The blaring ringtone from my phone wakes me up with a start. I blink several times, trying to focus on my surroundings until I finally make out the outlines of the furniture in my room. My head is spinning, and the noise from my phone only increases my desire to throw myself off the balcony of my room. The only thing I can be grateful for is that I don't have a hangover this morning, but that doesn't take away the exhaustion I feel after yesterday's party.

"Yes?" I answer with a groan as I sit up in bed.

"Did you just wake up, honey?"

I resist the urge to hang up as soon as my mother's voice comes through the line, but I don't. A part of me, albeit a tiny one, is still curious about what the hell this woman wants from me every time she decides to call.

"Is there a problem?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" she clarifies, with a clear hint of fear in her voice. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. Yesterday was the Halloween party, right? Did you have a good time?"

"Listen, María, what part of 'I don't want to know anything about you' don't you understand? If it were up to me, I wouldn't even accept your stupid money."

The other end of the line goes silent, and I almost feel bad for the words that just came out of my mouth. That feeling quickly dissipates when I remember what she did to me, soon replaced by a deep anger that has been burning inside me for years.

"Alexa, honey, I've apologized a thousand times for what I did. I know it was wrong, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't regret how I acted. But can't you give me a chance?"

"Give you a chance? And discover that I have a secret brother? Or that I'm adopted? How many more lies do you have prepared to tell me?"

Again, the line goes silent, something I'm already used to whenever I talk to María. I don't know why she calls if she's just going to stay silent every two seconds because she knows perfectly well that I'm right.

"When I promised you that from now on I'd be completely honest with you, I wasn't lying, dear. I don't know what else to do to make you forgive me. Whatever you ask, I promise I'll do it!"

"I don't want to forgive you, María!" I shout into the phone as I walk towards the terrace, fed up with this conversation that seems to repeat itself every month like a bad dream. "I want to live my life peacefully, making sure you are away from me as much as possible. So, get this through your head: I will never forgive you for what you did to me!"

Before I can hear anything else, I hang up the phone and drop it on the table on the terrace, wishing I could throw it over the railing separating me from the city. I want to scream, I want to hit someone, I want to cry, but most of all, I want to stop feeling like I'm the villain in this story. It took me a long time to come to terms with what my mother did to me, it broke me mentally, and I doubt I'll ever fully recover. I don't care if anyone thinks I'm treating María unfairly because I'm acting according to all the feelings she's caused me.

"Is there a problem, bunny? You look like you're ready to rip someone's head off."

The voice comes from my left, and I don't need to look to know who spoke. This can either go very well or very badly for me.

"Call me 'bunny' again, and the head I rip off will be yours."

"Okay, I get it, it's not a good time. Do you want to tell me what's wrong, or should I leave you alone?"

I finally turn to look at Ace and see him wearing just a pair of simple grey sweatpants and a black shirt, leaning against the small wall that separates our terraces while holding a cup of what I assume is coffee. His question makes me seriously ponder what would be best for me, but my heart decides before my head.

"I started this wonderful morning with a call from that woman who calls herself my mother. No matter how much time passes or what I say to her, she always tries to clear her conscience by pretending to be the mother of the year."

"Have you tried telling her to stop trying to contact you?"

"Yes, but she keeps calling me, and honestly, I don't like the idea of ignoring her calls. I don't know, I always end up feeling like the villain in the movie when it comes to our relationship."

Ace takes a sip of his coffee before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, nodding as he exhales the smoke from the first drag. I take the opportunity to move closer to the wall, as this seems to be turning into a proper conversation rather than small talk.

"Do you want to come over to my place? I bet you anything you want I can turn this crappy morning into at least a decent one."

"I'd like to see you try," I say, with an expression that shows my skepticism. "Give me five minutes to get dressed, and I'll come over."

"Wear something nice, Arden!" I hear him say as I'm walking back into my house, to which I respond by flipping him off.

