it was an unusually quiet evening. the sky was a deep shade of twilight, and the air felt heavy with something unspoken. they sat side by side on a park bench, fingers shyly brushing against each other. it had been a few months since they had started dating, but somehow, they hadn’t yet kissed. the anticipation lingered between them, but neither of them had taken the plunge.

tonight felt different, though. he could see it in her eyes every time she glanced his way, her cheeks flushed pink. his own heart was pounding just from being this close to her. he took a breath, trying to muster some courage, and finally looked up at her. she met his gaze, her face somehow looking even more adorable under the faint glow of the streetlamp.

“um… maybe…” he scratched his head, his voice barely a whisper. “maybe we should…?”

she nodded, her face growing even hotter. “yeah… maybe…”

slowly, they leaned toward each other, their eyes flickering nervously from each other’s lips to their eyes. just as they were about to close the gap, their noses bumped — hard.

“ow!” they both exclaimed, pulling back, eyes wide with surprise. he couldn’t help but laugh, and she joined in, the sound breaking the tension and making the moment feel warmer somehow.

“okay… maybe, uh, let’s try again?” he said, chuckling as he rubbed his nose.

this time, they leaned in a bit more cautiously. but right as their lips were about to meet, she accidentally tilted her head the wrong way, and they ended up colliding, their teeth knocking together softly.

“ouch,” she murmured, feeling more embarrassed than ever, but she couldn’t stop giggling. he looked at her, his face completely red, but he was laughing too, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“we’re… really bad at this, huh?” he said, smiling shyly.