"Hey Kou?" She extends her hand, fingers wiggling just a little. "Hold my hand, please." Followed by a smile, she inches just a little closer. "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
His gaze followed her hand when she extended it towards him. The thought of holding her hand had occurred. Several times, actually. Though he was just reluctant because he didn't know if that was stepping over the line. He didn't want to make things awkward. Yeah, he was still at that stage.
The stage where everything he did felt stupid and every little thing he said was ridiculous, compared to how endearing Maddie's mere existence was. He didn't stand a chance. Cheeks flushed red, though he blamed it on the cold, it was more of embarrassment. His heart was beating like crazy, fluttering. Kou tried concealing how happy he felt the small gesture, but to no avail. It was shining through.
“You don’t need to ask.” He took her hand in his, shyly avoiding her eyes.