Her skin was warm beneath my hand.
Soft.
She didn't move away.
If anything, she leaned into my touch just slightly, her eyes never leaving mine.
The music played quietly behind us, but it had faded into the background. The room felt smaller now. Closer. Like the space between us had been narrowing for weeks and neither of us had said it out loud.
Until now.
Angela's hand tightened just a little at my waist.
"Phylicia..." she said softly.
The way she said my name made my breath catch.
There was a question in her eyes.
And something else.
Hope.
I should have stepped back.
I should have put the distance back where it belonged.
I didn't.
Instead, my thumb brushed lightly along her cheek.
She inhaled.
Slow.
Careful.
Giving me time.
Giving me the chance to stop.
I didn't.
I leaned in.
Not fast.
Not rushed.
Close enough to feel her breath before our lips met.
The first touch was soft.
Barely there.
Like neither of us wanted to break whatever fragile thing had brought us to this moment.
Then she kissed me back.
And the hesitation disappeared.
Her hand moved from my waist to the back of my neck, gentle but sure, pulling me closer. The kiss deepened; still slow, still passionate but no longer uncertain.
It wasn't desperate or rushed.
It was the kind of kiss that comes after weeks of almosts but never.
After hallway glances.
After lingering conversations.
After hands brushing and pretending it was nothing.
My fingers slid into her hair without thinking, holding her there as we moved together, the music still playing somewhere behind us.
When we finally pulled back, it wasn't far.
Our foreheads rested together.
Her breath was warm against my lips.
Neither of us spoke right away.
Angela let out a quiet, almost disbelieving laugh.
"Well..." she whispered.
I exhaled slowly.
I hadn't planned this.
I hadn't allowed myself to imagine this.
But standing there with her in my arms, her body still close to mine, I knew one thing with absolute certainty.
There was no wall left between us.
