Page 18 of The Pucking Kiss

“Okay, baby.”

I felt a shiver go down my spine as he called me those words. For so long, I had dreamed of him calling me that. Too bad it was only for pretend.

“That’s better,” I replied, trying to act casual.

I felt him stare at me as if he was trying to figure out the solution to a really difficult maths problem. His eyebrows knitted together, and he leaned over further closer to me. A silence fell between us, punctuated only by our breaths. Mine faster than his, his own composed and contemplative.

“Is there something on my face?”

“Is it true what they say about you?” he asked, a slight hesitance to his tone. “The thing about you never having kissed anyone.”

“Mind your business,” I snapped, my cheeks reddening instantly.

“Come on,” he urged. “I’m supposed to be your boyfriend, aren't I? I deserve to know. Especially after all the nosey questions you’ve been asking me.”

My heart fluttered in my chest. At almost eighteen, it was completely embarrassing that I had never gotten my first kiss yet.

“It’s…” I sighed, biting down on my lower lip so hard that the skin almost broke, “It’s complicated.”

“Which is basically another way of saying that it’s true.”

I glared at him, “I bet that’s really funny to you, isn’t it?”

A hint of a smile danced at the edges of his lips. “A little. I’m just shocked you made it this far without anyone knowing.”

“Okay, Mr. Kiss Expert. When did you get your first kiss?”

“Easy,” he said without skipping a beat. “Third grade. Her name was Carla.”

Even though it was completely insane to feel this way, I felt a weird jealousy towards this girl.

“No wonder your grades are so bad,” I scoffed, trying to cover up the jealousy that I felt secretly. “You've been spending all this time snogging girls instead of paying attention in school.”

“You should think of that as a good thing,” he winked. “You hired me to be your boyfriend, right?”

“You have a point here,” I pressed my lips in a tight line. I couldn’t get the image of Bryan kissing other girls out of my head.

“But you’re detracting from the point…”

“Detracting? That’s a big word. Good job.”

“See?” he stressed, “You’re doing it again. You might think you’re smart, Romai. But I see right through you. Now, tell me, why haven’t you gotten your first kiss yet? I mean, most people your age have already lost their virginity, and here you are.”

“A kiss-less virgin,” I replied through gritted teeth, “I told you, it’s complicated.”

“Do you secretly like girls?”

My cheeks turned bright red once again. “No. I just... I’m waiting for the right moment.”

I expected him to burst out laughing. After all, my answer was pretty lame, even by my standards. But to my surprise, he was quiet for a long moment as he silently observed me. When I felt like I couldn’t take the silence anymore, I decided to speak up.

“Is that really that weird?”

“No, actually,” he shook his head fervently, “It’s just… rare, I guess. Most people don’t think like that.”

“Wow,” I breathed out. “I expected you to make fun of me for that.”

“As much of a loser that I think you are I don’t think there’s anything wrong with never having kissed anyone. It’s better than kissing the wrong people.”

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