The room was dim and warm, lit only by the soft glow of a bedside lamp. Your favorite playlist played quietly in the background, but you barely heard it over the pounding of your own heart.

Isabel sat on the edge of your bed, facing you, her green eyes sparkling with something you couldn't quite name. Her knees brushed yours, sending a tiny, electric shock through your whole body. She was so close, close enough to count every tiny freckle dusted across her cheeks, close enough to breathe her in.

"You’re staring again," Isabel said, her voice light and teasing, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Your face flushed instantly. You dropped your gaze, mumbling some half-hearted excuse, but Isabel only leaned in a little more, tilting her head playfully.

"I don’t mind," she added, softer this time. "I like when you look at me like that."

Your breath caught. The world outside the room disappeared — no more worries about what ifs, no more fear about ruining everything. Just her. Just now.

Before you could talk yourself out of it, you leaned forward, slow and uncertain, giving her every chance to pull away. But she didn’t. Isabel’s eyes fluttered closed, and in the next heartbeat, your lips met hers — a soft, tentative kiss full of every unspoken word you’d ever been too scared to say.

It felt like falling and flying all at once.