IN LOVE WITH HER million little things

First Kiss

**Chapter Nine: The Kiss That Changed Everything**

There are moments in life that sneak up on you—moments so unexpected, they seem like a dream. But when you look back, they are more real than anything else. That night, at the party, was one of those moments. A small gathering, just friends, just laughter, and drinks. It was supposed to be like any other night. But somehow, it became the night that changed everything between us.

We had always been close. The kind of friends who could understand each other without saying a word. It was easy, natural. There was never a need to explain ourselves; a glance, a shared look, and we just *knew*. We were always together, always talking, always joking. And that night, at the party, it was no different. We drifted away from the crowd, just the two of us, tucked into a quiet corner.

We were both a little drunk—not the kind of drunk where you lose yourself, but enough to feel bold, to let the edges blur a bit. We talked like we always did, laughing about the silliest things. But something was different that night. Maybe it was the closeness, maybe the alcohol, or maybe it was something that had been building up between us for far longer than we cared to admit.

We hugged. That wasn’t new. We had hugged a thousand times before, but this hug lingered. Her arms wrapped around me tighter than usual, her breath warm against my neck. When she pulled back slightly, her face was inches from mine. Her lips—so close—just a whisper away from touching mine. And then it happened. A kiss. It was brief, hesitant, and entirely unexpected. Neither of us had planned it, but there it was.

For a split second, the world disappeared. It was just me and her, the noise of the party fading into the background. But as soon as it happened, reality came crashing back. We pulled away, our eyes wide with shock, the weight of what just happened settling between us like a heavy fog. Neither of us spoke. We didn’t need to. The discomfort was palpable, thick in the air.

Without another word, we left the party early, separately, retreating into our own thoughts, unsure of what the hell had just happened.

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**Chapter Ten: The Distance That Grew**

The days after the kiss felt unbearably long. Before, we used to talk for hours—about nothing, about everything. But now, the silence was deafening. Our conversations grew shorter, the ease between us evaporating like smoke. We started avoiding each other, not deliberately at first, but slowly, without thinking about it. Where once we would waste entire afternoons together, now there was a strange tension whenever we were in the same room.

I missed her. God, I missed her so much. Her absence was a gaping hole in my life, and I couldn’t figure out how to fill it. I started to realize just how much I had come to depend on her, on the simplicity of being with her, on her laugh, on her presence. And in that absence, something else became clear to me. I wasn’t just missing a friend. I was missing *her*—the person. The one I had fallen in love with long before that stupid kiss.

I tried to ignore it, tried to convince myself that everything could go back to how it was. But the truth was that things had already changed. The kiss had brought to the surface feelings I had been burying for so long. I had been afraid to admit it, even to myself. But now, there was no denying it—I loved her. And I had loved her long before that night at the party.

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**Chapter Eleven: The Fear of Losing Her**

As much as I wanted to tell her how I felt, fear kept me silent. What if she didn’t feel the same? What if I told her I loved her and it ruined whatever was left of our friendship? The idea of losing her completely terrified me. I would rather suffer in silence, holding onto the remnants of what we used to have, than risk losing her entirely.

So, I said nothing. I let the silence between us grow, hoping that maybe—just maybe—it would disappear on its own. But the more time passed, the worse it became. I could feel the distance between us, widening like a chasm. The kiss, that one fleeting moment, had done enough damage, and I was too afraid to face it head-on.

We had always been honest with each other, but now, we were both hiding. Hiding from the truth, from each other, from the awkwardness that had seeped into our friendship. I didn’t know what she was thinking. Was she as confused as I was? Did she feel anything at all? I wished I could ask her, but every time I tried to muster the courage, the fear of her rejection stopped me cold.

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**Chapter Twelve: The Weight of Unspoken Love**

Days turned into weeks, and we spoke less and less. I missed her so much it physically hurt. I missed the way she would laugh at my dumb jokes, the way she always seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. And more than anything, I missed just *being* with her, in that comfortable, effortless way that only comes with someone who truly gets you.

The more I missed her, the more I realized how deeply I had fallen. I had been in love with her for a long time, long before that night at the party, long before the kiss. But now, it was too late. I had missed my chance.

And yet, despite the growing distance between us, I still couldn’t bring myself to tell her how I felt. Every time I imagined confessing my feelings, all I could picture was the look on her face—the shock, the disappointment, the possibility that she didn’t feel the same. What if she didn’t love me back? What if my confession only pushed her further away?

So, I did nothing. I kept quiet. I let the days slip by, hoping against hope that maybe she would make the first move, that maybe she felt the same way and was just as scared as I was. But she didn’t. And neither did I.

The silence between us remained, thick and unyielding, and every day that passed felt like a slow, inevitable loss. The kiss had changed everything, and yet nothing at all. We were still stuck, caught between friendship and something more, too afraid to move in either direction.

And so, we stayed there, in that awful in-between, both of us waiting for the other to take the first step, both of us too afraid to risk what we had left. The kiss had been a turning point, but neither of us had the courage to face where it had led us.