Shadows of Serendipity - Hambebe AU

Chapter 45

"Gusto mo ma-experience?"

Gaille swore her eyes almost bawled out upon hearing that.

"HUH?!"

The reddening of her cheeks are now obvious and Serena still haven't realized that her blunt words clearly has so much effect on poor Gaille.

"Ayaw mo?" Serena asked innocently.

Gaille was caught off guard by Serena's bold question.

"W-why would I even-? What the heck, Serena?!" Gaille couldn't help but stare at her in disbelief, her face heating up even more. "Is this another one of your fantasies?"

Serena, being her usual playful self, just grinned. "Maybe... I just noticed na may sugat ka pa rin sa lips mo. Baka kailangan lang pala i-kiss para gumaling."

Gaille bit her lip, her mind racing with thoughts. She wanted to say something, to play it cool like she usually did, but this situation felt different. There was something more at stake here, something unspoken between them that made her hesitant.

"No... I would be taking advantage of the situation, right?"

Gaille looked at Serena. There was no single bit of hesitation in her eyes so the latter really was serious about her suggestion.

"But, to be fair, I'm taking advantage of it already... right..?"

Finally, Gaille took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure before responding to Serena.

"Would... w-would it count as a first kiss if you're just going to... you know, k-kiss the edge of my lip?"

Gaille's heart was pounding so hard she thought Serena might hear it. She felt a mix of anticipation, confusion, and something else she couldn’t quite identify.

"Hmm, hindi naman siguro? Besides, you're not gonna kiss back naman."

Gaille couldn't believe what she was hearing. It felt like Serena was treating this like a casual, harmless thing. But to her, it was anything but that.

A kiss, even just on the edge of her lip, wasn't something she could easily brush off. She knew she had feelings for Serena that went beyond friendship and this playful banter was testing her self-control.

"Nagbibiro ka lang, right?" Gaille tried to laugh it off, her voice shaky. But the look in Serena’s eyes told her that while there was a playful side to this, there was also a part of Serena that was genuinely curious. If not about the kiss itself, then about Gaille's reaction.

Serena leaned in closer before chuckling. "You’re overthinking it, Gaille. It’s just a tiny kiss, walang malisya. But if you’re not comfortable, we don’t have to do it."

Gaille felt a wave of relief but also a slight hint of disappointment. Serena’s words were something Gaille's heart didn’t know how to handle. But a part of her wondered what it would be like to let Serena kiss her, even if just on the edge of her lip.

Before she could fully process what she was about to say, the words slipped out. "Okay, fine. Just... just on the edge, okay?"

Serena’s eyes widened in surprise, and then she grinned, clearly enjoying the turn of events. “Really? Okay, okay. I promise, this would be a one-time thing. The last one.”

Gaille felt like the world was moving in slow motion as Serena leaned in, her heart pounding in her chest. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the feel of Serena’s lips on her skin.

The moment was quick, just a light brush of Serena’s lips against the edge of Gaille’s mouth. It was over in a second, but to Gaille, it felt like time had stopped. When Serena pulled back, she was still smiling, as if they had just shared a harmless, innocent moment.