May I, My Love? ✔

28. t h e b r i l l i a n t k i s s

"Tell me one thing Harmony. Just one thing. Do you like me too? Do you have a soft spot for me? Are you willing to take this fall with me?"

'Oh no! He has now passed the ball in my court. Will I be able to handle it? I wish I could just run up to Lisa and ask her instead!'

I was unable to give a solid answer, whether affirmative or negative, and found myself pathetically fumbling for words. How exactly do you respond when the prince of England confesses to you that he likes you? Is there an instructional booklet on this? I don't know, and honestly, this silence is making me even more uncomfortable.

"I- I... I don't know. This is all so sudden that it hasn't even properly sunken into my brain yet that you- you like me. I mean, why would you like someone like me? And no matter how much I think that you're handsome and hot and no matter how much I like you and your amazing skills on the piano, I can't say yes just because you told me to do so because it's not my position to become so dauntless and shameless and steal someone else's man and I think you need to understand what I'm saying because this is a serious issue and—"

I was cut off by the prince rudely as he hurriedly asked me something, "You... like me? Really?"

"What?! No, I don't–" I start off to defend myself when I stop midway. The abysmal realization of the fact that I had actually word-vomitted in front of Josiah, and involuntarily exposed the one thing I wasn't supposed to tell him.

'Did I just call him handsome AND hot, right in front of his face?! You seriously need to go to the doctor, Har!! But before that, you need to set this mess straight. How are you going to undo this? Goodness gracious!'

Although I was completely scarlet and couldn't think straight since my head and heart were pounding rhythmically, making it impossible for me to feel or think of anything else, I really wanted to escape from here after properly apologizing to him. I still, like an absolute imbecile, was hoping he wouldn't catch onto that one slip-up for too long, and I would be free of this hassle in a few minutes. But who was I kidding? This was Josiah Alexander III we were talking about – and one thing everyone knew about him was that he was freaking smart.

"You did say so yourself. I definitely heard you." He pressed on the issue with more strength, still not ready to let go.

Just then, a loud booming sound could be heard. The sound of the clouds roaring in the peaceful night. A bad weather was showing indication, and I looked at Josiah, silently pleading him to let me go. But he had his determined face on, with eyes trained on me intensely, anticipating my every word and action. He really wasn't going to show any ounce of mercy tonight. So I decided to lie... again. It had been a tad bit difficult back under the pressing states of everyone, but I was confident I could handle just one person better. Maybe this time, it would become easier.

"It was simply a slip of tongue. I don't know why you are hanging off of my every word. It wasn't even that serious." I told him, feigning a brusque exterior so that he could get angry with me.

"I don't think so. And please don't try to be rude with me on purpose, I already know what kind of a person you are, so save the trouble and admit that you like me." He said, ever so nonchalantly that it was now getting on my nerves.

"L-like you? Why are you so confident about that? And how can you say that you know me? We haven't even spent so much time together, so how can you reach to ridiculous conclusions all by yourself?! This is getting too much, and I'm telling you that I do not like–"

I couldn't even complete my annoyed rant as I felt my lips being shut by something soft placed against them. As I registered what exactly happened, my eyes became double their normal size. Or was it treble? Anyways, the point was that Josiah's lips were aligned with mine. He was kissing me!

'Oh my God! Oh my God! Is this really happening?' My mind was going insane, but I needed to get out of here as fast as I could. How did it go from avoiding him to coming here to talk to him one last time to hearing he likes me to kissing him in the back garden of his palace?

But as much as I forced myself to push him away, the more I got drawn in the marsh of his soft lips. This was an experience I was getting for the very first time in my life, so I didn't have anything else to compare it with, but I could still tell that this was not something I would be able to experience very often with other lads.

The way he held me by the waist so delicately, as if I was a frail doll who could break any instant.

The way his nose kept touching mine as he gently pushed back the stray lock of hair interrupting our moment and kept his other hand entangled in my hair.

The way his lips sent a delicious spark of electricity through my veins, just like his touch had done on the day we first met.

The way I could never be the same Harmony again and go back to acting like none of this had happened. Except for if I got amnesia.

I stood there like a statue, unmoving, until mother nature took the task of teaching me to be romantic upon herself. It started raining heavily, creating the perfect atmosphere to indulge in a sweet kiss with your lover. All the cheesy romances novels that I had previously read, all the times I had dreamed of becoming the main lead, all came rushing back to me as I slowly gave in and kissed him back.

As the rain pelted against us, standing in between rows and rows of flowers that just got energized by the droplets of water falling from above, we stood there, oblivious of the time passing and blissfully immersed in our exchange of emotions and pent-up feelings.

There was nothing we could see anymore – either the world around us, or the ominous future looming over us.

All we could see was the sweet kiss and that we had finally accepted each other fully.