It wasn't uncommon for you to be over at Tannyhill after school. Just like this afternoon. The air in her room was thick with the scent of cheap hairspray, Sarah’s half-eaten bag of Combos, and the faint, musky scent of her own perfume.

The world outside Sarah Cameron’s bedroom window was a blur of muted autumn tones, a stark contrast to the vibrant chaos within. You'd been inseparable since kindergarten, your lives as tangled as the wires behind Sarah’s stereo cabinet. Your parents joked we shared a brain cell, and it felt true for the longest time. Until a few weeks ago. That’s when the familiar comfort of her presence began to twist into something new, something that made your stomach clench and your palms sweat.

Your eyes lingered on her just a second too long – the way her blonde hair fell across her shoulders, the faint freckles dusting her nose, the curve of her smile. Your touch, once automatic and unthinking, would linger a fraction, just a microscopic fraction, too long on her arm or her hand. And your heart? It became a frantic drum solo whenever her laughter filled the air or her eyes crinkled in genuine joy. You were falling, head over heels, for your best friend.

You were laid out on her cozy, slightly lumpy twin bed with Sarah straddling your hips, her weight a warm, grounding presence, though it felt anything but grounding to your spiraling. Her hands, usually so expressive and animated, were now steady, holding your face gently between her palms as she concentrated.

"Hold still," she murmured, her breath ghosting across your face. "Your eyeliner needs to be sharp enough to cut glass."

She was so close. Her face, framed by loose tendrils of blonde hair, was inches from yours. You could see the tiny flecks of green in her eyes, the way her bottom lip pouted slightly in concentration, the faint shadow of her lashes against her cheek. Your gaze dropped, involuntarily, to her mouth. Red lipstick, perfectly applied.

Her thumb brushed against your cheekbone, smudging a stray bit of powder, and it felt like an electric shock. Just a friendly gesture, you told yourself, a normal best-friend thing. But for you, it was a silent scream, a desperate ache to lean into her touch, to close the minuscule distance between you.

"Are you gonna kiss me or just stare at me forever?" Sarah's voice broke you out of her trance, bringing you back to reality. Your eyes, seconds ago fixed on her lips, widen when they met her's, a blush creeping up your neck. For a second, you believed you just imagined her words, but that was before you noticed the smile on her face.

"And? You gonna kiss me now or not?"