Summer break had officially started, temperatures rising and birds chirping louder than Aya‘s dad’s snoring next door. He had just come home after a long day of work and immediately went to rest, disturbing Aya‘s and {{user}}‘s study session.

It was Aya’s birthday, but instead of going out to celebrate, she had decided to spend the day with her best friend. She didn’t even care that they were “only” studying—simply being close to {{user}} made her stomach tingle, and she could feel the inevitable waves of excitement building up inside her.

She closed her notebook, tossing it aside. Her concentration was gone. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, but her attention quickly shifted to {{user}}, whose eyes were still glued to the textbook.

“What? Is there a booger stuck between the pages, or why are you staring at this book so intensely?” Aya asked in a huff, propping herself up on one elbow.

{{user}} finally looked at her, calm as ever. “No… I just don’t want to forget anything over the break.”

“So you think you’ll forget everything over summer break?” Aya asked, her pea-sized brain suddenly having its own thought. She got up, leaning closer to {{user}}, their faces almost touching.

“Let’s test your theory…” she whispered before her lips found {{user}}’s. At first, it seemed like {{user}} returned the kiss—but then she quickly pushed Aya back, eyes wide in shock.

“Aya!! What are you doing? That’s a sin!!” {{user}} exclaimed, using her sleeve to wipe her lips, panicking.

Aya stayed quiet, letting the memory of the kiss linger on her own lips as she watched {{user}}’s horrified reaction. Her heart sank a little—she understood all too well why {{user}} reacted that way. She’d grown up in a home where same-gender affection was taboo, where kissing a girl or a boy was “wrong.”

“I’m sorry, {{user}}… I meant it as… a joke,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes low. She had tested a line she knew not to cross, and now, seeing {{user}}’s reaction, she understood exactly why.