Love Life - Story Collection

First Kiss

"H-have you ever had your first kiss, Alvin?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. His left eyebrow raised in confusion. "What do you mean?" he replied, puzzled by my question. Maybe I was too hasty in asking such a personal question. I mean, I just wanted to know, right? There's nothing wrong with that, is there? I instantly regretted bringing it up and thought I shouldn't have discussed such matters with him.

I quickly turned my attention back to my notebook and started scribbling, trying to hide my embarrassment. "Nevermind..." I mumbled, hoping to move past the awkwardness. We were both new transfer students, and I wanted to establish a connection with someone, and who better than a fellow transfer student like Alvin? He seemed approachable and kind, and I found myself drawn to him.

"Where is everyone?" Alvin exclaimed, breaking the silence in the classroom. It was already 8:37 am, and only the two of us were present. The quietness made me feel uneasy. I took a deep breath and attempted to respond to his complaint. "They didn't announce anything, did they?" I turned to face him, and as our eyes met, I couldn't help but notice how attractive he was.

"What are you doing?" Alvin leaned over to look at my notebook. I glanced down and was shocked to see that I had unconsciously been writing his name repeatedly. What was I doing?! Panicking, I hastily closed my notebook, revealing a cute chibi panda on the cover climbing a bamboo tree against a pink background. "Uh, um..." I stammered, flustered. I quickly grabbed my bag from behind me and placed it on my desk, attempting to hide the notebook. This was too embarrassing. I felt like disappearing.

"It's just a notebook! There's nothing in there that concerns you or anything like that, really!" I blurted out, my face turning beet red. Why was I saying this? "Uh... I have to go to the bathroom!" I hurriedly stood up and rushed towards the door without looking back. I didn't want to see his reaction, so I closed the door behind me and sat down outside. "Stop being so awkward, Miya!" I scolded myself. This is so weird... Why am I talking to myself?

I stayed in the bathroom for a few minutes, trying to regain my composure. Finally, I decided to gather my courage and return to the classroom. As I opened the door, I saw Alvin holding my notebook, focused on a particular page. Oh no! He must have seen his name! I rushed towards him, but in my haste, I stumbled and fell to my knees. "Ouch!"

Alvin immediately reached out, taking both of my hands and helping me stand up. His hands were warm and reassuring, causing a mix of comfort and excitement to surge through me. "You're so clumsy," he teased with a playful smile. My heart pounded rapidly. Was this heartburn? No, it was something entirely different. "Are you okay?" he asked, genuine concern in his eyes. I looked down at my knees, which were stinging slightly from the fall. I lifted my head to meet his gaze, and my heart skipped a beat.

Our faces were unexpectedly close, with his nose almost touching mine. His eyes were captivating, especially when he was worried about me. I could feel my heart racing, and my mind went blank. What should I do? After what felt like an eternity, though it was only a few seconds, I managed to turn away from him. I could feel my face heating up, a deep shade of red. Oh gosh!

I stole another glance at him and noticed that he, too, was looking away. I turned my gaze away again and tried to gather my thoughts. "I-I'm okay. Thank you," I stuttered, feeling the weight of embarrassment bearing down on me. "Th-that's good," he replied. I regained my composure and quickly snatched my notebook from his desk. How could I forget about this stupid notebook? Why did I even write his name in it? I was relieved that he hadn't noticed. Or had he?

"Did...did you see?" I cautiously asked him, my voice trembling. "Yes, I did!" he answered confidently. Oh no! I'm busted! Now I have to confess to him! But should I? He already knows about it, so what's the point? No! I have to tell him properly. Why is liking someone so stressful? "Oh..." Is that all I can say, Miya? Use your words! I feel like dying!

"I never knew you could draw such cute chibi characters. You even drew yourself. It's adorable," Alvin remarked, breaking the tension. Oh my freak! I thought he had seen his name on my notebook. That's a relief... Wait a minute! He... he... he... he told me that my chibi version of myself is cute! "I-I mean the drawing! Not you, Miya! Okay!?" Alvin added, clarifying his words.

Oh... So I'm not cute to him. Now, what is this feeling in my chest? Why does it hurt? Calm down, Miya. You can handle this. "Not that I'm saying you're not cute, Miya, 'cause you are! Okay? I was talking about your drawings," he quickly backtracked. My heart started pounding rapidly again. Wait... What am I doing? I can't control my body.

Why am I getting closer and closer to him? Oh no! I'm in a trance. I can't stop myself. My body inches nearer and nearer to Alvin. Next thing I knew, I was closing my eyes and my lips brushed against something soft and gentle. It felt addictive. Where am I? When I finally regained my senses, I realized that I was kissing Alvin's lips! M-my first kiss! My heart was overwhelmed with every passing second. I managed to steal a glance and saw that he was also closing his eyes. What were we doing?

Slowly, I leaned back, my eyes still closed, and took a deep breath. For some unknown reason, I couldn't find any words to say. My heart was pounding, and I felt my face reddening. I felt so stupid! "Miya..." Alvin started, his voice filled with nervousness. I opened my eyes and locked my gaze with his. "You asked me earlier if I had already had my first kiss, right?" I sensed his nervousness too. He covered his face with his left palm and continued, "Y-you're my first kiss."

After what felt like an eternity, but was only a couple of minutes, our classmates started entering the room one by one. "Miya and Alvin!? You guys weren't at the ceremony. Are you guys dating?" the class representative asked. My chest pounded once again, and adrenaline surged through my veins. I couldn't help but shout, "WE WEREN'T!" Alvin echoed the same words. W-what?

"Perfectly synced. Let me guess, you guys still haven't realized that you're holding hands. So cute!" the class representative exclaimed. I turned and noticed that, indeed, we were holding hands. What were we doing? I quickly pulled my hands away, feeling a rush of confusion. How did I not even realize it? Is this just an involuntary reflex? "I bet you guys even kissed while we were all at the ceremony!" the class rep teased. I didn't know how to respond. I fell into silence, my mind racing. Suddenly, there was a loud bang next to me. I turned to the noise and saw Alvin's head on his desk. We had been caught red-handed. I wanted to disappear! "Checkmate!" the class rep exclaimed triumphantly. The room filled with laughter and awe from our classmates.