively with a growing smile on his lips. He leaned his cheek against his fist as his elbow propped up on the table. He didn't regret his words and Elke liked seeing his straight teeth as he let out a giggle.

After their lunch, Joost took Elke to one of Leeuwarden's many canals. He told her about how he and Apson broke into a nearby construction site when they were teenagers. They walked past the finished building and Joost recalled how him and the curly-haired man hopped the fence. Elke shook her head in astonishment, imagining the lively Joost and Apson she had seen on his phone screen running from security.

Their height difference made it so that any uncoordination resulted in the side of Elke's head colliding with Joost's shoulder. After the second apology, Joost found a way to keep their steps insync.

The dry, rough skin of Joost's tattooed fingers brushed against Elke's. It took one touch of her soft palm for him to slide his digits in from behind.

In a moment of bliss, Joost felt Elke's fingers fall over his knuckles. A warmth burst from his chest and he daringly squeezed the petite hand that was swallowed by his large one.

'Look!' Elke's gasp pulled Joost from his lonesome celebration. They had arrived at the canal where barges bopped against the bricked walls. But it wasn't the colourful boats that Elke pointed at with her free hand.

The Mallard duck quacked as it walked towards the canal. It's webbed feet slapped against the cobblestone and Elke watched in awe. What the locals saw everyday was something surreal for the city dweller. She had never been so close to the animal the plushie on her bed inspired and her face was alight with twinkling eyes and balled cheeks.

As the duck hopped into the water, Elke pulled Joost to the edge to watch. It joined other Mallards as well as other species and kicked its legs to stream between the barges. Joost took little notice of the birds as Elke's reaction drew all his attention. He wanted to pinch at Elke's cheeks and take a picture of her with the sun on her hair, the canal in the background and her face smiling for his lockscreen.

'They're so cute,' Elke cooed. 'I want one.'

'You want a duck?' Joost questioned and she hummed in reply. Her infatuation with the quacking birds distracted her from Joost's stare. His eyes ran all over her side profile and the pad of his thumb caressed Elke's knuckle. The affectionate act made Elke turn, growing Joost's smile even more at the sight of her soft features .

'I'll get you one.'

'Really?' Elke melted. 'You would kidnap a duck for me?'

'I think I would do anything for you, Elke.'

There was no hint of a lie in Joost's voice. Elke was taken back at the intensity of the claim and was at Joost's mercy. Their entwined hands made it easy for him to pull Elke to face him. Reaching up to cup her cheek, Joost was lost in Elke's eyes. He lowered down, bent his neck and brushed his nose against hers.

Elke didn't dare move. Joost's thumb stroked her cheek as his fingers ghosted the space below and behind her ear. She could have leapt into the canal with the restlessness in her limbs. She had been unsure whether this was what she wanted, but when she saw his blonde lashes up-close and heard his shaky exhale, Elke was beyond uncertainty.

As their eyes fluttered shut, Joost kissed Elke with a tenderness she had never experienced before.