Chapter 13: The First Kiss
I heard my own heartbeat thundering in my ears as I parted my lips, pulse racing beneath my skin.
“…Yes,” I whispered, the word barely audible even to myself.
The filter pressed against my mouth, still damp from his lips. I could taste him already–mint and desire and something uniquely Alex. The shared cigarette felt more intimate than it had any right to be, this simple object connecting us. The next second, his warm thumb tilted my chin up with gentle pressure, his touch sending sparks cascading down my spine. As the cool menthol rushed into my mouth, his lips followed–soft yet insistent, tentative yet confident all at once. The contrasting sensations overwhelmed me–the icy burn of menthol against the heat of his mouth, the crisp mountain air against our warming skin.
As he stole my breath away, I instinctively leaned back, overcome by the intensity. My hands found his wrists, gripping them like anchors in a storm. I could feel his pulse racing beneath my fingertips, matching the frantic tempo of my own. My cold fingers pressed against the warm skin over his blue sapphire watch face. The contrast of temperatures sent another shiver through me. Alex gently but firmly took my hand, threading his fingers through mine one by one–pinky, ring, middle, index–until our hands were completely interlocked, palms pressed together, sharing heat.
Outside, the meteors grew more and more brilliant, streaking across the velvet sky in flashes of silver–white light, almost desperately bright. They seemed to mirror the sparks igniting behind my closed eyelids as Alex deepened the kiss. His free hand moved to cup the back of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair, holding me
steady as his tongue traced the seam of my lips, requesting entrance.
I opened to him with a soft sigh that seemed to electrify him. His grip tightened in
my hair, angling my head to deepen the kiss further. The blanket slipped from my
shoulders, but I couldn’t feel the cold–not with the heat building between us, threatening to consume me from the inside out.
His tongue swept away the moisture at the corner of my mouth, exploring with
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slow, deliberate strokes that made me tremble. I tasted smoke and sweetness, and underneath it all, pure Alex. A small sound escaped me–half sigh, half moan–and I felt him smile against my lips.
His damp temple brushed my burning ear as he pulled back just enough to look at me, his breath coming in quick pants that matched my own. In the glow from the meteor shower, his eyes were almost black with desire, focused on me with an intensity that made me feel like the only woman in the world.
“…So,” he murmured, voice rough and low, “what are we now?”
I nervously countered, fingers still intertwined with his, afraid to break the physical connection between us. “What do you think?”
“Does my opinion count?” Alex smiled, the expression transforming his face into something so beautiful it almost hurt to look at. He leaned down to nip gently at my bottom lip, soothing the tiny sting with a soft kiss that made my toes curl. “Then I think I’m your boyfriend now.”
His thumb traced lazy patterns on my palm, sending tingles up my arm. The meteors continued their dance above us, reflecting in his eyes as he gazed at me. “If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes,” he whispered, his free hand trailing down my neck, across my collarbone, coming to rest over my thundering heart. Even through my sweater, I could feel the heat of his palm branding me. Words failed me, so I answered the only way I could–by pulling him back to me, my lips finding his with newfound boldness, telling him without words everything my racing heart wanted to say.
My phone suddenly rang loudly. I fumbled for it, accidentally hitting the
speakerphone button.
The voice that came through instantly cooled my heated breathing,
“Autumn, why aren’t you here yet?”
My mind went blank. “What?”
Jake’s voice dropped a notch. “It’s my birthday. Don’t tell me you forgot?” Only then did I suddenly remember that today was Jake’s birthday.
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In the past, his birthday had been the most important date on my calendar. I’d
start picking out his gift months in advance, planning surprises.
But this time, I’d completely forgotten.
Feeling awkward, I could only tell the truth: “Sorry, I forgot.”
Jake was clearly unhappy. “Forget the gift. Just come over to my place. I’ve got food, snacks, and movies all ready. I’m waiting for you.”
In previous years, Jake and I had always celebrated his birthday together–a nice meal, some drinks, conversation, then watching movies on his couch or going out
to a theater.
Nothing extravagant, but back then, I’d thought it was all the happiness in the
world.
I frowned slightly. “You have a girlfriend now. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to
come.
“I’ll skip this year. You celebrate with Olivia.”
“Autumn, the meteor shower’s almost over,” Alex said, nudging me impatiently
when I didn’t hang up.
The moment Jake heard his voice, he fell silent.
After an excruciating pause, his bitter laugh echoed through the room.
“Autumn, is it inappropriate because I have a girlfriend, or because you don’t want
to come?”
sighed. “I really am with Alex right now and can’t make it. Happy birthday. I’ll get you a gift later.”
Jake suddenly raised his voice, as if his pent–up anger could no longer be
contained.
“Alex, Alex, Alex–it’s always about Alex!
“Is he that important to you? We’ve known each other for how many years? You’ve known him for what, a few days? Is he more important than me now?”
I suddenly found it absurd.
I didn’t understand why Jake was angry. We were all adults–didn’t he know to maintain distance from opposite–sex friends after getting into a relationship?
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?
Or was he deliberately playing dumb, wanting to have Olivia while keeping his ambiguous friendship with me?
I suddenly felt like I’d never known him at all.
If Jake simply didn’t love me and had drawn clear boundaries, I’d have been heartbroken but not this upset.
But now his behavior made me feel almost disgusted.
“Of course,” I replied calmly. “He’s my boyfriend.”
After a suffocating silence, Jake seemed to squeeze out a few words with great difficulty:
“… You two are together?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “Isn’t that what you wanted when you introduced us? Well, wish granted.” –
I felt a sudden malicious satisfaction and couldn’t help smiling. “He really is as great as you said. I should thank you–how else would I have found such a perfect boyfriend?”
Alex took the phone, his voice cheerful. “Thanks, man. We’ll take you out for dinner
when we get back.”
Three seconds later, the phone was abruptly hung up, the dial tone angrily echoing
through the room.
I stared at my phone, lost in thought, until Alex wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t get distracted. The meteor shower’s almost over.”
I put down the phone and leaned against him.
“Okay.”
