The Kiss
938 Words
Cole
Cole stopped walking and turned toward Alyssa. He reached up slowly, hand hovering just shy of her cheek.
She flinched, taking a small step back before she could stop herself.
“Are you okay? I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Alyssa shook her head quickly. “No—it’s okay. I’m sorry. You just caught me off guard.”
Her voice was quiet, steady but guarded.
“I wasn’t in the best relationship before,” she added. “Things happened. I got hurt. I just… don’t want to talk about it. Not tonight. It’s been a good night, and I don’t want to ruin it.”
Cole nodded once. “You didn’t ruin anything.”
They fell into step again, the silence between them calm now, not awkward.
After a moment, she glanced sideways. “Most people ask questions.”
“I’m not most people.”
He saw a faint smile touch her lips. “No. You’re not.”
The city stretched around them, quiet, rain-slicked, the glow of street lamps soft against the pavement. Cars passed in the distance, their reflections bleeding over puddles like smudged paint. Somewhere, a dog barked once, then went silent.
Cole spoke again, voice low. “You don’t owe me details. I just want you to feel safe.”
“I do,” she said. “It’s strange. I don’t know you, but… I don’t feel nervous around you. Just surprised. That’s all.”
He looked over at her. “Surprises I can work with.”
She let out a breath, lighter now. Her shoulders relaxed just a fraction.
They reached her building. The porch light flickered softly above them, casting a golden glow that pooled around their feet. Alyssa slowed, then stopped at the top step, turning to face him.
Cole didn’t speak right away. His gaze moved over her face, lingering on the way her damp hair curled at the edges, the way her lips pressed together in that small, unreadable smile. She was beautiful in a quiet way,like dusk. Soft, familiar, fleeting.
“I had a great time tonight,” she said quietly.
“So did I.” He paused, then took a breath. “Would you want to do it again? Dinner. A walk. Something.”
Her eyes flicked to his, warm and searching. “Yeah,” she said, soft but sure. “I’d like that.”
A beat passed. The air between them shifted, charged, slow, thick with something neither of them had fully named.
Cole stepped a little closer. “Alyssa…”
She didn’t move. Didn’t look away.
He reached for her again, slower this time, giving her the chance to pull back but she didn’t. His hand cupped her jaw gently, thumb brushing her cheek.
Then he kissed her.
It wasn’t rushed or careless. It was warm and deep. A slow unraveling of restraint. His lips moved against hers with quiet intensity, every touch asking, not taking.
Alyssa leaned into him, fingers curling lightly against his chest as the kiss deepened, heat blooming between them. Her breath hitched slightly, and Cole felt his own control fray at the edges.
The world shrank to just that, his mouth on hers, the scent of rain and warmth, sin and vanilla. Every nerve ending was on fire. Everywhere he touched her, he felt electricity, as if his body knew hers before his mind ever caught up.
She tasted like breath mints and nervous laughter. This was everything he had always imagined having a mate would feel like.
Alyssa pulled back, breath uneven, eyes wide and a little dazed. Her hands were still pressed to his chest, but her voice was clear.
“We should stop,” she whispered, though her fingers hadn’t moved. “Before I forget I have standards.”
Cole raised an eyebrow, lips curving into a crooked smile. “That bad, huh?”
She laughed softly, still close enough to feel his breath. “No. That good. Which is why I need to be smart.”
He searched her face, out of breath and excited in more ways than one. Her skin was flushed, lips parted. She was trying so hard to keep control, and he admired that.
“You don’t have to explain.”
But she did, just a little. “I like you. Which is exactly why I don’t want to move too fast and ruin it. I’ve rushed before. I’m not doing that again.”
Cole nodded, his thumb brushing one last time against her jaw before he let go.
“Then we go slow,” he said. “Your pace.”
Alyssa smiled then, genuine, full, a little bashful. “You really are too good to be true.”
“Don’t give me too much credit,” he said. “It’s early.”
A pause lingered between them, but it wasn’t empty. It was full of the things they weren’t saying yet, hope, fear, maybe even the flicker of something deepening.
With that, she turned, key sliding into the lock. But before she opened the door, she looked back over her shoulder.
“Goodnight, Cole.”
He smiled. “Goodnight, Alyssa.”
He stayed there for a few seconds longer after she stepped inside, listening to the soft click of the door, the rustle of curtains. He didn’t move until the light behind the window dimmed.
Only then did he exhale and step back onto the sidewalk. His heart was still racing. The kiss still tingled on his lips.
He turned and walked into the night, smiling like a man who’d just found something worth waiting centuries for.
- Writer
