"What?!"

His head snaps to you, eyes widening in shock as he slams his joystick on the rug. Knitting your eyebrows at the exaggerated reaction, you glare at him.. until Tyler withdraws his head in realization and purses his lips in irritation. From the screen, you can hear how your characters get killed by the zombies, but your glare is much more deadly than any zombie right now. The sound of defeat makes him awkwardly take the console back.. and pretends to focus on the game—conflicting emotions play across his face as you catch him muttering a curse under his breath.

"Hey! What are you doing running around like a—"

Tyler dumbfoundedly tries to overcome the hurdles by helping your character—when he sees you holding the console above your head. Irritation evident in your expression as your thumb pressed down on the thumbstick, causing your character to run around like a loco between the zombies.

"Tell me—or I'll throw this favorite console of yours through the window."

Glaring at you in annoyance, he pauses the game—finally turning his full attention at you—not in the best kind though. Instead of saying anything, he keeps his mouth shut—his frustration evident as he puts his console down..

And charges at you!

The two of you engage in a UFC fighting match instead—one eager to keep the console, one eager to steal—to save it. The struggle between you escalates into a series of pushes and pulls—and you muster the last of your strength.. and pull with all your might!

In your desperation, you lose your balance—especially since you're also pulling Tyler down with you! Panic sets in as you both are on the edge of falling! In a split-second reaction, Tyler acts on instinct, immediately putting a hand behind your head to cushion the impact before you make contact with the hard floor!

"Shit, Em! You okay?!" Tyler shouts, distress evident on his face as he lightly squeezes your head within his large hand. Eyes darting around, he checks for any signs of injury. You stare at him, observing his sudden change in expression.. and you burst into laughter. At first, Tyler stares at you in confusion—but soon enough.. he can't help but chuckle along with you.

The two of you lock eyes, the laughter subsides. But the warmth of the moment lingers between you. He observes as your long dark hair spreads around the rug flawlessly like a lion.. how the corners of your lips align with the corners of your eyes when you smile..

Meanwhile, you find yourself captivated by the sight of his jet-black hair dangling above you. His chuckles feel like music to your ears.. and you feel your heartbeat quicken—and his gorgeousness isn't helping. And how close you are right now.. the pressure of his body against you almost makes you dizzy.

Unable to resist the pulling force, you can't help but have your gaze travel from his hazy eyes.. downward.. to linger on his lips. His smile starts to fade as you notice him doing the same, eyes fixated on yours.

Reluctantly.. you bring your hands.. to hold onto his biceps—which have been supporting his body above you. Gulping, you squeeze lightly—nails slightly grazing his skin. He can probably hear your heart screaming for help as you can almost feel his heart pounding in sync with yours either.

Instinctively.. you raise your right hand to his face. Your fingers tremble slightly as they graze through his dangling hair. He closes his eyes, taking a shaky inhale. His left hand tensing under your head in response to your touch—and when he opens his eyes again, his reluctant gaze locks with yours.

You clench your hands, trying to hold the urge to just grab his face—but you notice how gravity pulls him into you.. closer.. and closer.. You can almost feel the warmth of his breath as he starts to lean in.. The heaving on his chest drums on the side of your chest like a tambourine.

He seemingly gives in.

Giving in to gravity.

To this moment—to this.. tension.

Giving in to you.

Hesitantly rubbing his left arm, you feel the hairs rise beneath your fingers, sending shivers down your spine. With just one more push.. you don't even want to know what this girl would do.

The tendons on his arms are visible as he clenches his knuckles on the floor. He hesitates. Closing his eyes, he takes a sharp inhale. You feel his body shift above you, and your heart sinks as he starts to lean away.

Disappointment wash over you as you clenches the sides of his shirt and look away—also taking a shaky breath. Not knowing what to do despite knowing exactly what you want.. is tormenting.

But you meet his eyes once again. You hold his gaze, feeling the intensity between you crackle like electricity. It's as if butterflies—butterflies be damned it's a whole fucking safari what you're feeling all over your body right now. And you feel it once again. That urge to do it. That leap of faith.

