Cassius's brain stopped working.
"What?"
"A date or a outing as one would say." Maria clarified. "You and me. Tomorrow. We'll spend the entire day together, do fun things, enjoy ourselves."
He stared at her, absolutely dumbfounded.
A moment ago, she was giving him a medical examination.
And now she was asking him out?
"Wait, wait, wait." He held up his hands. "You want to go on a date with me? Why? This doesn't make any sense!"
Maria tilted her head.
"What doesn't make sense about it?"
"Everything!" He gestured wildly. "One minute you're dragging me into a room secretly, the next you're checking my physical condition like a doctor, and now you're asking me out!"
"There's no connection between any of these things!"
But Maria ignored the question completely.
Instead she leaned closer, fixing him with an intense gaze.
"That's not what I asked you, Cassius." Her voice was calm but firm. "I asked if you wanted to go on a date with me. Yes or no?"
He opened his mouth—
