Stirring, I reveled in the softness of the cotton sheets of my bed. I hadn't opened my eyes but my lips had instantly curved up the moment my limbs moved across the mattress. My lips were still swollen.

My right hand brushed the bottom lip. It had been a long time since I'd felt such warm feelings brewing inside of me. I honestly didn't know what time I'd gotten home.

All I know is that as I was saying goodbye to him in the porch of my house, Chris assaulted me with those nerve-cracking kisses. I wasn't complaining, though. I rather enjoyed them very much. Very much indeed.

We hadn't talked about it. I had no idea what this was, or if there was even a this to begin with. I could only take pleasure on the fact that I seemed to be addicted to his kisses. Every time he pulled away, I wanted more of him. It was unnerving and exciting at the same time.

Softly, I breathed out.

I am royally screwed.

Life with Chris had never been complicated. It was pretty easy. He teased me, I'd retort, and then we would make out. We were always laughing and pushing each other's buttons. However, things were different now. They felt different. They were complicated and unknown. But darn do they feel good.

I rubbed my face with my right hand. Ugh. Not knowing was the worst. Cassie was right, though. Not that I would admit it to her, but I do need to take the plunge and see where this goes. Otherwise, the what if would be looming around in my mind for the rest of my life.

With that thought in mind, I pulled away the covers and got my clothes from my suitcase to start the day. Haley was already in the bathroom, so I left my clothes on my bed and made my way downstairs to get some breakfast.

Dad was finishing his coffee when I walked inside the kitchen. Mom was setting up her lunch. They both glanced at me when they heard me enter the room. "Did you have fun last night?" Mom asked with knowing eyes at the same time my dad pursed his lips.

"At what time did you get in?" His tone was serious, laced with anger and concern.

My feet froze before I reached the table. "I lost track of time, sorry." I gazed at Mom for help, but she was suppressing a smile while finishing her salad. Thanks, Mom.

Dad cleared his throat. "We don't mind that you go out, but we the do ask you to come back home at a decent time. Especially when you have to drive your sisters to school the next day." The lines of his forehead were creased as he said that.

He stood up and left the empty mug on the sink. He kissed Mom on the cheek before sending me the eyes. You did not want to mess up with him whenever he used this stern gaze. And he rarely used it, making it more frightening.

Biting my lip, I scratched the back of my neck as I looked apologetically at Mom. "He's pretty mad, huh?" I scrunched up my nose.

Mom grinned. "He's just acting out like a Dad, sweetie." She closed the lid on her plastic food container and settled it on the edge of the counter. "How was it?" she asked with curious eyes, leaning both hands on the counter, eager to hear the details.

"It was great." I shrugged nonchalantly. "Cassie made me promise her to visit her in New York soon. And we met this Mexican dude that was quite a specimen." I giggled, thinking of Anne's panicked eyes as he kissed her on the cheek when we all said goodbye. He'd kissed us all girls on the cheek, but she was the only one to blush like crazy.

There is something there, all right.

"And?" Mom tilted her head as she pressed on. I shrugged, playing innocent for a moment. "What made you get into the house thirty-eight minutes after Chris' car parked outside?" She raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the fact that she had just put me on the spot.

Thank Goodness Dad had left the kitchen. "Did you seriously count the time?"

She wriggled her eyebrows. "Sort of."

My stomach churned uneasily as I sighed, completely defeated. "We kissed," I murmured in a hushed tone. I knew that if my sisters heard that, they would probably be gushing and would most definitely ask him something about it next time they saw him.

A wide smile spread on Mom's lips. I felt like she wanted to say something else, but she kept it to herself. She took out a bowl and the box of cereal and placed it in front of me. "Eat up, Farah. You don't want to be late, do you?"

Oh my God.

It was as if everyone wanted to set us up. I didn't know if to feel elated or worried about it.

***

s before.

I had spare time to hit our meeting point, so I went to the small coffee shop and got a black coffee to go. Hitching the strap of my backpack with my left hand, while holding the hot beverage in my right one, I made my way down the street. Michael had summoned us in an art gallery down in Chinatown.

I took my time as I walked through the streets enjoying my coffee and sight-seeing at the same time. It was pretty cool to see how from one street to the other, the shops' signs changed from English to Chinese writing. Red lamps adorned a few shops on the entrance and spices filled the air as I approached Chinatown's large archway, the main entrance to the park.

I was starting to think that Michael had a thing for gardens. In his defense, it was the easiest place to find photography subjects. Anything could happen in a park. You could see couples cuddling, people reading, children playing or people hanging out with their pets. It was a great place to snap pictures. Especially in a place where you could be transported to another part of the world.

There was a large mural going from one street to the other, with traditional Chinese paintings that depicted the country's history in images. My feet walked slowly as I admired the first three paintings. I took out my phone and scrolled through it until I found the directions to the gallery.

Admiring the green-roofed archway that represented the main entrance to this part of town, I clicked on the GPS and followed the directions the annoying woman voiced over the speaker's phone.

The blocks weren't that long and in less than five minutes, I found myself in front of an art gallery, staring at my own reflection through the glass paneled windows. I looked as insecure as I felt. My eyes were wider than usual and my brows were furrowed. Swallowing hard, I shook my coffee to notice that the paper cup was already empty. Biting my lip, I grabbed the door handle and pulled the door to finally get in.

