A brown Pomeranian trotted towards us as soon as we entered his house. Aelius scooped the pup in his arms and gave me one of the most heartwarming views. The brown fur ball nuzzled her snout on his cheeks and licked his cute dimples.

"Meet my little girl, Ginger," Aelius held the pup's tiny paw and waved at me, and I had to gulp down the tightness creeping up my throat. "Ginger, that's my little dove, and she'll be staying with us this afternoon."

Downing the butterflies I reached over to brush her brownish, ginger-colored fur, running smooth circles behind her ears. Ginger was indeed a fitting name. I cooed at her when she whined under my caresses, being surprisingly calm in front of a stranger.

"Ginger likes you," Aelius mused.

"Maybe, she's used to seeing girls around here pretty often."

"Is that jealousy I sense in your words?" He put Ginger down, and she immediately started jumping on my legs, rubbing her snout on my skin and smelling me. From her small jittery barks, I sensed she liked my scent. Aelius dipped his head near my ear and whispered, "Are you jealous, Isy?"

"Don't get so ahead of yourself, pretty boy. Why would I be jealous of the girls you bring to your house? It's not my lookout." I rolled my eyes at the way he gave me his lopsided grin. Toeing my shoes out, I placed them neatly on the shoe rack by the door and was about to walk inside in just my socks when a pair of flip-flops appeared near my feet. I looked from the blue pair of flip flops to his slightly pinkish face due to all the walking we did under the afternoon sun. His aqua eyes were soft as he peered into mine.

"What's your lookout then?" His voice had an undertone of curiosity. "Why me, Daisy Eve?"

I knitted my brows in a deep frown at his sudden question, genuinely confused.

He ran his hand at the back of his neck and flicked the beads of sweat collected on his fingertips, then released a sigh. "Don't look at me as if you don't know what I'm asking."

"What are you asking?" I blurted out, keeping the frown intact on my face.

"Jesus, Isy," he placed his hands on his hips and huffed. "Why do you want me to be your kissing tutor? There are so many guys in our grade who would die to get a kiss from the mermaid girl."

"Mermaid girl?" I raised my brow, with a subtle smile playing on my lips.

"Yes, the swimming champion of our school." He rolled his eyes, picked up Ginger from where she was sniffing my feet, and started ascending the staircase. I knew he was heading towards his bedroom. It wasn't my first time walking into his room, but somehow it was different than the previous one. This time I was fully aware of my surroundings and went into his bedroom in all my senses.

"Because you're the best kisser on our campus," I shrugged, my eyes instantly moving past the back of his head to the posters stuck on the wall. Aelius Carter Hayes in soccer gears, swimming in his pool, playing the guitar. Ten-year-old Aelius, looking at the camera with sparkling blue eyes and tufts of black curls, not to mention his dimpled smile. He was as pretty as a kid as he was as a teenager.

He placed himself right in front of me with his arms folded across his chest and an unreadable look on his face. "You know that's bullshit. It's not like I go around the campus and kiss every single girl."

"But whoever you kissed, they deemed you an expert. Besides, it was your proclamation that made you famous, don't you think?" I brushed past him, snatched my notes out of my bag, and found a seat on the floor beside the floor-to-ceiling window.

"I think you're not being honest with me, little dove." He slid down the wall to the floor by my side with Ginger in his arms. The Pomeranian purred like a kitten when he held her against his chest. My mind traveled back in time to last week's evening encounter and how I had practically drooled over his exposed torso.

I shook the dirty images away. But one, in particular, kept rattling in my brain. That was- I wanted Aelius to take his shirt off when he would give me the kissing lesson.

"You're doing it again, Daisy Eve," his lips curled up in a teasing smile as he placed Ginger between us and tugged at his pretty earring.

"Doing what?" I croaked out, my throat felt dry, and my fingers fumbled with the notes.

He tilted his head and cast a side glance at me. "Checking me out, of course,"

Aelius Carter Hayes was too irresistible when he was being playful. It was almost too close to flirting. But with my zero knowledge in that area, I was hardly the one to comment. Somehow, his charming antics made me want to laugh rather than get annoyed or angry. I dumped the thick Advanced Mathematics guide on his lap and rolled my eyes. "Sometimes, you just annoy me, Hayes."

"Oh, I feel just the opposite," His face was suddenly just a mere inches away  from my face, his warm breath tickling my skin as he murmured, "You excite me, Daisy Eve."

Before I could process his words, he was back to his initial position, his breath no more fanning over my face. He waved the pen he had just picked from my pencil bag, giving me his sexy dimples.

Ginger shifted on her legs beside us and barked twice as if agreeing with the boy.

I broke eye contact with him, sifting my fingers through the messy tangles of hair falling on my face, and cleared my throat. "Are we going to solve some integrals or not?"

"You're the one tutoring me. You will be my Pre-calc tutor, and I will be your kissing tutor. That was the deal, remember?"

I shot him a sideways glare. "Yes, I remember it just fine. Let's begin then. I can't wait to get it over with once and for all."

He wore a smirk on his face while he flipped through the pages of the book in his hand. When he finally looked up at me, his ocean eyes gleamed. "I'm sure, once won't be enough if I kiss you."

Before I could stop myself, I was swatting him with my notebook. "Shut up." 

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