The Beginner's Guide to Henry and Gabriella

| 31 | whispering like it's a secret

| author's note |
An extra long chapter for you all <3
Enjoy loves
As always, comment below ur thoughts and feelings about this chapter or whatever's on ur beautiful mind

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Gabriella's POV

The second Henry Brooks kissed me, I completely lost myself in his arms. Every nerve in my body was aware of his hot hand resting on the dip of my back while the other cradled my jaw, keeping me steady when I was anything but. His thumb stroked the temple of my cheek, sending the stupid butterfly in my stomach into a massive hysteria.

He tasted like cherry balm chapstick. My cherry balm lipstick that transferred onto his lips when he decided to kiss me. A foreign (but exciting) feeling pricked inside me. I had never felt this with Emilio, and I thought kissing him was sensational, but Henry's mix of intensity and tenderness were more overwhelming than that, and it made me shudder..

Selfishly, I chose to brush it aside. I chose to ignore the sirens blaring in my ears telling me to stop this before it turned into something more. Before one of us got hurt. Before I got hurt again.

My mind was dazed, yet taking full control of each amorous movement. I tugged on Henry's cotton shirt, needing him closer to me. He sensed my urgency, causing a brief smile to round the corners of his mouth. He dropped his hand from my face, giving me room to wrap my arms around his neck.

I dug my fingers through his hair. His curls felt like silk, and from this proximity, I could smell his shampoo. Soon enough our breathing became ragged. Heavy. A soft moan rumbled behind his throat, and what was once a sweet kiss, turned a little too PG-13 for a public local park.

I slid my hands down his chest, gently pushing him away. We stared at each other intently, trying to catch our breath like we'd run a 5k marathon.

That was the first time I really looked at him.

Henry Brooks had beautiful eyes. A perfect balance between brown and gold with flecks of green, underneath long lashes that could make anyone jealous. Very faint freckles dusted his cheeks, ones you wouldn't be able to see unless you're breathing his air. The sunset hues kissing his skin made him more mesmerizing and captivating than he already was.

After admiring him, I thought about what we had done. We crossed a barrier. We drove a car through a series of red lights. What the hell did this mean? What does this mean for us going forward? Months ago, I couldn't stand being in a room with him, and then one day, somehow, we became friends. Friends who occasionally flirted with each other. But, flirting was fun and angsty. Kissing, on the other hand, felt intimate.

An emotion flashed across Henry's face, but this one looked different than the others. It was more boyish and vulnerable.

I glanced at the floor, suddenly feeling too nervous to look at him. I wondered what was going through his mind. I hoped that kiss was as amazing for him as it was for me. I hope he meant it, because I did. Every second of it.

Please, say something.

"I told you he'd come crawling back to you," a familiar high-pitched voice shouted from afar.

Henry and I roamed the park, our eyes landing on an unhinged afro-haired teenage girl, wildly bouncing up and down, slapping her boyfriend's shoulder. From Rocco's unbothered grin, he grew accustomed to Lyla's giddy personality.

A rose blush crept up my cheeks at Lyla's candidness. She always knew how to embarrass me, but I should've known better than to kiss Henry in a public park where everybody can see.