I tried.
I really did.
But Autumn makes it extremely difficult to make good decisions.
The moment she said maybe she didn't want simple, something in my brain completely short-circuited. I lost all control.
Now I've got her gently pinned against the stairwell wall, one hand at the back of her neck, kissing her like it's something I've been trying not to do all week.
Which… it absolutely is.
Her fingers curl tighter into the front of my hoodie, pulling me closer, and that small movement alone almost destroys what little self-control I have left.
Autumn kisses like she does everything else.
Curious.
Bold.
Completely unafraid.
Raw.
There's something about the way she leans into it, like she isn't second-guessing herself, that makes it nearly impossible for me to stop.
Eventually we pull apart, both of us breathing a little harder than we should be.
I rest my forehead briefly against the wall beside her head, trying to regain some level of composure.
"This is a bad idea," I murmur. But damn it if I didn't want to do it again and never stop.
Autumn raises an eyebrow at me, clearly unimpressed.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
"Then why," she asks calmly, "do you keep doing it?"
I run a hand through my hair, already frustrated with myself.
Because I don't have a good answer. Because I want to keep doing it.
Because the real reason sounds ridiculous.
Because I like her.
More than I should.
Instead I shrug slightly.
"You're distracting." pft. Really? That's what I went with?
She laughs softly, the sound echoing faintly in the stairwell.
Yup, she saw right through that.
"That is an incredibly weak excuse."
She's right.
And the way she's looking at me right now definitely isn't helping.
"You're going to get me into trouble," I tell her.
Her eyes sparkle slightly.
"I'm pretty sure you were already there."
She's probably right about that too.