For a few seconds after the kiss, neither of them moved.
Not because it was uncomfortable—
but because it felt too real to rush past.
Sara was the first to laugh.
A small, breathless sound, like she'd surprised herself.
"Well," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly very interested in the ground,
"that just happened."
Nicole smiled, wide and helpless.
"Yeah," he replied. "I was going to pretend to be cool about it, but… I'm not."
That made her look up.
"You're not?"
He shook his head. "Not even a little."
That honesty—unguarded, unpolished—made her heart flutter again.
She hugged her arms around herself, feeling warm despite the cool air.
They started walking, slower than before.
Closer too. Their hands brushed once… twice… before finally staying together like it had always been meant to.
"So," Sara said, trying—and failing—to sound casual,
"is it normal that my heart is still racing?"
Nicole glanced at her. "If it's not, we're both in trouble. Mine hasn't stopped either."
She smiled to herself.
There was something sweet about this—
the awkward pauses,
the almost-sentences,
the way they kept stealing glances like teenagers discovering something new.
At one point, Nicole bumped into a pole he definitely hadn't noticed.
Sara laughed openly this time. "You okay?"
"Yeah," he groaned. "Just… distracted."
"By?"
He lifted their joined hands slightly. "This."
Her cheeks warmed.
They reached her place again, but this time, neither of them pretended they were in a hurry to leave.
"Today was nice," she said softly.
"Not perfect. Just… nice."
"That's my favorite kind," he replied. "The kind you want to remember."
She hesitated, then stepped closer and rested her head against his chest.
He froze for half a second—then relaxed, one arm settling around her like it belonged there.
They stood like that quietly.
No expectations.
No pressure.
Just closeness.
"I'm glad we didn't rush," she murmured.
"Me too," he said. "I want to do this right. Whatever this becomes."
She pulled back just enough to look at him.
"It already feels right."
He smiled—soft, real, a little amazed.
When he finally walked away, he turned back once.
Sara was still standing there, watching him.
She waved.
He waved back, smiling like an idiot all the way home.
That night, as she lay in bed replaying everything, Sara realized something that made her chest ache in the best way.
The kiss wasn't the best part.
The best part was knowing
there was nowhere else she wanted to be
than right where they were—
slowly, gently, together.