A few minutes later, I'm knocking on his door in a simple pink tracksuit, completely unkempt. When Ace opens the door, he lets out an exaggerated scream and jumps in the most dramatic way possible, as if he had just come face to face with an orc from The Lord of the Rings.

"Holy shit, the river monster!"

I roll my eyes and punch him in the abdomen, hard as a rock, which only makes him laugh before I walk into his house.

"One day, you're going to get punched in the face, and I won't regret it one bit."

"You have no sense of humor, bunny. Smile at life; it's too short for regrets."

I turn to look at him and clap my hands, raising an eyebrow as I look at him challengingly.

"Alright, curls. I bet you can't fix my morning. The power María has to ruin my day is enormous. You'd need to bring me a rainbow-colored unicorn to make me smile."

"Wow, all that? Well, curls is going to have to bring out the heavy artillery right from the start."

Ace gives me one of his confident smiles, obviously convinced he's going to succeed in what he's set out to do. With a slight gesture, he indicates for me to follow him down the long hallway, which I do with growing curiosity, as I've never seen more than his living room, kitchen, and terrace. Some doors are slightly open, which I take advantage of to take a quick peek. I see a game room, with several screens and all the existing video game consoles, another living room, a guest bedroom... I'm so busy snooping that I bump into his back when he stops in front of one of the doors, causing him to laugh at me once again.

"Alright, Miss Nosy, behind this door is the reason you're going to smile today. In fact, I'm so sure of my victory that I don't care if you end up laughing at me or even begging me for days to do this again. I'm willing to let you know this secret to win our bet."

"Oh, really? So sure?" I ask, completely confident that whatever is behind that door won't be that big of a deal. "Let's see, Houdini, reveal your master trick."

"Oh, bunny, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into..."

With a mysterious smile, he finally opens the door, revealing a spacious room of angelic white. The wall in front of us has been completely replaced with glass, showcasing the towering skyscrapers of New York. There isn't a single piece of furniture in the room, not a single decoration.

The only thing in the room is a large white grand piano with a matching bench.

"A piano? And how is this going to make me happy, by playing itself...?" My voice trails off as I realize what's happening. "Don't tell me you know how to play the piano."

"No, what I do is get on top and strip, obviously. What, didn't expect me to be even more perfect than you thought? It's normal, I'm a man full of surprises."

"Play, play! God, please, play! If you play, I'll love you forever!" I scream as I tug at his arm, not realizing that a smile full of excitement has already taken over my face, meaning he has already won our bet.

"Hey, hey, okay! I brought you here because I'm going to play, not to lock you up. Come on, bunny, have a seat."

I waste no time running to sit on the bench, leaving a spot next to me for him. Ace approaches, laughing, enjoying every second of me begging him to play for me. I'm fully aware that he's already won our little bet, but I don't care right now. My objective changed radically the moment I saw that piano.

"What are you going to play for me?"

"I'll play whatever you want, bunny," he purrs, laughing when I slap his arm. "You know, I'm so sure I've got you figured out that I'm going to guess the exact song you'll love to hear."

"Oh, yeah? Well, I don't know if you know me that well, so go ahead and see if you can surprise me."

"Let's recap what I know about you: you love reading, mostly romance, but also fantasy. Plus, you're a pretty basic girl who loves bad boys, so I'll go with..."

When he calls me basic, I immediately frown, but as soon as I hear the first notes, all traces of negative emotion vanish from my face. My eyes focus on his fingers, which caress the piano keys to bring forth a sweet melody I know perfectly. He's playing Bella's Lullaby, the song Edward Cullen composed for Bella in Twilight. I'm somewhat surprised he knows I love that saga since it's one of my guilty pleasures, but I'm even more surprised that he knows how to play it.

I'd be lying if I said his fingers aren't incredibly attractive as they bring out that beautiful music that fills the room. When my mind drifts to other things those fingers could do, I force myself to look up at his face. This doesn't help; in fact, it only makes my cheeks turn a deeper shade of red.

