I was angrily shoving my notebooks and a handful of sharpies when I heard his light knock on the door(his bedroom door, that was).

"Hey," Aelius said, clearing his throat.

I was staring at the laptop monitor, in the process of shutting off. I didn't turn or respond, instead kept my eyes zoomed on the screen. I could see his reflection in the glare on the screen as soon as it turned black and almost dropped the laptop when my eyes captured his appearance.

Aelius Carter Hayes was leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, bare-chested and only in a pair of gray sweatpants that hung low on his waist. To add the cherry on top, drops of water dripped down his wet black curls while his earrings gleamed against the dying sunlight filtering through the window.

The same sensation pulsed through me that I'd been feeling around him since that day in the pool when he pulled me in his embrace and made me aware of his devilish touch. I sucked in a deep gasp that was about to escape from my lips and continued stuffing my bag with my things scattered on the rug where we were studying that afternoon.

"I'm sorry about the handouts. I didn't mean to mock you. I guess I've just been a shitty kissing tutor for you."

"You guess?" I clipped, snapping my head in his direction, and that was a wrong move because the moment my eyes soaked in his appearance face to face, my insides shuddered. His blue aquamarine eyes held me captive. I realized if I didn't run away from his vicinity in record time, I might do the unthinkable. And the fact that I had no experience or idea of how to do the same wasn't helping my cause either.

Get the hell out of my sight, Hayes, else I might kiss you. The warning rang in my head, and I panicked. What if I choked him to death with my shite kissing skills? I shook my head and turned away.

"You don't have to bother about it. I'm not going to ask you for it anymore." I said coldly, concealing the disappointment creeping into my heart. "It was a stupid idea anyway."

"Now, it wasn't a stupid idea." His voice was casually soft. "If it's because of those google dumps, then you know I was only trying to help you."

"Fuck those boring handouts. No one even cares about reading some cheesy article about kissing." I started at how icy cold my response was. I unplugged the charger, rolling the cord around the adapter more than necessary to escape looking at his face. I intentionally avoided looking into his eyes while I mumbled. "It was a stupid idea because I thought I could solve my hopeless kiss equation by getting a kissing tutor. Stupider even because I believed I could prove to Alex that I wasn't the second-best."

Not even a second later, I felt his presence hot against my back as he took a few hurried steps toward me. "Why would you want anything to prove to your ex-boyfriend, Eve?"

"I hate being the second best, Aeli. I know it sounds pathetic, but I want to prove to Alex that I'm better than Micaela. I don't want to feel rejected or looked down upon, and next Saturday is his birthday party, the perfect day to give him a taste of his own medicine."

I felt shame sizzle through my skin under his scrutinizing gaze when I turned to face him. Aelius clenched his jaw tight, the muscles jumping offbeat and the veins around his neck down to his balled-up fists pronounced he was holding through the last thread of his patience. My words affected him.

"So, you want to kiss Alex on his birthday and make him fall for you once again," he punctuated each word with gnashing teeth and shooting fire my way, although he tried to be as casual as possible. "You want me to teach you how to kiss so that you can kiss your sorry ass ex-boyfriend who didn't think twice before cheating on you and who had his filthy cheating tongue in my girl's mouth."

"Don't snap at me," I hissed, fumbling with the zipper of my bag. "It's not like that's going to work now. You won't teach me, and I don't have the energy to keep begging you. So, no one is kissing anyone."

What stung the most, though, was the way he addressed Micaela as his girl.

A long silent moment passed between us before he finally said the words that made my heart jump to my throat.

"I think it's time I fulfill my promise and solve your kiss equation."

My fingers paused around the stuck zipper, and I gripped it tightly, needing to breathe. "If it's whispering random rules or handing me google dumps, then no thanks."

A low chuckle erupted from his throat as he shook his head lightly and toyed with his earrings. "I'm talking about the practical, Little Dove." He teased me. "Offer expiring in three...two..."

My heart picked up its speed, and butterflies went crazy in my stomach with excitement. Was he finally going to teach me how to kiss? For some weird malfunction, my face lit up as I looked into his blue, sparkling eyes. My feet covered the remaining distance between us and only stopped when they were just an inch away from him. And when I tilted my chin up, I found his eyes instantly following the upward tug of my lips while mine took in how they reflected on his lips. Yes, our lips were about to infuse together, and before they did-

"Give me a minute! I need to do a quick mouthwash!" I said, rushing towards my bag. Searching through the front pockets of my bag, where I usually carried the mouthwash, I realized I didn't have it. Not even the mint pops I'd bought two days ago. Fuck you, Shelby. I turned towards him, my cheeks turning hot all of a sudden. "Do you mind if I use your mouthwash, or I can just brush my teeth, or maybe we can do it-"

"Just..." He stopped me mid-rambling, giving me his hand to hold. "Come 'ere."

