Chapter 8: The First Kiss
1214 Words
It wasn’t forced.
It wasn’t stolen.
It wasn’t anything they both regretted doing.
It was something they both wanted to give.
Becca stared into his eyes for a long moment, considering.
“You confuse me.” She admitted softly.
Lee smiled a small smile. “I know.”
“No… I mean. I don’t know what you want from me.” Becca shook her head.
Lee leaned closer. “Nothing you won’t give me.”
And in that second, everything went quiet.
Even the sounds of their house faded away.
---
Becca’s words were less than a whisper.
“That’s not an answer.” She chastised softly.
Lee nodded in return. “It’s the only honest answer I have.”
She eyed him cautiously as if trying to decide if she should believe that or not.
“You could hurt me.” She started, afraid.
Lee didn’t argue that.
“Yeah, I know.” He agreed.
Becca didn’t know what hurt more.
---
She stepped forward first.
An inch.
Testing the waters.
Lee remained still.
He didn’t close the distance.
He didn’t speed towards her.
He waited.
---
“You know I don’t do this sort of thing.” Becca’s voice trembled.
Lee nodded, “I know.”
Her eyes bored into him, frustrated by his response. “Great. That’s comforting.”
He smirked lightly. “I’m trying to be comforting; I’m trying to be here for you.”
There was a difference.
---
Becca whispered, “If I stop… You stop too.”
Lee replied without hesitation. “Always.”
And for a moment, something inside of her heart unlocked.
---
Slowly, she reached up and brushed her fingers along his shirt as if she needed something solid to grasp.
Lee stood there perfectly still.
Silent.
Waiting for her to decide.
---
And then she kissed him.
Lightly.
Carefully.
Afraid that if she pressed any harder, the moment would shatter.
Lee paused for a second, taking the opportunity to let her give it to him.
But then his thumb brushed against her cheek, and he rested his forehead against hers.
They pulled away slowly, not breaking the contact but simply relaxing their lips.
It wasn’t dramatic.
It was silent.
Quick breaths.
Truth.
---
Becca stared at him, lost at the realization of what she had just agreed to.
“I don’t know what that means.” She whispered.
Lee’s forehead remained gently pressed against hers.
“It means,” He paused for effect. “I want to be more than someone who just shows up.”
Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment.
“…” She whispered.
Being Official Without Actually Being Official
They didn’t label it.
They didn’t need to.
But things were different.
Lee still came over, sat next to her on the couch.
Still brought her coffee in the mornings.
But now he also lingered after he sat down. Hands brushing her now and then and not letting go.
“You…You’ve been spending a lot of time here,” Her mom commented one day.
Becca shrugged it off. “I guess.”
Lee smiled at her that evening when she got home. Knowing she heard what her mom said, but not saying anything about it.
One night, Becca asked him, “Are we… like… official now?”
“What do you mean by ‘official’?” Lee questioned her.
“I mean… are we something?” She prodded further.
Lee looked at her, really looked at her. “Do you want us to be something?”
She paused.
Because no one had ever asked her that.
Not like they meant it.
Like it mattered.
---
“I don’t know how any of this works.”
“I don’t either.” Lee chuckled.
Becca frowned. “Great. That’s not reassuring.”
“You have to start somewhere.” He shrugged.
“I guess you’re right.” She replied numbly.
Neither of them said anything else about it.
But that was when they became official.
Without saying it out loud.
The First Small Change
It began with something so insignificant that Becca almost didn’t notice it.
Almost.
She was locked up at the bakery when one of her coworkers peered over her shoulder.
“I think that guy’s waiting for you again,” she said nonchalantly.
Becca looked up.
Lee was outside.
Same spot as yesterday.
Waiting.
---
When she exited the building, she smiled reflexively.
“You’re early,” she remarked.
Lee nodded once. “I wanted to make sure you got out okay.”
Becca c****d her head. “Okay… from what?”
He shrugged an infinitesimal amount. “It’s late. Someone’s still hanging around parking lots.”
She chuckled. “I’ve closed this shift for years, Lee.”
“I know,” he replied.
But he didn’t walk away.
Not yet.
Concern That Didn’t Feel Like Concern (At First)
Becca reached for her phone while sitting at a red light one night on the way home.
“I was thinking,” she said.
Lee glanced at her shoulder. “Don’t text and drive.”
She smirked. “Good one.”
“I try,” he responded with a grin of his own.
She paused. “My coworker asked if I wanted to hang out with him and some people after work this weekend.”
Lee stayed silent for a moment.
It wasn’t noticeable.
Just a second longer than he typically would.
Then he asked: “Who’s hanging out?”
Becca blinked. “Oh, just coworkers.”
“What coworkers?” Lee inquired.
She raised an eyebrow. “Why do you need to know who?” She knew that question well.
Lee maintained his focus on the road ahead. “I’m just curious.”
That sentence used to sound normal to her.
But now it didn’t feel normal at all.
The First “No” Disguised as Care
That weekend, when Becca was getting ready to leave the house, her phone vibrated.
_Lee: What time will you be home? _
She stared at it.
Then responded with: _Late. Dinner with coworkers. _
Seconds later.
_Lee: Text me when you get there. _
Exasperated, she smiled half-heartedly and typed:
_Okay. _
But when she got in her car, he had already dialed.
Becca answered. “Hey.”
His voice was level. Too level.
“Where will you be going exactly?” Lee questioned.
Becca frowned. “Did you not hear me? Dinner.”
“With whom?” he pushed.
She took a deep breath. “Lee… dinner with people from work.”
There was a pause.
Lee replied: “I don’t know your coworkers.”
The way he said it felt different.
Becca shifted uncomfortably. “I could ask you to meet them. You don’t have to just take my word.”
Another pause.
Lee’s voice was softer this time. “I just don’t like you spending time with people I don’t know when you’re out late.”
There it was.
Not anger.
Not yelling.
Just… control veiled as something else.
As care.
---
The tightness in Becca’s voice mirrored his own when she said: “I’m not doing anything I shouldn’t.”
“I’m not saying that” Lee quickly responded.
But she knew that wasn’t what he meant.
- Writer
