CHAPTER 8
539 Words
Since Michael agreed to help me, we had become experts at lying to our parents.
He appealed to my mother’s “good heart” to let me go out more, assuring her I would always be supervised. As expected, she convinced my father.
From there, everything fell into place.
Camille and Stephan helped me stay under the radar. They knew all kinds of places where no one from our social circle would go… spots where I could be myself without fear of my parents, Elijah, or his family finding out.
I was living the best stage of my life, discovering everything that had always been denied to me.
One evening, after a few drinks—which clearly didn’t mix well with my “vitamins”—I began to feel unwell, even though I hadn’t overdone it.
To my surprise, Stephan felt the same.
Camille left us sitting while she danced and enjoyed herself; after all, it was clear she would be our designated driver.
While waiting for water to flush the alcohol from our systems, Stephan and I ended up having a deep conversation… about everything we had longed to experience.
He wasn’t engaged yet, but he knew that when the time came, his father would find the right girl to continue the Russo line. And the expectations placed on him were high.
As a man, Stephan was allowed more freedoms. He could go out with girls, have fun… but always under one clear rule: never get involved with someone his father didn’t approve of.
And he respected it. Not because he agreed, but because he knew the consequences.
Mr. Russo was not someone to be played with. Even his own son understood that. Let’s just say he would resort to… unconventional methods to make sure everything went exactly as planned.
Maybe that’s why Stephan was so selective. He always spoke the truth. He never promised more than he could deliver.
Maybe that’s why… we both lost our footing.
We thought we could control our feelings.
That day, I confessed that I had always dreamed of finding perfect love. Of experiencing first love… getting my first kiss. Feeling all the things most people take for granted, but that were forbidden to us.
We both sighed. And then silence stretched endlessly.
I don’t know when I began to see him differently. His blue eyes… his perfectly styled black hair… his flawless features… and those lips, so irresistibly kissable.
Then he asked me a question.
—Sophie… would you make a mistake with me?
I knew exactly what he meant.
Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe the absence of judgment. Or maybe… we simply wanted to feel something real.
I leaned in and kissed him. And he kissed me back.
At first, it was a sweet, almost innocent kiss… but inevitably, it turned into something more intense, deeper… almost magical.
But nothing lasts forever.
When Camille returned to the private room, she caught us.
Her first reaction was to spit out her drink.
—What the hell are you doing…?
And just like that… it was over.
What followed was awkward silence. Days spent unable to organize my thoughts… my mind repeatedly drifting back to that moment.
To that kiss.
- Writer
