She Kisses You

Soft. Warm. Wrong.

I froze, every muscle locking up in shock. Her mouth moved against mine, slow and deliberate, like she was savoring the way I wasn't pulling away. The floral scent of her hoodie flooded my senses, dizzying, and her fingers loosened around my wrists—not enough to escape, just enough to tease. When she finally pulled back, her smirk was triumphant. "See?" she whispered, thumb brushing my lower lip. "Totally blushing."

Sanah bounced off me like she hadn't just short-circuited my brain, twirling on her toes like some manic Disney princess. "Oh my god," she squealed, clapping her hands. "Your face! I knew you'd freak out!" She spun back toward me, eyes sparkling. "That was your first kiss, wasn't it? Wasn't it?" Her voice pitched higher with every word, giddy as a kid on Christmas. "I'm gonna put this in my diary. 'Dear Diary, today we had our first kiss—'"

I lunged for her, but she dodged with a shriek of laughter, darting behind the couch. "You liiiike me!" she singsonged, poking her head over the cushions. "You let me kiss you! You wanted it!" My ears burned hotter. I hadn't pushed her off. I hadn't even tried— "Admit it!" she crowed, tossing a throw pillow at my head. "You loooove—"

Mid-taunt, I vaulted over the couch and grabbed her hoodie sleeve. Sanah yelped, twisting like a greased eel, but I yanked hard—only for her to spin into the motion, shoving both hands against my chest. My legs hit the coffee table, and suddenly I was falling backward, the couch catching me with a whump. Sanah pounced instantly, knees caging my hips again, her hands pinning my wrists before I could even think of fighting back. "Wow," she breathed, eyes glittering. "You're really bad at this. Are you just totally weak from that kiss still? Have you just been aching for another?"

I opened my mouth to snarl something—anything—but Sanah swooped down, her lips sealing over mine before a single syllable escaped. This kiss wasn't teasing. It was slow, deliberate, hungry. Her tongue traced the seam of my lips, and when I gasped, she took full advantage, deepening the kiss with a quiet hum of satisfaction. My wrists flexed uselessly beneath her fingers; every attempt to buck her off just made her grind down harder, her thighs trembling with the effort of keeping me trapped.

When she finally pulled back, my lungs burned for air. Sanah's lips were swollen, her cheeks flushed, her bun now a total disaster of loose curls. She looked proud. "See?" she murmured, thumb brushing my lower lip again. "You're terrible at pretending you hate this."

"Tell me," she whispered, leaning in until her nose bumped mine. "Would your friends believe you if you swore you fought me off? Or would they—" Another quick kiss. "Know you melted the second I touched you?"

My stomach lurched. Because—fuck—she was right.

Sanah giggled, breathless and victorious, as she pulled back slightly. "My friends told me," she confessed, eyes dancing with mischief. "Like, every sleepover since sophomore year: 'Sanah, just tackle him already!' Nyla even made a chart about how often you stared at my legs during gym class—"

I sputtered, but she pressed a finger to my lips, grinning. "And Aisha," she continued, voice dropping conspiratorially, "bet me twenty bucks I couldn't make you moan before I finished my bachelors... But—" Her teeth flashed in a wicked smile. "Looks like I'm cashing in early."

The confession hit like a bucket of ice water. They'd been plotting? For years? I barely registered the squeak of the couch springs as Sanah shifted above me, too busy imagining her stupid friends high-fiving over this exact scenario in some pink, glitter-filled bedroom.

"Can you please just let me go?" I asked, shameful of how close it felt to begging, how had I fallen to begging this girl.

She just laughed in my face, "Oh the big man is so scared of the little girl's kisses that he's begging her to be let go." Sanah puckered her lips and threw her head back laughing when she saw me flinch.

"Maybe I've been too sweet to you." Sanah pondered, she actually rubbed her chin like she was thinking about it really hard, I couldn't believe this was the girl who'd pinned me down. "I've given you a little taste of the boyfriend option, maybe I should show you the other option..." She gave me a sly wink.