Stephen
I sat on the edge of my bed, the kiss playing on an endless loop in my mind. Maddie’s lips on mine, her hands gripping my shoulders — it was everything I had dreamed of and more. The faint pressure of her lips lingered, the warmth of her breath still vivid.
This wasn’t like our first kiss back at the diner near campus, where my hands had trembled so badly, and Maddie had been caught completely off guard. No, this was different.
This time, she had kissed me.
The realization sent a thrill through my chest, my heart pounding with an intensity that felt foreign and exhilarating. Maddie had been the one to lean in for the kiss, completely willing and giving herself to me, it was obvious she had harbored some feelings formed in spite of all.
It wasn’t just the kiss—it was how
