The Kiss List

Olivia Parker had no idea that cleaning out her childhood bedroom would lead to a full-blown existential crisis. Yet here she was, sitting cross-legged on the floor of her parents’ attic, surrounded by old notebooks, high school yearbooks, and an alarming number of glittery gel pens. And in her hands? The source of her impending doom—a bright pink journal with a heart-shaped lock, its edges worn from years of neglect. “Oh my God,” she muttered, brushing dust off the cover. She hadn’t seen this thing in over a decade. “What is it?” Natalie, her best friend since kindergarten, leaned over, peering at the journal like it was a classified government document. “Wait. Is that *the* journal?” Olivia swallowed. “I think so.” Natalie let out an unholy squeal and snatched the journal from Olivia’s hands. “Tell me this is the one with The List.” “I don’t remember,” Olivia lied, because she *definitely* remembered. The List had been her high school obsession—a compilation of all the almost-kisses she’d had but never actually gone through with. It wasn’t that Olivia had been unpopular. She’d had her fair share of attention. But for some reason, fate had always intervened at the worst moments, preventing her from having a single, solid, perfect first kiss. Whether it was an ill-timed sneeze, an untimely interruption, or a fire alarm (yes, really), something always got in the way. Natalie flipped the journal open, scanning pages until she gasped dramatically. “FOUND IT.” Olivia groaned. “Put it down.” “Absolutely not.” Natalie held the journal high above her head. “This is history, Liv. Gold. You literally made a bucket list of lost kisses.” “I was seventeen and dramatic.” “And now you’re twenty-eight and—” Natalie studied her with narrowed eyes. “Wait. *When was the last time you went on a date?*” Olivia blinked. “That is entirely irrelevant.” “Oh my God.” Natalie’s grin turned downright devious. “This is it. This is your new mission.” Olivia shook her head. “No, no, no. Absolutely not.” “Come *on*,” Natalie whined. “This is fate handing you an opportunity on a silver platter. You go back, find these guys, and finally check off the kisses you missed.” “That’s ridiculous.” Natalie crossed her arms. “Is it?” “Yes.” Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you thinking about it?” Olivia opened her mouth to argue—but nothing came out. Because the truth was…she *was* thinking about it. The past few years had been a monotonous cycle of work, home, repeat. Her love life? Nonexistent. Maybe Natalie was right. Maybe this was the shake-up she needed. “I don’t even know where half these guys are anymore,” Olivia pointed out weakly. “That’s what the internet is for.” “I’m not *stalking* them.” Natalie wiggled her phone. “Call it ‘romantic research.’” “This is insane.” “Then say no.” Olivia hesitated. Natalie smirked. “That’s what I thought.” --- Two hours later, Olivia sat in her apartment, staring at her laptop screen while Natalie scrolled through i********: like a woman on a mission. “Okay, let’s start with the first guy,” Natalie said. “Jason Carter. Your almost-kiss at junior prom.” Olivia sighed. “He probably doesn’t even remember me.” “Correction: *he liked your profile picture two months ago*.” Olivia’s head snapped up. “He did *what*?” Natalie turned her screen around. Sure enough, Jason Carter’s name was right there under the ‘likes’ on one of Olivia’s old photos. “Well,” Natalie said smugly, “I think we found your first target.” Olivia buried her face in her hands. “This is a terrible idea.” Natalie grinned. “Which means it’s probably going to be *amazing*.”