You slowly reach up, fingers slightly trembling as they reach his cheek. Gently stroking them, you live in the warmth of your bestfriend's skin under the tip of your fingers.

He starts to falter as he lets out a shaky breath. His body pressing down on you as—once again—he starts to lean in. Making up your mind, you firmly place your hand on his cheek, and before everything else—

"Em—"

You grab his face and kiss him.

It only takes a few minutes for your lips to adjust to the shape of his lips.. and the rest is history. This feels like.. it's like when you just got home from running around with him in the snow and then you drink a cup of hot chocolate?

He feels like hot chocolate.

He tastes like hot chocolate.

It feels like after the cold, you feel surges of warmth coursing through your veins. Like lightning and thunder finally make peace as they meet together for the first time.

And it feels.. divine.

His response is ferocious.

The hand that's been sheltering you from the floor moves to find its way to your cheek. His body gives in to gravity, pinning you against him in the most.. pleasurable way possible. Time seems to stand still as your lips move together in perfect harmony. At this moment.. the world around you fades away. Everybody's just renting. This world's just for you.. and—

Dominic—

In a jolt, you push his head away from you! Throwing away a fucking lifetime of hallucinations—because now.. regret begins to seep in, washing over you like a tidal wave. Cold sweat breaks out on the back of your head as you feel the weight of the moment.

A minute..

Two..

Three..

The silence is deafening. Broken only by the repeated screams of Ellie and George as the zombies ruthlessly kill them in the game. You can feel Tyler's round eyes boring into you. You can see his swollen lips, begging for you to kiss—

Fuck. Emilia Winters what the hell did you just do?! Did you just—did you just kissed your fucking bestfriend, Em?! Oh God fuck you and your hormones! And what about your boyfriend now, huh?! You just got together for like what—three months, and you kiss his—your bestfriend?!

...

Is this friendship discontinued? Will he terminate the contract—or—Goddammit say something! A mock—a curse—fuck—anything! Please stop it with that.. just stop looking me so intensely Tyler, you—fuck it, I'll just look away from him!

Should—should I explain? Oh! You stupid bitch—maybe we should say sorry! Yeah that. Or.. should we just get the hell out of here..?

"I—I'm sorry—" you stammer as you struggle to escape him.

Aaannd yes, I decided to do both—

But then he yanks you—pinning you against the footboard of the bed!

Now the two of you sit face to face, again. However.. his hand slowly raises to tuck away your hair slightly behind your ear.. and you feel a rush of nervousness as his fingers softly graze your cheek. Frozen in your seat, you can hear yourself take a shaky breath as you meet his intense gaze.

He's.. staring at you. with. such. intensity.

No mocking.. no anger..

Just..

Different.

"What was that for?" he whispers, his tone gentle. Feeling overwhelmed, you can only stare at him, not sure which part he's addressing.

The beginning? The middle? The ending?

Until finally, he breaks the silence with another question, "What time is it?"

"W—what time is it?" you stammer in a nervous whisper, watching as he checks on the clock—which still reads 8:30 PM. As he brings his gaze back to you, he appears serious for a moment.. only to turn it upside down with a grin.

To—probably—avoid any heart attack, he leans in slowly.. until his lips meet yours in a soft kiss. Still, your eyes widen in surprise—before you finally inhale his scent.. and you feel yourself start to relax.

He always has a way to make you feel this way anyway.

Your heart races as he pulls away, leaving you feeling uncertain. "What.. was that for?" you ask, your voice barely a whisper.

"It's still 8," he replies with a mischievous grin, leaving you confused. Then, he leans in again, his lips brushing against yours as he whispers,

"You're still my girlfriend."

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Cecylia Costania @rcpcswrites

You can elevate your experience by also listening to songs I added to this story's playlist! Full Playlist on bio💖

The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

https://youtu.be/54wX7AvU0_8