Unseen Scene—Book One, Chapter Nineteen (Nate First Kiss PoV) (Patreon)

This couldn’t have happened more romantically if Nate had planned it…and he had considered such a thing to ensure it would be memorable.

The cart of the Ferris wheel sways gently, lulling him into a deeper trance as he gazes at [Name]. They are wholly captivating under the twinkling lights twisted around the metal frame of the ride. But Nate knows the shimmer in their eyes has nothing to do with the glimmer of the lights.

He knows because he feels the exact same way as what is inspiring that intense gaze from [Name].

With a great effort, he pulls way from the locked stare and turns his head up to the stars above them. There are so many, each seeming to wink their approval at what Nate is thinking.

Now it’s just to find out if [Name] will approve.

He swallows down the uncertainty, trying to bury it beneath the hope and anticipation which courses like electricity beneath his skin. “I’m not sure which one of us has the faster pulse right now. But if I had to guess, I’d say it was me.” A laugh follows the words, more from nervousness than anything else, but he hopes he hides it well.

Their eyes widen. “Are you nervous?”

Nate’s laugh is stronger this time. “Of course I am. Don’t you realise how long I’ve been waiting for this moment?”

They pause for a moment, their thigh brushing the length of his and causing Nate to almost lose focus from the simple touch.

“And what moment is that?” they ask, sounding far more sure of themselves than he is feeling at that second.

But he won’t allow his fear to ruin this. To take from him this opportunity. To take from him the thought that maybe…they want this just as much.

He angles forward, desperate to close the gap between them in that moment, but he holds back. “Knowing that you’re interested in me too.” He takes a pause to gauge their reaction, though can’t hear their heartbeat with his own thumping so loudly against his ribs. “But I wonder just how much interest. Because I won’t lie, [Name]. I don’t want this to be only one date.”

And there it is. A confession he hadn’t even truly realized himself until the words flowed so easily out of him.

Nate bites at his bottom lip in eager anticipation of their response. When it finally comes, he can’t resist it any longer.

He presses his lips to theirs, sinking into the kiss from the moment they touch.

They taste like sweetness he’s always craved but long denied.

He could lose himself in this. In them. Every guard he’d so carefully erected into place comes crashing down, eroding away further when their fingers grip at him. And he’s not scared—

—but he should be.

If they can so easily cast away his shields, then just how easily could they reveal all of him?

His gasp forces their kiss apart. [Name] stares at him in sudden concern, but he’s quick to rebuild the defenses he took so long to construct…even if they’ve now left small cracks in the foundations.

“Is everything all right?” they ask, the slight breathlessness of their voice almost tempting Nate right back into another kiss.

He smiles. It’s genuine but weak—fear mingling with euphoria, creating a heady mix that almost makes his mind reel.

Fear tugs at his expression, but he holds it steady, raising a hand to run his fingers down their cheek. “Everything is perfect.”

And it is. Because despite anything else, he knows they belong together.

…The rest he can figure out later.