"Lali," I said, and she lifted her head from the papers she was reading. Her soft eyes looked at me and I didn't hesitate any longer. "Can I kiss you?"
She froze in surprise, searched my eyes for confirmation, and, after a brief moment, she said: "Yes."
While I walked towards her, she stood up as if to reach me in the middle. She extended her delicate hand towards my face and brushed her fingers gently on my cheek. I leaned into her touch and put one hand on her arm and the other on her waist.
She took one more step, our faces now so close to each other that I could feel her breath. Her heartbeat fastened. I tilted my head and caressed her lips with mine. The warmth of her body against me enlightened my senses. I breathed her scent and tasted her skin, and her mouth, and it was everything.
When I pulled back to catch my breath, she was looking at me with a smile, with questions in her eyes, and still a hint of surprise.
"You're so beautiful," she said. I think I blushed.
Our hands searched one for the other, craving for each other's touch, while her eyes locked on mine.
It would have felt like the world could have disappeared if we had not heard some steps coming from the stairs. I became aware again of my environment and dropped Lali's hand, as we instinctively took a step away from each other. I felt a sudden void that left me feeling cold.
Kai stormed into the room without suspecting what had just happened. "I'm sorry," she said. "I was... I don't know." She paced the room. Lali and I stepped back to leave her some space. "It's just a lot. All this. I'm sorry. I should not have thrown my tantrum at you."
I smiled. "It's okay. I understand. Do you feel better now?"
"Yes." She hesitated. "Can I hug you? I'm sorry, I know, it's ridiculous. But please?"
"Of course." I opened my arms and Kai nestled against me. "It's okay. We're good," I said.
She nodded against my shoulder. It was intense to be so close to her after having been so close to Lali a few seconds before. And I didn't know how to handle it. I breathed her scent, kissed her hair, and pulled back.
Kai looked at me. Something I couldn't identify crossed her face. However, she grinned, and, after a second, squared her shoulders. "Alright. Let's go back to work, shall we?" She said to Lali and me.
We nodded. Kai took off her coat and sat on an armchair. I softly brushed my fingers on Lali's shoulder on my way to the couch. She lifted her head at the contact and, for a second, put her hand on mine.