I was surprised, too excited that I didn't waste any second taking his hand and standing by the window with him. Blinking through the nervousness that almost made me breathless, I said, "Just to be clear, it's about gaining the skills of kissing, and it's not a real-"

My words died out when he grabbed my face in his big callous hands and mumbled against my quivering lips, "Take notes, Daisy Eve. Because this is how you kiss when you want someone to stay with you forever."

He had taken me by surprise, and as a result, my lips already parted when he kissed me. His warm and soft, full lips felt so good against mine that a sinful sound formed in my throat. He gave my mouth a few sweet presses, slow and gentle at first, then turned demanding instantly. Maybe, the sounds I made were the trigger. I balled my fists, my body going rigid. It was getting difficult to breathe, and I didn't know what to do, how to match his tempo, or at least reciprocate what he was doing. The feeling of his soft yet dominant lips on mine was indescribable, my knees felt weak, and I was ready to pull away.

And then I couldn't, not when he brushed his thumbs on my cheeks and moved his hands towards mine, guiding them to the back of his neck. From then on, whatever happened was totally on instinct. My fingers dived into his wet hair, and my body melted against his with a moan. His tongue demanded access, which my lips were willing to give from the beginning of the kiss.

I tried holding on to the fact that it was supposed to be a kissing lesson and I should only focus on the technicalities, but the moment his tongue slid into my mouth, I chased it with my own, and the analytics flew out of the window. I realized I had felt this sensation the first time our lips came in contact with one another. Our chemistry washed over me like a wave of desire and heady passion.

Aelius's mouth worked smoothly against mine, with the right amount of pressure and suction. He ran his tongue on the inside of my upper lip and then nibbled lightly on my bottom lip. The action made me tighten my grip on his hair, and the moment I did that, he awarded me with the most delicious masculine groan, hitting my arousal head-on and making me shake in his hold.

He slid a hand behind my neck while keeping me steady against his warm, tantalizingly naked torso with the other hand, kissing me deeply. Our tongues fell in perfect sync as if they had found their match as if they were designed only for each other.

I made another sound, a little louder for him to hear through all the groans he had been releasing. One of my hands moved down his chest, relishing the feel of his bare skin against my palm.

My other hand rested on his waist, wanting to infuse with him completely, needing to feel him flush against me. But as if it blared alarms wild in his mind, breaking the foggy mist covering both our senses.

Aelius was the first to pull away, his lips almost rebelling not to break the kiss. My first kiss. No, my second kiss. I realized it was my second kiss, and it was as incredible as the first one. And all because it was with Aelius Carter Hayes, the boy with midnight mischief in his smile and everlasting thrill in his eyes.

"There you have it," he breathed over my lips. His eyes turned darker blue, and his heartbeat was uneven against my palm. "Your kissing lesson."

I dared to look into his eyes, and the moment our gazes met, my breath caught in my throat. I stood there staring at him with wide eyes, mouth slightly parted, and breathing as I came straight out of swimming practice. My cheeks turned a deep shade of pink when they captured his red lips, swollen from kissing. Mine would have been the same, and just the thought made me squirm in my place.

"I should put on a shirt." He said in a soft, dazed voice. "Will be back in a minute, and then I will drop you home, okay?"

I nodded dumbly and kept nodding until he turned towards his dresser. I waited till he pulled his clothes from the closet and disappeared into the bathroom.

Picking up my bag and holding it tightly against my chest, I leaned against the window, breathing hard, inhaling hard, trying not to think about the kiss, but I failed miserably. I was too far gone. Aelius's touch was branded on my lips and in my memory forever. I could still feel his kiss, taste it in my mouth, and feel the sensation of his hand at the back of my neck.

I screwed in epic proportion, and all because of one kiss.  

***

Words: 1854

So these two finally kissed, and I feel the story is ready to progress towards the climax. Let me know what you feel about the story so far. Do you think Aelius and Daisy are Endgame?