If Only

Chapter Five: That's a First

But here I was, in a small dark room where I could hardly breathe, with a boy whose name I barely knew. I knew the consequences that might come later, but I didn't let that possibility interrupt me.

Suddenly, a loud crack made me snap my eyes open in shock. I pushed Jared away, but it was too late. The door had swung open, and I stumbled backwards, expecting to hit the cold floor. But Jared was quick to grab my arm and prevent my fall.

It took at least ten seconds for the reality of the situation to sink in. When it finally did, my heart skipped a beat as I realized someone had opened the door. Dread filled me as I wondered who it could be.

Suddenly, a throat clearing caught my attention and I turned my head to see Chandler standing there.

Relief washed over me as I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Thank God it was Chandler and not my father.

I still couldn't shake off the thought of my father's reaction if he were to catch me with a boy - or a man - alone in a dark, cramped closet. The mere idea of him discovering me in the middle of a heated kiss with Jared filled me with a sense of dread.

My first kiss.

That kiss...

And then reality came crashing back. The familiar heat rushed to my cheeks, causing me to blush.

Chandler stared at me as if I had grown a third eye, his expression betraying his discomfort at having walked in on something so private. "Umm...did I just interrupt something?" he asked awkwardly.

Jared decided to answer for both of us. "Yes, you did. You broke the goddamn door."

Jared acted as if nothing had just happened, too cool for his own good. Meanwhile, I was still struggling to regain my composure and steady my breathing after the euphoria of the kiss.

I scanned the room and my gaze landed on the door, which now had a massive crack at the edge, as if a huge object had crashed into it.

My eyes snapped back to Chandler's hands, where he was holding a long, steel bar that he must have used to help us open the door... or did we even need help?

My subconscious mocked me, "Did you even really need help?" I pushed away the thought by asking Chandler, "Where were you anyway? What took you so long to open this up?" I motioned towards the broken door.

"I was looking for you guys, but I couldn't find you. I heard you shouting, so I figured you guys hid somewhere... and seeing you guys now, it seems like you were in a busy--"

"No! Of course not. You arrived just in time," I interrupted, my voice defensive.

Chandler looked at me suspiciously, his gaze sending shivers down my spine. He smirked, as if he knew something had happened. "I didn't know you were into Jared," he teased, causing me to cringe and my jaw to drop to the floor. I looked at Jared for help, but he wasn't even looking at me. He only chuckled in response, his eyes fixed on the floor.

Why is he acting so cool about everything? Did he regret it? I wondered to myself, feeling a sense of regret slowly creeping over me.

Jared's indifference was unsettling, and I couldn't help but feel like I was overthinking things. Maybe he was just trying to play it cool in front of Chandler.

I looked back at Chandler, who was still grinning at me mischievously.

"You know what, maybe we should all just forget about this and move on, and I think we should probably leave now. My dad's gonna be looking for me at home..." I suggested, trying to diffuse the tension in the air. I couldn't look at him straight to the eyes, which he does completely unfazed.