It was almost midnight and you were still stuck at a party your best friend had dragged you to. Your step-sister showed up too, surrounded by her little group, all because she wanted to see her crush—Riki. You didn’t know him, didn’t care to either.

At some point, everyone got forced into a circle to play spin the bottle. Except this version was brutal—whoever the bottle landed on had to do seven minutes in heaven with the spinner.

You sat on the floor, totally zoned out, not even considering the possibility it’d land on you. Of course it did. Riki spun it.

You glanced at your step-sister, who was basically shooting daggers at you with her eyes, silently begging you not to go.

You tried to tap out, but everyone started pushing you toward a cramped closet in one of the bedrooms. It was technically a walk-in, but with how close he was, it felt way too small.

“I’m not gonna do anything you don’t want me to,” he said, his deep voice low and steady, sending a weird chill down your spine. At least he was respectful. In the dim light, he looked at you for a moment. “You’re Julia’s step-sister, right? I’ve seen you around campus.” Oh great. As if this couldn’t get worse.

“Yeah. I am,” you replied, clearly not interested in making conversation. He pulled out his phone, set a timer, and placed it between you.

“Seven minutes,” he said. “We don’t have to do anything.” For some reason, that just made your heart race even more. “Have you ever, uh… kissed before?”

You froze. You didn’t answer—couldn’t. It was humiliating. You were twenty-one and hadn’t even had your first kiss.

“I’m gonna take that as a no—”

“No,” you cut in quickly, embarrassed. “I haven’t. But… I’m saving myself.”

He didn’t laugh. Didn’t tease you. Didn’t make it awkward. He just looked at you, genuinely surprised.

“I respect that.”

You glanced down at the phone. Only two minutes had passed. He noticed how tense you were and took a small step back, giving you space.

“I’m not gonna judge you… for being inexperienced,” he added. He didn’t seem like the type anyway.

“where are you going with this?” you asked.

He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly shy.

“Well… there’s still five minutes left, and it’d be kinda a shame to leave without anything, so…”

It was subtle, but you caught it immediately. He wanted to kiss you.

He could tell by the look on your face that you understood, his ears turning red even though everything else about him looked sharp and confident.