Sprinkles {#Wattys2018} ✔

20 \ B I T T E R S W E E T

20 [b i t t e r s w e e t]

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nce Asher brought his lips down to Charlotte's, time had seemed to stop.

His lips glided softly over hers, intentions full of sweetness and tender love. Charlotte reacted instantly to his lips and wound her arms around his neck, which relieved Asher's worst fears.

He put his arms around her waist, holding her steady and gently as if she were glass.

Usually in books that Charlotte read, the girl felt sparks when she kissed a boy. Charlotte didn't feel any sparks: instead, she felt fire.

It roared within her stomach as they kissed more passionately, filling her body to the brim with flame. The kiss ignited a blazing, fiery passion within her, and the feeling was unusual to her since this was her first experience.

They finally embraced each other for the last time until they had to break apart. When Asher pulled away, Charlotte immediately missed the sensation of his soft lips, but it left her mouth tingling.

Asher had millions of thoughts roaming throughout his head. He had the urge to kiss her right then and there in the rain, and he couldn't stop himself from doing so once Charlotte had looked at him the way she did.

That last thought snapped him back to reality.

He retreated from her, slowly dropping his arms to his sides, and stepped backwards. They were now a foot apart, and Charlotte felt the loss of the lovely body heat that he emitted. It made her feel lonely again.

Her face contorted with hurt and confusion. Was it something she did wrong? Did she have bad breath or something?

Asher shook his head. "I'm so sorry." He put his hands up to his head, looking apologetic, as if he just committed some crime.

Charlotte squinted her eyes, questioning, "For what?" She had an unnerving feeling in her stomach that she had done something terribly wrong.

"I shouldn't have done that."

Charlotte instantly flinched at the response, and her eyes started to brim with tears for the second time that night. Her arms remained limp at her sides, now useless and numb.

"What?" He didn't just say what she thought he said.

"I shouldn't have kissed you. That wasn't your first kiss, was it?" Asher asked hesitantly, his stomach dropping like it was on a rollercoaster ride.

Charlotte dropped her gaze to the ground in shame, and nodded her head. She felt weak and immature. Of course she wouldn't be his first, she considered, Asher probably has had hundreds of girlfriends. She was just a mistake like all the others and didn't have a slightest chance.

She heard him heave a long sigh. "It was a mistake. It was just a spur of the moment kind of thing. I shouldn't have—"

"Why shouldn't you have?"

Asher was silent for a long time. Charlotte got more upset at this fact, more tears threatening to fall.

"Was all this a mistake, Asher? Do you truly believe that, or are you just scared?"

She saw him shiver. Asher hesitated, taking a deep breathe, before speaking.

"I believe this was."

This made the tears finally fall, and Asher remained frozen, thinking about what he had done. He was guilty for stealing her first kiss, truthfully. He thought that she could have someone better than him, and that she deserved better.

She was too good for him.

He wanted to wipe her tears away as they fell, along with all her pain that he caused.

I'm sorry. This is for your own good, he thought.

Charlotte spoke softly, almost whispering as if she had lost all willpower and motivation. She seemed lost. "Okay. I'll just be on my way, then."

She walked over to her belongings, her body silently racking with minature sobs. She then grabbed her things, and fleed the scene running, as Asher stood alone in the rain to face what he had done.

He didn't run after her.

He couldn't face that reality.

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