The quiet of Lua's room was almost suffocating. Rain drizzled softly against the window, the gentle patter blending with the low hum of his laptop. Aki sat on the floor, notebook balanced precariously on her knees, while Lua perched on the bed, reviewing notes for their upcoming exams. Every glance at him made her pulse spike, every subtle movement made her skin tingle.
They had been studying for hours, and the proximity was both comforting and unbearable. A casual brush of arms, a shared glance, made her heart hammer so violently she feared it would escape her chest.
"Here," Lua said softly, leaning over her shoulder to point at a problem in her notebook. His fingers brushed hers, fleetingly, but it sent her body into sudden awareness.
"Uh… thanks," she murmured, her voice barely audible.
Lua's gaze lingered on her longer than necessary, red eyes warm, almost expectant. Aki's cheeks burned, and her chest felt impossibly tight.
The minutes stretched, silent except for the rain and the scratching of pencils. Each accidental touch, each soft movement from him, made her acutely aware of the space—or lack thereof—between them.
And then, without thought, without warning, it happened.
Lua leaned slightly, and she instinctively leaned closer. Their lips met. Soft, tentative, electric. A surge of warmth, emotion, and longing surged through her. The kiss was brief, gentle, yet charged with everything unspoken between them.
Her heart pounded violently. She felt dizzy, weak, and exposed, every nerve on fire. Lua's hands rested lightly on her shoulders, careful, grounding her, yet not overwhelming. The room, the rain, even the soft hum of the laptop faded away. There was only him, only this.
And then, reality hit like a storm.
Aki pulled back abruptly. Breathless, cheeks blazing, she couldn't look at him. Her legs carried her instinctively. She bolted, backpack in hand, running before he could say anything.
Her mind was a whirlwind. The kiss had happened. She had stolen it—the first kiss, theirs both. Every nerve, every heartbeat, every emotion that had been quietly building over the years now crashed over her in one overwhelming wave.
The streets were slick with rain, her soaked shoes splashing in small puddles. Her chest heaved as she whispered to herself between ragged breaths, I… I stole our first kiss… both of them…
By the time she reached the small park near her house, she collapsed onto a bench, shivering from both the rain and the intensity of her emotions. Tears mixed with the raindrops on her cheeks. Her mind replayed every moment of the kiss, every brush of skin, every heartbeat against his.
And then the realization struck her, sharp and unavoidable. Nothing between them could ever be simple again. The safe, bright, uncomplicated friendship she had imagined was gone. Every glance, every touch from Lua would now carry the weight of that stolen moment, of that kiss, of everything they had not yet said but already felt.
Her body trembled, exhausted, overwhelmed, and strangely alive all at once. She had wanted this, and yet, now that it had happened, she was terrified of facing the reality it brought. But deep down, amid the fear and the shivering, she felt a tiny flicker of hope. A hope that perhaps, in this new, fragile space between them, something extraordinary could grow.
For now, though, she simply let herself sit in the rain, soaked, trembling, and heart pounding, knowing that the world had changed forever.