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corretto

"SURPRISE!"

"Oh my god, guys! I had no idea!"

We all laughed as Riley fell to the floor in tears of joyful surprise. She held her hands to her mouth as she let out loud sobs. Meredith, one of Riley's close friends, wrapped her arms around her as Riley cried out 'thank you's to everyone.

Beside me, Isaac stood awkwardly to the side.

"Is she always like this?" He whispered, his lips hovering so close to my ear I could feel his breath fan down my neck.

I laughed loudly, chills running down my arms. "Pretty much."

Once Riley regained her composure, she closed the front door behind her and stepped fully into William's house. His mother was out on a romantic date with her 'dag of a boyfriend' as William had put it, leaving the entire house to ourselves.

We kept it small. Just our usual trio, plus two of Riley's close friends Meredith and Peter. And of course, Isaac.

We all gathered around Riley, our gifts in hand. Riley held back a sob, wiping tears from her eyes, a glowing grin plastered on her face.

"Happy birthday, Riles," Meredith began with her quiet voice, passing a small blue gift bag to her.

Meredith was a mousy girl with long brown hair. Her dark skin contrasted with Peter's pale, freckled face, his blonde hair short and spiked. Riley had met them in middle school when she took cheer with Meredith. They stood beside each other, grinning.

Riley took the gift bag with a smile. "Thanks Mer."

She reached into the bag, pulling out a small bottle of perfume. She grinned, pulling the cap off and smelling the floral scent with a sigh.

"It's so nice!"

"I'm glad you like it. It's from me and Peter." Meredith grinned, her cheeks tugging up as Peter pulled her to his side.

Meredith and Peter had been dating since middle school, and it was honestly no surprise they were still together. They were perfect for each other. Both were shy and quiet, and Peter seemed to just shower her with affection.

It was sickeningly adorable.

I stepped up next, handing Riley my gift bag. Isaac stood awkwardly behind me, watching empty handed.

I smiled, grabbing his arm and tugging him to my side. "This is from me and Isaac."

Isaac's eyes widened, but he said nothing, only sending me a grateful smile. Riley raised an eyebrow at me suggestively and grinned before pulling out the branded hair straightener I had spent months saving up for.

"Aspen, I love it!" She squealed, hugging me with a grin. She looked up at Isaac and hugged him lightly. "Thank you, Isaac."

He sent her a gentle smile and rubbed a hand behind his neck. "It was nothing."

I chuckled and stepped back as she moved onto William's present.

William had spent weeks coming up with the perfect gift idea, finally settling for a charm bracelet. Each charm signified a special event in their friendship. It was adorable. Riley must have loved it because she began squealing and tearing up all over again.

While she hugged William as a thank you, causing him to blush like a tomato, Isaac leaned closer to me.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"No worries," I muttered, a blush creeping up my neck.

"Let's watch a movie!" Riley squealed, traipsing into the living room and plopping down onto the couch.

"Well," I said, my cheeks turning pink at how close Isaac stood beside me. "Let's go."

I followed Riley into the lounge room. Peter and Meredith had already made themselves comfortable, cuddling on one end in the dark. On the other end of the couch, William and Riley sat beside each other.

William's face was so red you could see him glowing in the dark whereas Riley smiled obliviously at the movie. I stifled a laugh at the two, making my way to the air mattress William had left in front of the couch.

Isaac sat beside me, leaning against the couch as William started the movie.

We had movie nights at William's house all the time, mostly because his mother was the coolest mother on the planet. She wouldn't care if he got a girl pregnant, only fight over who it would be named after. I supposed it was because she felt guilty about William's hatred for her new boyfriend.

Although, I knew William secretly just wanted his mom to be happy.

"What the hell is going on?" Isaac whispered to me. His brow furrowed in confusion at the movie. He leaned toward me, his shoulder knocking against mine.

I laughed quietly. "What do you mean?"

"Why is she angry at him?"

"Because he didn't kiss her."

"Why didn't he kiss her?"

"Because she's drunk."

"Why did she get drunk?"

I rolled my eyes and let out a loud sigh. "Isaac, just pay attention to the movie and you'll figure it out."

"But I can't pay attention with you next to me."

My cheeks turned bright red and I smacked him on the shoulder. I shook my head and turned back to the movie, trying desperately to pay attention. But all I could think about was his leg pressed against mine and our shoulders knocking with every tiny movement. Blushing, I sipped my glass of water only to realise it was empty.

I looked up at my friends. "Do you guys want anything from the kitchen?"

They all shook their head wordlessly, occupied by the movie or, in William's case, by Riley's face. I laughed silently to myself and took my glass cup in my hand, standing and making my way towards the kitchen.

I stepped onto the tiles, the cold floor making the hairs on my neck stand on end. I shivered, moving to refill my water before holding the cold glass to my cheeks.

I was burning. I hadn't been able to pay attention to the movie at all. I was entirely too focused on the way Isaac's shoulder rubbed against mine and the way his leg pressed against my thigh. This was bad. How would I survive the rest of the night?

