"Truth or dare?"

"Truth. " Everyone was surprised by Endou's choice since he always picked dare.

"Who do you like?" The question came from the girls promptly.

"Soccer! " His answer almost cut off the question.

"I said 'who'..." Aki tried to clarify but Endou began a rant about the things he liked about Soccer. He wasn't listening at all. Eventually, they laughed and gave up and the bottle was spun again.

"Kira!" Everyone looked at her when the bottle landed on her.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth. " She didn't want to do something stupid so she didn't pick 'dare'.

The girls took a few moments to consult and when the question came it was evident why it took the time.

"How was your first kiss with Gouenji?"

Kira was startled and she immediately looked at Gouenji. He was taken aback too.

"Uhh...umm..." Kira was feeling ambushed. She didn't know what to say.

"Don't be shy. We're all friends here. You can tell us. " They teased and goaded her.

"We haven't had it yet!" She finally blurted out the truth after long hesitation.

"Eh??" Everyone was confused now.

"You can't lie. It's truth or dare." Haruna said.

"I'm not lying. "

"But you've been dating for two years. " Natsumi interjected.

Everyone then looked at Gouenji expecting an explanation.

"You know what? It's getting late. I'm going home. " He suddenly remarked and got up from the circle.

Everyone immediately protested and stopped him.

"Don't get angry. It's just a game. We can move on. " They said and the game continued.

However, the girls didn't move on entirely as the next time when they all were by themselves they began hounding Kira with questions.

"So, what do you do on dates?" Natsumi said.

"Lots of things. We talk, we joke, we laugh, we enjoy the silence. " Kira explained earnestly.

"Why wouldn't you kiss though? Don't you love him?"

"Of course I love him! You know how much I love him. I have pined for him for so long before I finally got to date him. " Kira began a lovesick rant.

"Even he didn't ask for it?" Her rant was shut down by another question.

"Well, no. You know how he is. " Kira responded quietly.

When Kira left the team room, she was troubled. Gouenji was waiting for her so they could walk home together like everyday.

"I'm sorry for what I said during truth or dare. " Kira started.

"It's alright. What else could you have done anyway!" Gouenji responded calmly.

"The girls won't stop hounding me about it. " Kira chuckled awkwardly.

"Good thing with boys is that you can distract them with soccer. " Gouenji chuckled as well.

There was a silence of few minutes before Kira spoke up again,

"Why didn't you ever ask me to kiss you?"

Gouenji paused for a bit. A part of him had anticipated this moment.

"I didn't want to pressure you. If I asked you may have felt like you have to and I don't want you to feel that way. " He turned towards her and gave her a reassuring smile. In two years of being with her, he had come to realise she needed a lot & different kinds of reassurances.

Kira was caught off-guard by such a candid response. Everyone's questions had begun to make her feel as if he didn't love her but that moment reminded her how different he was and why she had fallen for him so badly.

"Besides, we're only 16. What's the rush?" He shrugged.

"I agree with that. It's just..."

"I know. Everyone else confused you. " He took her hand in his and lightly squeezed it. He did that often whenever he sensed anxiety in her voice. In these moments, she loved the warmth of his palm.

...

However, in the following months the matter kept renewing itself in Kira's mind every time another couple in the class talked about their first experiences. It seemed like they were the only two who had waited this long. It began to nag at her and she felt like they were the odd ones.

"I want to...!" She exclaimed, surprising Gouenji as they walked home as usual.

"Want to what?" He asked nonchalantly. It had been months since their discussion on the matter. He had no idea it had continued to brew in her mind all this time.

"Ki...ss you..." She could barely say it.

He stopped and gave her a definitive look. She anticipated his response with great curiosity. She could not guess at all.

"Okay. " He said softly.

They kept walking in a cozy silence the rest of the way. When they reached the turn to their neighborhood, he caught her hand and stopped her.

Instead they kept walking straight ahead past the river to the tower where they often hung around. The sun was about to set so it would be the perfect scene for a romantic moment they were about to have.

He led her to the bench overlooking the valley and they sat down. He leaned back casually enjoying the view while Kira stayed sitting up straight with her palms on her knees, looking down. 

They sat there for a while quietly. Kira remained in her tensed-up stance the entire time.

"Come closer. " He eventually said.

She slid towards him without a word.

"Closer. "

There was an inch of distance between them now.

"Really close." He said as he pulled her towards him by her waist.

She gasped a little and looked up at him with a deer-in-headlights look. He took her hand in his, it was ice cold.

"Are you ready?"

"mm...hhh..." She mumbled some sounds for a response and tried her best to make it known it was positive.

He moved closer towards her and so did Kira in a gingerly fashion. Her heart was beating so fast like it would fall out of her chest and her hands and feet were so cold she almost lost feeling in it.

She shut her eyes tight, she had no idea what she was going to do. She had just been following his lead this entire time and she hoped doing that would be enough to make it a memorable moment.

His lips finally reached her.

"Huh?"

She shot her eyes open promptly, noticing the sensation on her cheek as he pulled back after placing a gentle kiss upon it.

He smiled. Suddenly, Kira's hands were warm again, her heartbeat normal and all the anxiety had left her body. She let out a big sigh and looked at him quizzically.

"You don't want it. I knew it already, I hope now you know too. " He spoke.

Kira blinked in surprise at his remark. She stared at the ground with widened eyes as she pondered over it.

"Stop thinking about it now. Come, look at this sunset with me. " He interrupted, as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Kira finally leaned back and put her head on his shoulder, relaxing and looking ahead at the scenery. It felt so good, so replenishing to her tired self she didn't know what was wrong with enjoying just that. What was wrong with being content and not wanting more immediately.

She interlaced her fingers with his, warm palm to warm palm,

"Okay but promise me you'll be my first kiss and I'll be yours. "

He drew in a sharp breath, exasperated but also amused by her relentless struggle.

"Of course. " His answer was still gentle.