It’s late. The house is quiet. Your parents are asleep. You and Rhonda are supposed to be studying, but the books and papers between you on the bed have long since been forgotten.

She’s sitting close, closer than she normally would—just under the pretense of reaching for a pen. The heat from her body is unmistakable. You can feel it even though you try not to.

“You’re quiet tonight,” she murmurs, eyes glinting in the soft lamplight.

“I’m… distracted,” you whisper, fingers fidgeting with the hem of your shirt.

Her lips twitch, and she leans slightly closer, too close, just enough that her hair brushes your cheek. You freeze. She notices. Smirks faintly. “Distracted by me?”

You don’t answer. You can’t. And then, before you know it, she’s leaning in even more, her hand resting just beside yours on the bed. The proximity is electric, your pulses synchronizing in a silent rhythm.

“I can’t,” you murmur, barely audible.

“Can’t what?” she asks, voice low, teasing—but there’s a seriousness under it.

“Not… this,” you whisper, and the word hangs between you.

Her grin softens, and she tilts her head, studying you. “Then stop saying no.”

Before you can protest, her lips are brushing yours in a featherlight kiss, quick, testing the waters. You catch your breath. Her hand moves, hesitant at first, brushing yours with hers, fingers entwining softly.

“Shh,” she murmurs, leaning closer again. “No one will know.”

You close the space, letting your lips meet hers fully this time. The first real kiss is messy and urgent, but quiet—a secret kept in the shadows of your room. Her forehead rests against yours, breathing mingling, hearts racing.

She pulls back just slightly, smirking, eyes glinting with mischief and something softer. “You’ve been thinking about this as much as I have,” she says.

“Maybe more,” you admit, laughing quietly.

Her hand slides up to cup your cheek gently. “Good,” she whisper. “Because this… we’re not pretending anymore.”

The lamp casts a warm glow over the room. The books and papers are forgotten, the night outside endless. And in this stolen, quiet moment, the world falls away. There’s only the two of you, secret, reckless, and completely alive.