The distant sound of voices came from the second floor and I took that moment to observe the exposed pictures on both sides of the wall. The theme was nature and most pictures where black and white.

Shoots of different things, such as different kinds of leaves and exotic flowers filled the walls. Yes, I was definitely stalling. I wanted to see Chris and at the same time I didn't. It's too confusing. I found a trash can and dropped the empty paper cup there.

With an already fluttering heart, I climbed through the stairs to the second floor. Chris' green eyes snapped to me as I took the last step. Slowly, I stepped towards my other classmates. I didn't want to seem clingy or anything.

Michael bobbed his head at my sight. Surreptitiously, I checked my phone's clock and noticed that I was five minutes late, which wasn't that bad seeing that I'd been stalling and such.

He gave us a detailed explanation on the lenses the photographer had used and the exposure time and all that photographic jumble. I tried to pay attention. I really did. But having Chris in the same room was hard.

My eyes kept turning back to him over and over again. Luckily, he was actually paying attention, so he didn't notice me, or at least I hoped so.

Michael explained every single picture and I was glad that I had missed those five first minutes. I didn't understand much, just a few things here and there. For a moment, I felt bad for my parents. They were paying for this course and for the first time in forever, I was not taking advantage of it.

I totally blame it on Chris.

We were given time to walk around the gallery and ask Michael questions if we had any. Obviously, I didn't. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Chris moving to the right hall. Trying to avoid him completely, I went the other way.

A deep breath left my lips as I walked aimlessly through the gallery. Some pictures were okay, others were breathtaking. I particularly loved the part where the artist had photographed orchids. All the pictures were close-ups, making the rest of the plant seemed blurry. It was brilliant. I made a mental note to try to mimic the style on my next set of pictures.

Just as I was strolling through the last room, I realized that I hadn't bumped into Chris. Is he avoiding me as well?

My brows furrowed as I stood in front of an enormous black and white photo of a ladybug. It was covering the wall completely. Turning around, I noticed the whole room was filled with ladybugs in different sets. Some were in colors, others were black and white. There were a few sepia as well. I heard steps behind me but I ignored them, thinking that Michael's friend was a bit weird.

A spicy scent reached my nostrils and I just knew exactly who was standing next to me. My heart started to flutter and I didn't know what to do with myself.

"Ladybugs are nice, but not that interesting," his deep voice loomed through the room.

"You don't argue with artists. They have a mind of their own." Living next door with my hippie aunt had taught me that.

He chuckled. "I sense you've had a never ending argument with an artist, Farah."

Shaking my head, I glanced at him. "Once, and it was enough to last me lifetime."

He tilted his head, his curiosity clearly spiked. "What were you arguing about?"

Cringing, I closed one eye. "Abstract art."

He cracked up at that. "Ouch."

Licking my lips, I turned to the photo in front of us. "Aunt Sophie invited me for dinner one night. She was celebrating the acquisition of a horrible painting." His laugh reverberated through the room. "And I happened to insult the artist by saying that I could paint better than that. Of course I didn't say it on purpose, it sort of slipped out and I didn't know the man sitting beside me was the actual painter." I smiled at the memory. It had been awful, to be honest.

"Sounds like it was fun."

I shook my head. "It wasn't. Trust me. I was so embarrassed, especially after the guy tried to make me understand his art for three hours. Which he never accomplished. I ended up telling him that he was right, just to get away from there."

He laughed at that. A chuckle left my lips when I turned to him. Amusement played in his eyes as his chortle faded. We stared at each other for the longest of times. We didn't say anything. The air suddenly felt heavy as my belly stirred thinking of the way I'd felt when he'd pressed his lips on mine last night. My heart started to thump so hard that I was sure it was echoing through the room.

My lips parted when he started to lean closer to me, but then Caitlin's laugh sounded across the room. We both tensed and pulled away as she walked inside. She glanced at us and a flicker of knowing flashed through her eyes before her last partner stepped beside her. I was still glancing at them, when Chris grabbed my hand and guided me away.

Frowning, I let him led the way through the hallway. We padded to the first floor and he took us out of the small building. I was about to ask him what was he doing, when he pulled me to the side, and crashed his lips on mine.

I got lost in the sensations he brought out of me. The way my belly felt on fire, the way my hands found their way to his hair and the way his cologne assaulted me in the most delicious way. When we were out of breath and had to pull apart, it downed on me that the guy was kissing me every time he felt the need to.

Which was amazing and frustrating at the same time.

"What are you doing Chris?

His lips tugged up on a mischievous smile. "What does it seem like?" I crossed my arms across my chest and directed a heated stare at him. He suppressed a smile. "I like kissing you," his tone was soft and seductive as he leaned closer to me.

His hand brushed my cheek as be breathed down on me. My stomach clenched and I had to fight the unnerving feeling of wanting to kiss him again. "And I got a feeling that you like it too," he leaned closer, his lips brushing mine. A contented sigh left my lips. He pulled away completely. Raising both palms in mock surrender, he smiled at me. "But if you want me to stop, I'll stop."

I rolled my eyes and after uncrossing my arms, I reached out for him, gripped him by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him closer to me. "Shut up." I started the kiss this time, feeling how his lips tugged up before deepening the kiss. 

Thank you for reading me!