His expression is relaxed, almost angelic, the purest reflection of the piece he's playing. His eyes, the color of the clearest waters, reflect an intense and unique love: the love one only feels for any form of art. A love you can only see in the eyes of a painter looking at their work, a writer reading their finished piece, or an actor watching their own performance. If a man ever looked at me with half the intensity that Ace's eyes hold right now, I would feel like the luckiest woman on Earth.

"Well, did I get it right?" he asks when the last notes of the song finish resonating in the room.

"You're a wizard or something, there's no way. Do you spy on me when I sleep? Do you sneak in through my balcony every night to learn things about me?"

"In your dreams, bunny. I'm just an extraordinary being, no matter how much you try to deny it."

"I'm going to say yes just so you'll accept my next request."

"Shoot."

I can't help but hesitate, especially with his eyes fixed on me. What I want to ask him is something very personal and private, so I wouldn't be surprised if he said no. I just hope... No, I wish that he agrees.

"Do you... Do you have any songs you've composed yourself?"

His expression doesn't change at all. The only thing I can distinguish is a spark in his eyes that I can't quite identify. He remains silent, pondering, until he finally nods and places his hands on the piano. I expect a quip from him before starting, a joke, a comment like he always makes, but he begins to play without saying a word.

The melody starts happily, light, like the fresh breeze blowing on any given summer afternoon. I find myself smiling slightly as I enjoy the cheerful notes coming from the piano. A smile also adorns his face, but I instantly notice that it's a nostalgic, melancholic smile. I start to wonder why, as it doesn't match the music reaching my ears at all.

In that instant, I notice a barely perceptible change. A whimper, as if the piano was beginning to cry. The melody turns sad in just a few seconds, conveying anguish and nostalgia. My vision starts to blur slightly due to the tears filling my eyes, caused by the sad melody that was once full of joy. I can't stop watching him, analyzing how his face conveys pain, sorrow, and deep sadness, all reflected in the piece he's playing.

The song ends with three descending notes, conveying something akin to a soft cry. Although the room has fallen into complete silence, it's filled with emotions, so much so that they overwhelm me. Ace remains staring at the keyboard, as if he's far away from here. I don't want to speak, touch him, or pull him away from wherever the music has transported him.

After a few minutes, he finally turns his head to look at me.

"This is the only piece I've ever composed. This is the music that comes from the deepest part of my soul."

I'm someone who always tries to handle everything around me logically, thinking twice, even three times, about what I do and say to avoid messing up. I never act without thinking, but there always has to be an exception to the rule.

And, as I lean towards him to press my lips against his, without hesitating for a moment, there's no thought in my head. I simply let the feelings the music stirred inside me guide my actions.

My kiss doesn't seem to catch him by surprise, quite the opposite. His hands gently hold my face, caressing my cheeks, returning my kiss with softness. Our lips seem to have been made to unite, moving together like an experienced dance couple to the rhythm of a waltz. I move closer to him to place my hand on his cheek, eager to caress his face. It's a sweet, intimate kiss, full of a thousand emotions I could never describe in words.

I'm the one who initiated the kiss, and I'm also the first to pull away. I open my eyes and find his closed, as he leans in to place a soft kiss on the tip of my nose. I smile and finally meet those blue depths that fascinate me so much, looking at me with a sparkling emotion. His arms wrap around my waist and lift me to sit on his lap, melding our bodies in an embrace as intimate as it is warm. My head fits into the curve of his neck like a puzzle piece, and his hand plays with my hair absentmindedly, soothing any trace of sadness or anger left inside me.

We stay in silence, hugging, not letting words break the magic we've just created.

Hi!

Well, well, WELL..., what do you think of THE kiss? Did you like it? 🥰 I tried my best to describe it exactly as I picture it in my head (I hope I didn't mess up 😅)

I'll be reading you! ❤️