It's What Matters on the Inside | ✓

Depths of a kiss

"You missed a spot!" Nathaniel laughed, pushing me back down into the wet-painted board. Paint splattered all over my brand new jacket and pants, but for some reason I didn't have time to scream and complain, because I was too busy laughing.

"Oh god you're on," I smirked, standing to my feet; rubbing my hands into the wet paint, I covered my palms with the blue paint splattered all over our project.

Nathaniel laughed, stepping back as his whole body was mostly covered in paint as well. I ran towards him laughing, ready to place my wet-painted hands all over his face, until he darted out of my way.

"Missed me!" He laughed even louder, and I turned around, only to come face to face with his blue-painted hands as he shoved me back.

Losing my balance, I fell back to the floor and out of reflex, gripped onto the collar of Nathaniel's shirt, causing him to come tumbling down also, right on top of me.

Catching himself before he could hit my chest, we both fell to the ground, our lips inches apart. My breathing immediately hitched and became shaky at our very close proximity. Our eyes quickly locked, and Nathaniel's widened largely at the realization of our predicament.

I don't know why, but as I stared deeply into his eyes, I had all of a sudden had a desire for him to kiss me. I hadn't known Nathaniel closely for very long at all; if you were to ask me if I liked Nathaniel in the past, I would've defiantly denied it. But now, I think I see a new light Adrien had been using to blind me.

Nathaniel was very handsome. Why hasn't I noticed it before?

"Can I kiss you?" Nathanael's shaky question interpreted my thoughts and I made eye contact with him once again. He was staring down at me with a nervous gaze, and the tone he had used reminded me of his shy self I had once heard in school.

I didn't want to say anything I would regret. This whole time I had been so cruel to him; treating him like I treat everyone else: mean and nasty. But now, he was asking if he could kiss me? Why would he want to kiss someone like me?

So instead of using my words I feared so much, I simply nodded to his request. The terror in his face immediately faded away upon my answer and a smirk formed on his lips. Without waiting a second later, he swooped down closer to me and captured my lips into his own.

The kiss was never how I expected it to feel; all this time I had always dreamed of my first kiss being with Adrien. I always believed that Adrien's lips would be the first I'd ever get to taste, and that we would get married and live the pitch-perfect life I had pictured in my head.

But all that quickly faded away when Nathaniel's lips touched mine, and I couldn't help but melt into it. My hands reached up to the back of his neck to tug him closer to me as we devoured each other. I wasn't sure if it was even a possibility to bring him closer to me, but I sure wasn't about to hesitate.

Nathaniel complied to my silent request, leaning in a far as he could closer to me. Bringing his strong hand up to my face, he began to hold the side of my face as we kissed, and I loved it so much.

I felt like I was finally loved by someone; truly loved.

"Ew," Mia's piped little voice interrupted once again as she made a slight scowl, "Kissing is gross."

Her father laughed, wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulders. The woman just simply giggled at her daughter's reaction, "Ah Mia, you may think that now. But when you find your true love sweetheart, you will wish you'd never have to part with him."

Nathaniel broke away for air way too soon in my opinion; his turquoise eyes locked on my fierce blue ones and it was at this time that I really had no words to say.

"That....." He sighed dreamingly, his eyes still locked on mine with so much adoration, ".....was amazing....." He then pecked my lips once again without any hint of warning, as if he hadn't gotten enough, "You're an incredible kisser Chloe."

I didn't know what to say. What do you tell someone who says you kiss amazingly?

"I...." Well, I had to say something. If I didn't, Nathaniel would think I didn't enjoy it or I didn't like him. "I-I...."

"Shhh,"  Came his gentle response, raising his finger to my lips to shush my stuttering, "Don't worry. You don't need to say anything now."

"But-" I tried again, but nothing could come out. Why did everything have to be so complicated for me?

He shook his head instead and used his arms to push himself away from my chest. However, I didn't let him get far, and not even feet away from me did I grip onto his t-shirt one again and pull him back into me.

Nathaniel I knew for sure wasn't expecting my next move, because when he was back to laying on my chest, his eyes widened and all his nervousness returned, "W-What are y-you doing?" He was able to stutter out.

"I'm not very good with words," I started, completely ignoring what he had just asked. No matter how afraid I was, the only way for someone to know what you're feeling is to tell them. And you need words for that. "And I know I'm mean and evil and a jerk to almost everyone in school. I know that everyone hates me and looks at me like I'm a demon sent from the devil himself down to earth." I took a deep breath because expressing part of my emotions was something too new for me, "Why would you want to kiss a devil like me?"

Nathaniel seemed really surprised that I had just called myself such words because his hand found its way to the side of my face again as he began to stroke me cheek softly with his thumb, "Chloe, you're not a devil. Like I said before, everyone has their own little secrets that they either choose to share or actually keep as secrets. To me, I don't see anything you describe yourself as. I see a girl who's beautiful, talented, witty, sometimes petty, sassy.....must I go on?"

The snobby, stuck up side of me would've screamed yes and begged for more attention, but I just simply giggled, and I liked the new feeling, "Everyone had their flaws Chloe, that's what just makes us human."

I sighed; could he be anymore right? Did Nathaniel really see that in a person like me? Did he really find beauty under all my flaws?

When Nathaniel had mentioned flaws, I couldn't help let my eyes drift to the small scar on his jaw line I had come to recognize during the alley incident. The simple scratch wasn't as noticeable from far away, but when you were up close, it was pretty noticeable at how deep the wound had been.

"Where did you get that scar?" I asked, lifting my hand to run my finger over it smoothly. I don't really know if it was a mistake to ask, because Nathaniel immediately jerked away in shock, as if he had thought I was too blind to notice.