The room was dim, lit only by the soft, amber hue of her desk lamp. Outside, the world was silent, cloaked in the kind of stillness that made everything feel suspended—like time had slowed just for them.

Patrick sat on the floor beside her bed, his back resting against it, legs stretched out in front of him. She sat behind him, curled into a cross-legged position on the mattress, absently twisting a strand of hair around her finger while they laughed about something dumb that Hughie had said earlier that day.

The laughter faded, slow and natural, like a song easing into silence. A pause stretched between them—not awkward, just… heavier than before.

Patrick shifted, glanced back over his shoulder, and found her eyes already on him.

“You kissed me,” he said, voice low but steady.

She blinked. “I—”

“If I had gotten the chance to kiss you first…” He trailed off for a beat, then added, “It would’ve gone a little differently.”

A slow smile tugged at her lips—shy, teasing, the kind that made his chest feel too tight.

“You can show me,” she murmured, “on one condition.”

His heart kicked up. “What’s that?”

She tilted her head, her eyes suddenly serious. “You can’t fall in love with me.”

Patrick gave a breath of a laugh, but it came out rough around the edges. “I won’t. I swear.”

“And you can’t even fall in like with me,” she added, quieter now.

He turned fully then, shifting onto his knees, his eyes never leaving hers. The air between them changed—charged, breathless, inevitable.

“In that case…” he whispered.

His hand came up, curling gently around the back of her thigh. She didn’t move—not until he guided her forward, slow and certain, like they both already knew how this would end. She slid into his lap, straddling him, her hands coming to rest lightly on his shoulders, her breath shaky against his cheek.

“Our first kiss should’ve gone something like this…” Patrick murmured, his forehead nearly touching hers.

And then he kissed her—soft at first, almost hesitant, like he was afraid of breaking something between them. But it deepened quickly, the kind of kiss that had been waiting too long. The kind that said everything neither of them could say out loud.