Zayn turned to face Lily, her arms still wrapped around him. She could feel his heart pounding against her cheek, the rapid rhythm matching her own racing pulse. Zayn wrapped his arms around her too, squeezing tightly.
She felt the warmth of his skin against her own. It didn’t take long for Lily to realize what she had done. In a panic, she quickly released him, embarrassed by her initiation. She wanted to apologize, worried about how Zayn would react.
She had never been the one to take the first step. It was new to her. But Zayn didn’t let Lily go. He caught her arms and kept them firmly around his waist.
“Don’t,” he said, his voice husky in the quiet room. “I like it.”
If he could choose, he wanted them to stay in that moment forever, embracing eachother.
Lily’s cheeks burned beet red. She kept her eyes glued to the ground, suddenly shy despite being the one to reach for him first.
