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Her lashes flutter as mutual tension hangs in the balance, waiting for us to break it. “Go on,” she whispers.

And smart.

And creative.

And beautiful.

And sarcastic. So sarcastic in the best possible way.

And everything I’ve ever wanted.

“And…” My lips lower, hovering mere inches from hers. “…I really want to kiss you right now.”

The minimal space between us turns to nothing as she shifts to her tiptoes, and her lips skim mine. Desire flashes in her eyes. “If your intention is to send me back to the cold, overrated world without you, I hope you give me more than a kiss to remember you by.”

Adrenaline courses through my veins. I feel my knees go weak as my lips press against hers.

She tastes like that bubble gum ChapStick she loved so much.

“I take that as a yes?” she whispers against my lips.

Heat floods my cheeks as my teeth drop to her bottom lip. Giving it a gentle, attentive tug, I whisper back, “I’ll do anything you want.”

I mean it. Anything. She just has to tell me what she wants, and I’ll do it.

There’s a first time for everything. And if my first time means I can give her what she wants, then this virginity I’ve been plagued with was worth it.

I just hope I’m worth it for her.

12

NATALIA

FINALLY…they are fucking

(AND IT’S SOMEONES

*COUGH* RENNIX *COUGH* FIRST TIME)

Now that we’ve made it into the control room, I take the earbuds out we’ve been sharing and wrap the wired earphones around the iPod, securing the buds in place. “I don’t think we’ll be needing this.”

Rennix slips it into his back pocket, moving in slow motion. His nerves are contagious. I feel it too. As unexpected as this all has been, I know that what lingers between us is very real. Our friendship has created the foundation leading up to this moment, and now we’re not only about to cross a line that could change everything, but we’re doing so before saying goodbye for good.

“There’s something I have to tell you.” His Vans kick at the floor, scuffing it as he becomes noticeably restless. This is the Rennix I know and missed. Quiet, bashful, cautious. Always so damn cautious. Worried he’ll do something unknowingly to upset someone. Preoccupied with his actions before he allows himself to act on anything. I’m used to him being like this. Even so, this feels different.

“Go ahead. Don’t be shy.” Unfortunately, my words do the exact opposite. It’s subtle enough that if I didn’t know him as well as I do, I’d easily miss it. The way his gaze flicks up and down, alternating from holding mine to dropping to the floor, confirms my suspicions.

He needs help relaxing and for me to reassure him that this is okay.

I want this. I want him. More than he will likely ever realize.

I look around to see if there’s a place we can sit. Other than a gaming chair—which, you guessed it, was mine from back in high school—our options are slim. Considering it’s our only option aside from the floor it’ll have to do.

“Why don’t you sit over there and once I get you nice and relaxed, you can tell me what’s got your tongue.” There’s an unintentional flirtatiousness to my voice and I’m not sure if it’s helping him or making him more nervous. Regardless, he listens and makes his way over to the chair, murmuring something under his breath I don’t quite catch.

Not like that matters when his nerves have transferred to me in full force. Of course he couldn’t just sit down normally. Oh no. That would be too easy. His ass is seated for all of two, maybe three seconds, tops, and he’s already manspreading, drawing my eye to the sizable bulge poking through his pants.

I inch closer. My mouth is practically watering as anticipation builds to all the fun I’m going to have exploring every inch of him.