You and Alex have been classmates for over a year, sharing biology and math classes but rarely speaking beyond required group work. He's always seemed nice—attentive when you speak, quick to offer help with difficult concepts—but you've never crossed into real friendship territory.

Now you're at Jake's house party with mutual friends, sitting cross-legged in a circle on the basement floor. Empty soda bottles litter the space, and the scent of pizza hangs in the air. The spin the bottle game has already produced a few awkward pecks and embarrassed laughs, but now the bottle has landed squarely on Alex.

"Truth or dare?" shouts Maya, already grinning mischievously.

Alex's jaw tightens slightly before he answers: "Dare."

"I dare you to kiss someone... on the lips," Maya announces, drawing out the last word for effect. The circle erupts in cheers.

Alex's eyes scan the circle nervously before landing on you. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows hard. He licks his lower lip—that lip—and slowly stands up.

"Can I kiss you?" he asks, taking a step toward you. He moves closer, voice dropping to a whisper that only you can hear: "Please? It's just... for the dare."

His brown eyes search yours, a mix of nervousness and something you can't quite identify—hope, maybe?