I paced back and forth in my room, while the thoughts were running rampant  in my head. I felt like a nervous wreck, thinking of all of the things that Catherine and I were going to do together on our special day. Maybe we’ll take a nice walk around the village, go sightseeing, have a picnic, and if I get lucky enough, maybe she’ll let me touch her breasts, or go even further than that.

 

Catherine really was a nice, attractive woman. She was much younger than me too.  Twenty-four, she told me one day.  I never thought I would ever get a chance with a girl that young. I mean, I’m thirty-five, and I feel like most women don’t want an old, washed-up guy like me. Especially considering the way that I look. 

 

It was mid-afternoon, and I had caught up on some of my studying. I’m able to speak a few small sentences in the Elf tongue, but I can’t say the same for the others. But still, for only studying a week, I’m making good progress. 

 

Now was the time to prepare for my date with Catherine. What should I do? It’s not like I’ve ever had a girlfriend in my past life, so I’m completely new to the whole romance thing. Hmm… What would one of those anime characters do in this situation? No, I can’t think like one of those guys. I have to think like a  real man here. Maybe if I do something nice for her…

 

Yeah, it didn’t have to be anything too flashy or special. In a lot of those cheesy romance shows or anime, the main character tends to go way over the top for the love interest. It wasn’t always that way, but it was like that in most of the ones I’ve seen. I don’t really have the slightest clue what a woman wants from a man, but I’m not stupid enough to go overboard and ruin what little chance I have.

 

Still, maybe women do like guys who try too hard, I don’t know. I sat on my bed, thinking of all the romantic things that I could do for her.

 

Maybe I should get out of these clothes for a bit. I tend to sweat a lot, and I’m sure that there’ll be more comfortable things to wear. Also, my head under my baseball cap gets pretty sweaty too. Maybe if I got a fresh haircut and shaved a little, I’d look more presentable to Catherine. 

 

But then again, does Catherine really care about how I look? I don’t think that’s the case. In the entire month that I’ve known her, I’ve never repulsed her. We’ve always had normal conversations like friends would. I don’t really think she’d care whether I changed how I looked or not. 

 

That being the case, I ultimately decided I would stay as I was. I think it was important to just be myself, because I feel like if I did change how I looked, she’d end up being uninterested. Maybe it’s the obese, unkempt beast that she’s attracted to. 

 

I thought some more, and then I finally got an idea: 

 

A gift. 

 

I think that all women love a good gift. The most common ones that I can think of are flowers, food, particularly sweets, and jewelry. I guess the things I can think of now are the things Catherine likes. The problem is, I don’t know everything about her, so it might be a little difficult to choose. 

 

I could ask Arthur or Archibald about it, but I kind of want it to be a surprise. I bet I could get a really nice reaction out of her. Luckily, I still have plenty of money to spare, so I could definitely go out and buy a gift for Catherine today. 

 

That’s exactly what I decided to do. I left my room and wandered out into the main room. I noticed Catherine delivering drinks to various customers. She was hard at work once again. Man, they should really give her a break, honestly. I think she’s the hardest worker out of all of us. 

 

I had a pouch of money in my pocket, and I quietly slipped away from the commotion. The day was still far from over, and I didn’t have to work until evening, so there was plenty of time to pick out the perfect gift for the fine lady. 

 

I smiled, getting a glance at Catherine before I left the tavern. She always treated all of the guests with kindness, and always sported a bright smile. She is what I would call back in my world, “waifu material.” 

 

I walked down the cobblestone sidewalks, contemplating what I should buy for her. There had to be some shop around here that would be good to browse. The only places I’ve been in this village were the tavern, the library, and the marketplace. I had a while to look around the village, so I guess I’ll just take my time. 

 

“Excuse me,” I say to a male villager passing by me. “Is there a good shop around here that sells antiques or special gifts? I’m looking to buy something for a special lady,” 

 

Asking around was definitely the best option I could think of. It would help me get more acquainted with the villagers and I’ll be able to find my way around much easier. 

 

“Sure,” the man nodded, “Try the old building at the end of the sidewalk there. I heard there’s some pretty interesting things there!” 

 

I nodded and thanked the villager. This was going pretty well so far. I continued walking down the sidewalk, passing by the various villagers. There was something different, now that I noticed it. No longer was anyone giving me any weird looks like they used to. Instead, they were giving me smiles, which I returned.

 

 Maybe it’s because since I’ve been in this world for an entire month, I’ve pretty much adapted to society. It felt good, because it feels good to be treated like a regular person now and then. You don’t have to worry about anyone judging you, and you can just be yourself. 

