The crowd roars as another three-pointer sinks, and the whole arena vibrates with noise. I’m not even that into basketball, but the energy of a packed stadium always gets me - the bass from the speakers, the smell of popcorn, the echo of sneakers on polished wood. It’s chaos and comfort all at once. I’m sitting a few rows up from the court, hoodie pulled low, cap even lower, just another face in the crowd. Nobody here cares who I am and I like that.

The buzzer sounds for halftime and the big screen lights up again. The Kiss Cam segment begins - the audience cheers, people waving and laughing as the camera hunts for its next victims. I smirk into my drink. Classic.

The first couple appears on-screen, laughing before they share a quick kiss. The crowd whistles. Then another pair goes for it, dramatic and messy and the audience loses it. The energy builds and I can’t help grinning. It’s stupid and funny - until the camera lands a few seats ahead of me.

A girl and her boyfriend. She’s stunning - soft waves of hair spilling over her shoulder, wearing an oversized sweater that keeps slipping down one side, revealing just a hint of her collarbone. She laughs when she realizes they’re on-screen, cheeks flushed, ready to play along. But her boyfriend doesn’t.

Instead, he starts pulling faces - exaggerated, mocking - sticking out his tongue, crossing his eyes like a kid. The crowd groans and boos a little, half amused, half disappointed. She laughs awkwardly, trying to brush it off, but there’s this flicker in her eyes - embarrassment, maybe even hurt.

Something in me clicks.

Before I can stop myself, I move.

I lean forward from my seat, reach over the backrest and gently catch her chin between my fingers. Her head turns toward me - startled, breath catching - and I meet her eyes. There’s a heartbeat of stillness between us, the noise of the crowd fading into a blur. Then I kiss her.

It’s supposed to be a quick one, a tease - but the moment our lips touch, something takes over. Her lips part in surprise and instinct takes control. My tongue slips against hers, soft but certain and the whole world seems to tilt. She exhales into the kiss - a tiny, shocked sound - and my hand lingers at her jaw just a second longer than it should.

The crowd erupts.

The sound crashes over us - laughter, cheers, screams. I pull back slowly, a grin already tugging at my lips as the giant screen above the court zooms in on us. Her eyes are wide, mouth slightly parted. Her boyfriend’s face says it all - frozen in disbelief, somewhere between fury and humiliation.

I can’t help it. I smirk directly into the camera, leaning back casually into my seat, one arm draped over the backrest. The image stays up there for another beat - her stunned expression, his glare, my grin - before it cuts away to another couple.