Colossal Confessions

Chapter 16: Strawberry Kisses

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you for ages now. Especially not after that kiss." Levi closed the distance between him and Jasmine.

"Levi?"

"Jasmine." They were just inches apart now, their bodies almost touching. Levi drew his hand up to Jasmine's face. His thumb traced across her jawline, and her breath hitched in her throat.

"Can you ever forgive me?" He asked, his grey eyes holding a quiet intensity. Jasmine could have sworn that her heart skipped a beat.

"For what?"

"For not doing this sooner." Levi cupped Jasmine's head gently and leant in. His lips brushed against hers delicately. She responded in turn by pressing her lips firmly against his. Her mouth parted slightly and Levi accepted the invitation without hesitation, wanting to taste more of her. He was surprisingly slow and gentle with his kisses. Jasmine leant into him, feeling as if her knees were about to buckle. She felt her back hit the wall behind her as the intensity of the kiss grew. When they finally came up for air, they were grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm dreaming." Jasmine closed her eyes, wanting to treasure the moment forever.

"Why the hell did I wait so long to do that? We could have been doing that all this time." Levi's eyes were full of longing.

"Well, I guess we have a lot of catching up to do then." Jasmine shot Levi a cheeky smile before pulling him in for another kiss. She placed a hand on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. His hands snaked around her waist and as they closed the distance between them, Jasmine could feel his hardness against her. She giggled against his mouth. He wanted nothing more than to undress her and explore every inch of her body, but he reluctantly broke the kiss. He wrapped Jasmine into a hug.

"I want to take you on a proper date." His face looked so serious.

"A date?" Jasmine's voice was husky with desire – she wanted his lips on her again immediately, but the prospect of a date filled her with excitement.

"Yeah, just you and me." His lips pulled into a crooked smile – he wanted Jasmine all to himself. Levi pulled out his pocket watch and sighed.

"I should get going." He leant in for a goodbye kiss, loving how natural this was starting to feel.

"Don't forget it's tea night today." Jasmine reminded him.

"I never forget tea night."

Levi left Jasmine's office with the biggest beam on his face. A recruit walking past did a double-take upon seeing their usually stoic Captain, smiling like an idiot - Levi didn't even bother giving them a verbal lashing.

Jasmine watched as Levi walked away. She wanted to scream in excitement – her heart was beating wildly, and her face was a dead giveaway of a woman in love.

**********

Levi leant against Jasmine's office doorway, watching her furiously scribbling away in her notebook. Her brow was furrowed in deep concentration and her tongue was sticking out for added focus. She looked so damned cute. Levi gently cleared his throat causing her to jump.

"You almost ready to go?" He smiled. She finished her sentence and slammed her book closed – she was excited to spend time with Levi as something more than friends. She checked the office corridor and upon noticing it was empty, gave Levi a quick peck on the cheek. The tender gesture caused his cheeks and ears to burn a bright shade of scarlet.

They walked to the teashop in comfortable silence, each lost in their thoughts about the other. The world around them seemed brighter than usual – the air was full of laughter and birdsong and Jasmine snuck herself a little pinch to double-check this was all real. As they neared the teashop, their arms grazed against each other and suddenly they were holding hands. Levi's slender fingers wrapped around Jasmine's, and though neither met eyes to acknowledge the contact, they were both smiling incredulously.