𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 (EDITING)

𝟎𝟐

emerson

The sound of my phone's alarm pierced through my ears and jolted me awake, yet again. I fumbled around under the covers to locate it before finally giving up and lying still. It wasn't until Willow, my groggy roommate, threw her pillow at me that I finally managed to silence the blaring noise. "Shut that stupid thing up, it's annoying," she grumbled before turning to the other side. I muttered an apology as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and got out of bed. I made my way to the bathroom, still feeling like a zombie. As I brushed my teeth and changed, I couldn't help but yawn incessantly. Despite completing my entire routine again, I still felt like I needed more rest. Finally, with a few minutes to spare, I took a moment to myself to gather my thoughts.

The atmosphere was relaxed as Willow and I sat together on the sofa. Suddenly, she posed a question that caught me off guard. "Do you like girls?" she asked out of nowhere. I was so surprised that I nearly lost my balance and almost fell off the sofa. I managed to steady myself just in time. "What do you mean?" I asked, my throat feeling dry. She gave me a sly smile and took a bite of her carrot. "I mean, do you like girls romantically?" she clarified. "You know, like having a girlfriend instead of a boyfriend." Her perfectly arched eyebrow raised as she looked at me.

I clenched my jaw, as I had never really thought about this before. "I don't know," I mumbled, putting my phone away. Willow continued, "Have you ever kissed a girl?" She put her food down and looked at me curiously. "No, have you?" I gasped, surprised by the question. "You have!" I exclaimed, jumping up from the sofa. "No, I haven't," she replied. "Although, some girl did try to kiss me once." She lowered her gaze. "And you declined?" I asked incredulously. Willow nodded her head took her phone out and typed something up, I furrowed my brows and sat next to her. "Your joking..."

The words came out of my friend's mouth, but I couldn't believe what I had just heard. "I am not, that's Jayden now I saw her like 2 days ago and she tried to kiss me," she said while showing me a picture. I was in utter shock and couldn't help but let out a hesitant response, "She's fit though." My friend, Willow, immediately exclaimed my name in disapproval and took the phone away from my face. "Okay sorry. How is that Jayden? You should've just kissed her back," I grumbled, feeling embarrassed by my own words. Willow let out a deep sigh and trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, clearly frustrated by my reaction.

Suddenly, a loud ring echoed through the house, making me flinch at the sudden sound. "The cookies are done," I said, trying to change the subject, and stood up from the sofa to walk towards the kitchen. Willow followed closely behind, and I placed the cookies on the stove to let them cool down. Just as I turned around, there Willow was standing right behind me, looking at the cookies with hungry eyes. "Let them cool down," I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

As Willow stood before me, she hummed softly in response to my words, her eyes fixed on mine. Despite my average height of five feet and five inches, I couldn't help but feel small under her gaze. Willow, though not overly tall herself at just five feet and seven inches, exuded a certain confidence that made her seem larger than life.

Caught off guard, I found my eyes drifting down to her lips before quickly snapping back up to meet her crystal blue gaze. My nerves got the best of me as I struggled to make sense of the moment. Sensing my hesitation, I mumbled, "We shouldn't."

Willow's response was calm and measured. "I know," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. I took a deep breath, unsure of what to do next. It was then that she spoke again. "A small peck won't hurt... right?" she asked, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.