𝙄𝙨𝙖𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝙋𝙊𝙑:
Will kissed me.

Will. My best friend since Year 7. The person who knew every embarrassing story, every dumb decision, every version of me I'd ever been. The one who'd seen me at my absolute worst and still stuck around. And now he kissed me.

I stood there, frozen, my mind scrambling to catch up with what had just happened. My face was still cupped in his hands, his touch warm against my skin, like he was waiting for me to say something. To react. To do anything.

But I didn't know how.

I should have expected this, right? Should have seen it coming? The way he looked at me sometimes, like I was something worth holding onto. The way he was always protective of me. The way he calls me his girl. The way he always seemed to know what I needed before I even said it.

But I hadn't let myself think about it.

Because this was Will. My best friend.

And I had no idea what to do with the way my heart was racing, or the way my skin still burned where his lips had been.

Slowly, he let his hands drop, stepping back just enough to give me space, but not enough to hide the look in his eyes hopeful, maybe. Nervous. Like he was bracing himself for whatever I was about to say.

I opened my mouth. Closed it again. Say something, Iz.

"I—" My voice came out too soft, so I cleared my throat and tried again. "I didn't see that coming."

A flicker of something crossed his face was that relief? Amusement? I wasn't sure. "Yeah?" His voice was steady, but there was an edge to it, like he was trying to sound more confident than he felt. "I'm sorry ." he let's out

I let out a breathy laugh, more out of shock than anything else. "That's a lie."

His lips twitched. "Yeah, okay. Maybe a little."

I didn't know what I was supposed to do now. We'd spent years building this friendship, years being us, and suddenly, in the space of a single moment, it felt like the ground had shifted beneath my feet.

But the strangest part?

I wasn't scared.

I should have been. I should have been panicking, overanalyzing, second-guessing. But instead, all I could think about was how right it had felt. How easy. Like something I hadn't even realized I'd been waiting for.

I swallowed, meeting his gaze. "So... what now?"

Will smiled, small and sure. "I guess that's up to you."

My pulse hammered as I took a step closer, closing the space he'd just put between us. His breath hitched small, barely noticeable, but I noticed.

I reached up, hesitating for just a second before I cupped his face the way he had mine. His skin was warm beneath my hands, his jaw slightly tense. Waiting.

Then, before I could talk myself out of it, I kissed him.

He stilled for half a second just long enough to make my stomach flip but then he kissed me back, his hands finding my waist, pulling me in like he needed to. And suddenly, it wasn't nerve-wracking or complicated. It was us.

His grip on me tightened, fingers pressing into my sides as he backed me up, never breaking the kiss. My heart pounded as I felt the edge of the kitchen counter against my back. And then before I could even process what was happening his hands slid down to my thighs, and in one smooth motion, he lifted me onto the counter like I weighed nothing.

A small gasp escaped me, but he just stepped between my legs, settling in close, his hands firm on my hips like he didn't want to let go. Heat shot through me, my pulse grew as his lips moved against mine deeper now, more certain.

I curled my fingers into the back of his mullet, pulling him in, chasing the warmth of his mouth like I'd never get enough. His hands slid up my thighs, slow and deliberate, sending a shiver down my spine. My breath hitched when his fingers flexed slightly, holding me in place, and God, I never knew a kiss could feel like this.

He pulled back just enough for our noses to brush, his breath warm against my lips. His hands stayed on me, his grip firm like he was still processing what we'd just done.

I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. "You always this smooth?"

His lips quirked, his thumb brushing absently against my waist. "Only with you."

And just like that, I kissed he kissed me again.