 

The building that I was told about looked pretty run-down, and it was made entirely out of logs. It was large enough, I guess. In the windowsills of the building, there were a few antiques, such as old goblets and chalices. They were the kind of items that a collector would definitely buy. 

 

As I opened the door, I heard a loud creaking sound. Yep, this place was definitely old. I slowly walked inside, and I scanned the room before I took any further steps. There were shelves of interesting things. Old dolls, furniture, and books. It reminded me of those thrift stores from my world. 

 

“Welcome to my shop, young man!” It was the voice of an old crone standing behind the counter. She was missing a few teeth. I have no right to call someone ugly, but my God…

 

“Oh, hello, ma’am,” I say softly, avoiding eye contact with the old woman. She almost looked like a witch. 

 

“Looking for anything in particular?” she asks in a helpful tone. 

 

I step forward, moving closer to the woman. “Yes, I’m actually looking for a gift. I heard that this place sells some interesting things,”

 

“A gift, hmm? Well, I’m sure you’ll find something here to your liking. If I may ask, who is the gift for?” 

 

“Ah, just for a special little lady,” I smile warmly, thinking about Catherine. 

 

“Well, that’s very romantic,” the old woman laughs. “Reminds me of my husband who passed away years ago. He’d always surprise me with gifts all the time.” 

 

Man, now I feel bad for what I was thinking about her. I decided to make eye contact with her this time. 

 

“So,” the old woman continues. “Do you have any idea what you want to get this special woman of yours?” 

 

“That’s the problem,” I chuckle wryly. “I don’t have the first clue. I’ve never really given gifts much before. Certainly not to a lady,”

 

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter what you get, right? The thought is what truly counts! Buy what you think is right. Buy from your heart,” 

 

Oh God, now she was giving me one of those motivational speeches. I feel even worse now. But you know what? I think that’s pretty good advice; I shouldn’t worry about how Catherine reacts to the gift. The fact that I’m even doing it just proves how much I think about her. I feel like she’d be grateful for it, no matter what I get. She’s just that kind of person. One of the reasons I adore her.

 

I smile and nod at the old woman and continue to browse through the shop’s inventory. There were fancy plates, cups and mugs, and paintings hanging on the walls. There were also small statues, as well. Everything in here looked like the product of fine craftsmanship. 

 

The one thing that took me away the most was one of the dolls that was hidden beneath some of the items on the windowsill. By no means did it look like it was in pristine condition, as it had a little bit of dust on it. I don’t know why, but it is really nice to look at. It was small, plush, and soft, and a happy, curved smile was stitched on its face. I think maybe the reason I was drawn to it so much was because the material the hair was made of was red, just like Catherine’s hair. 

 

It had a cute, light blue dress on it, and on the head, covering the doll’s red hair, was a small crown made from flower petals. I thought that it was incredibly cute. I smiled as I looked down at the doll. It reminded me of one of those vintage dolls that my mother used to collect. Maybe that too, was a reason I was so interested in it. 

 

I grabbed the small doll and brought it over to the old woman at the counter. 

 

“I think I’ve made my decision,” I say, gently setting the doll down. 

 

“Ah, an excellent choice, young man! I think you’ve certainly got the eye for things,” she says. 

 

“How much do I owe you?” 

 

“Fifteen copper pieces, please,” she smiles. 

 

I nod and grab the money from my pouch. It wasn’t as expensive as I thought it was going to be. I honestly expected it to be a lot more, considering that most of these items looked really old. Maybe this old lady wasn’t getting lucky with her sales, so she had to lower the prices. I was the only customer here right now, so business definitely wasn’t much. 

 

After I hand her the money, she hands me the doll in return, which I stuff inside my overall pockets. I think that Catherine is going to like this gift. I don’t know if she likes dolls or not, but I guess the reason I bought it was because it made me think of her. 

 

I smile at the old woman. “Thank you very much, Miss uh…?” 

 

“Gwendolyn, young man. Please call me Gwendolyn,” 

 

I nodded at her. “Thank you, Gwendolyn,” I say. “I’m grateful for this,” 

 

“Well, I hope your lady enjoys it, young man!” 

 

“Call me Steven,” I say. 

 

“Very well, then, Steven. You have a wonderful rest of your day, okay? I wish you luck and come back whenever you wish!”

 

I nodded as I left the building. I think I definitely will return someday. 

 

I have to say, it was a lot easier to pick out a gift than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be one huge dilemma, but it wasn’t. It didn’t take me long at all. I guess I have to thank that old woman Gwendolyn for her advice, or I probably would’ve spent hours aimlessly looking for a gift. 

 

I smile to myself as I walk back to the tavern, still thinking about the great day I’ll have with Catherine, and also her reaction to the gift I bought today.

 

I think that she’s going to love this.