"Hey."

Speak of the Devil. I turned to see Isaac strolling into the kitchen, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Isaac?" I said, blinking. "What's up? I asked if you wanted anything from the kitchen?"

"I didn't," he shrugged. He paused, giving me a funny look. "I don't know what's going on in the movie anyway."

I laughed. "It's Riley's favourite."

We were quiet for a minute. Isaac leaned onto the counter in front of me and I took a sip of my water.

"When's your birthday?" he said finally.

I rose my eyebrows. "What?"

"When's your birthday?" he repeated, leaning closer.

"What, are you going to throw me a surprise birthday too?" I teased with a snort.

His face remained serious. "Maybe I will."

I blushed under his gaze and moved to stare at the water in my glass. "October 24."

"Got it," he broke out in a smirk. "Though it's not much of a surprise if you already know, is it?"

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, what if I want to throw you a surprise party too?"

He chuckled at this, leaning onto his arm over the counter. "May 7."

"Got it," I mocked in a stupid low voice.

We laughed simultaneously and my heart hiccuped at the way he leaned forward, his dark hair falling in his eyes. Our laughter died down and we were silent for a minute before Isaac's eyes widened.

"Wait, October 24? That's in a few weeks," his eyes widened further, and he raised his brows. "Just before the Halloween Dance?"

I nodded, pursing my lips. The Halloween Dance. Every year, our school threw a Halloween Dance for the seniors. I hadn't been planning on attending. It wasn't like I had a date.

"Are you going with Lacey?" I asked finally before I could stop myself.

Isaac pursed his lips and shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. I haven't asked."

"Oh."

"What about you?"

I blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah," he stepped closer. "Are you going with anyone?"

I shook my head. "I'm not going at all."

"You're not?"

I snorted. "Remember? Not exactly the party type?"

He narrowed his eyes at me, staring me directly in the eye. I was suddenly keenly aware of how close he had become to me. His arm rested on the counter, almost touching mine. If I took one step forward, we'd be practically hugging.

"It's not a big deal," I shrugged, suddenly feeling extremely flustered. "I mean – you can have fun. With Lacey, you know? It's just – I don't really –"

"Aspen," he said, cutting me short.

My heart shuddered at the sound of my name.

"Did I tell you how pretty you looked today?"

I blushed, inhaling sharply. My stomach filled with butterflies.

"W-What?" I stuttered finally, finding it hard to tear my eyes away from his.

His hand reached out, a finger moving to tuck my hair behind my ear. The corner of his lips pulled up in a small smile. His eyes moved from mine to my lips.

"You look pretty today," he repeated, his voice low and quiet.

My eyes flickered his lips and back to his eyes, my ears growing hot. I swallowed thickly.

"I don't understand," I stammered, blinking in confusion.

He moved an inch closer. He was so close. I could feel his breath fanning over my lips. His eyelashes looked so long; his cheekbones so high. I felt tempted to just lean in.

"I really want to kiss you right now." His voice was low and raspy.

My heart raced. Was I imagining this?

His darkened eyes dragged slowly up my face to meet my eyes. His hand moved to cup my cheek; his hand warm against my face. His fingers brushed my hair from my cheek, and he leaned closer until his lips were less than an inch from mine.

My eyes fluttered shut and I sucked in a deep breath through my nose. I could feel his breath fanning over my lips and over my neck. My heart was thunderous in my chest.

"Isaac," I said, gently pulling away, only for him to hold me in place.

"Aspen," he whispered back. "Can I kiss you?"

I didn't hesitate. I answered for him, leaning in and pressing my lips against his.

My mind instantly fell silent.

I felt him smile into the kiss, his lips moving gently against mine in a slow kiss. I threw my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair. He tasted like coffee and popcorn all at once.

The only thing on my mind was God, this boy can really kiss.

His hand fell from my cheek to my waist, pulling me closer against his body. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss. My own hands moved to rest my palms flat against his hard chest. I sighed, pressing my body against his.

Suddenly, Isaac pulled back, panting. His hair was messy from me running my fingers through it and his eyes flickered between both of my own.

I pressed a finger to my lips, in slight disbelief of what had just happened. He searched my eyes for a moment, unsure, and I tore them away from his gaze, embarrassed.

"I –" I cut myself off, not sure of what I planned to say. What was there to say? 

Isaac seemed to know.

"I'm sorry," he said finally, blinking and stepping back. "I shouldn't have done that."

"What?" I sputtered, my brows drawing together.

He took another step back, his eyes wide and face flushed, before turning and rushing out the kitchen.

I blinked, my eyes trained on where he had just stood only moment ago, the touch of his lips and fingers still lingering on my skin.

What just happened?

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a u t h o r ' s n o t e

So they finally kissed! What did you think? Why do you think Isaac ran away? Let me know!

Thank you so much for all the reads, votes and comments! See you soon!