Page 110 of Say Yes to the Nemesis
Yeah. This is happening.
Heidi waits expectantly, her eyes practically daring me to back down. I give her a sideways grin, then lean in and kiss her.
It’s quick. Almost clinical. I barely let it last ten seconds. The whole thing has a wine-flavored aftertaste and feels more like an obligation than passion. Just enough to satisfy the cameras. Probably Heidi’s ego, too.
She pulls away with a triumphant smile like she’s just won a challenge.
Everyone claps and someone whistles as the pressure breaks. The conversation picks up again, full of manufactured intimacy and playful banter.
I steal a glance at Wren, but she’s still looking coolly uninterested. Ignoring the kiss entirely.
My heart sinks a little and I throw myself into more meaningless chatter about cheese and poorly matched wine pairings. I almost convince myself I’m relaxed, but I know the veneer won’t last long.
Raven, who has clearly been refilling her glass more often than anyone else, leans forward with the inebriated persistence of someone who’s got a truth bomb to deliver.
Her cheeks are flushed. She hiccups a little before blurting, “Okay, but like… why haven’t you kissed Wren more? She’s right there.”
The words hang in the air. Bold and unrestrained. Much like Raven herself on a tipsy night.
I freeze. So does Wren.
Elena’s smiling again from the shadows. Waiting.
Wren mutters, “You don’t have to…” But I’m already leaning in.
It’s a reckless urge. A runaway impulse. And it takes over completely, pulling me across the invisible line.
I’m sure I’ll regret it. I’m sure it’s a terrible idea.
But I don’t care. Not in this instant.
I breathe in the scent of her. Sweet and soft and impossible. Just as our lips meet.
Everything else blurs. Everyone else vanishes. There’s no show. No competition. No awkward sandwiching to escape from.
There’s only Wren.
It’s like I’m kissing her for the first time.
She doesn’t pull away or start with another protest. She doesn’t freeze up or brush it off like I halfway expected.
Instead, her mouth opens against mine like she forgot there were people watching. Her fingers curl into the cushion between us.
I seize the moment, tilting her chin to deepen the kiss.
It’s suddenly more than I thought it would be. Hotter. Wilder. More real. It tastes like fear and longing, not cheap wine.
It’s wrong. It’s dangerous. There are a thousand reasons why we should stop.
But we don’t stop.
We don’t hold back.
We don’t break away until the whisper of silence falls over the room.
We just made out for a solid minute in front of everyone.
I look around and realize most of the girls are pretending it didn’t happen. Wren looks like she wants to sink through the floor.
