True Colors

First Kiss

May 17, 2019

Leila took a small bite of the pasta in front of her. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she shoveled several more bites of the food into her mouth.

Apollo chuckled. "It's good, right?"

"Good?!" She shoved another bite into her mouth, barely chewing. "This is the best thing I've ever eaten!" She glanced down at Apollo's plate, which held the same dish. "You better eat yours before I eat that, too."

"I'm surprised you even have room for your own meal after the amount of bread-sticks you ate," Apollo teased.

Leila glared at him, still eating large bites of pasta. "I was the champion of lunch in middle school. I ate seventeen slices of pizza in twenty minutes at a seventh grade pizza party."

His piercing blue eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Weren't you miserable for the rest of the day?"

"Not really, no. This other kid said he could beat me. He only ate thirteen slices, and he almost threw up. After seventeen pieces of pizza, I was doing cartwheels around the room." His expression was priceless. "I have a fast metabolism. Plus I was a ball of nervous energy for the first fifteen years of my life."

"Well, I wasn't planning on eating like I haven't had food for a week, but here I am, afraid I won't get to eat anything." Apollo began to eat just as fast as Leila.

She laughed so hard she almost choked on her pasta. "We're eating like pigs in the fanciest restaurant in town."  

Apollo took a large drink of his water. "I have a feeling this will happen a lot in our relationship."

"Are we in a relationship?" she teased. "I wasn't aware."

"Oh, shut up."

"I will." Leila smirked. "When you finally ask–"

"Can we make this official? Like, boyfriend and girlfriend?" He sighed, rolling his eyes. "And then you say yes and we move on."

Leila beamed at him. "Not exactly what I'd always imagined, but I suppose that'll do. Yes, you can tell your mom we're officially a couple now."

"Well, she's been referring to you as my fianceé since she met you, so girlfriend might be a downgrade."

The chatter continued through dinner and dessert. When the bill finally came, Apollo took it. Before he could even blink, Leila grabbed it from his hands.

"What the heck?! This place is expensive!" she exclaimed.

He took the bill back from her. "That's why I'll be paying for our meal."

"I can't let you pay for all of this! This is insane! Let me at least pay for myself," she begged.

"You told me you're saving your money to start your own fashion line. I already have my dream job. Don't set yourself back."

She sat back and let him pay. She wasn't exactly happy about it, but her heart fluttered at the sweet gesture.

He walked her home, just like he did the night they met. They talked, reliving their best and worst moments. Yes, they were now officially a couple, but first and foremost, they were good friends, able to share every piece of their lives with each other.

They held hands as they walked, fingers intertwined and arms swinging. As they found themselves in front of Leila's apartment building, Apollo wheeled around to face her.

"I had a really amazing time with you tonight, and I just want you to know that. I just love being with you," he said, his sky-blue eyes staring straight into her cocoa-brown ones.

"I really, really like being with you, too." Leila's stomach twisted, but it wasn't from the amount of food she'd eaten.

Apollo gently cupped her face with his free hand, moving closer to her. "Is this okay?"

Leila nodded, not sure she'd be able to speak.

"Can I…?" His voice trailed off, but Leila understood what he was asking.

She grabbed his shirt and pulled his lips to hers. As they both relaxed into the kiss, she loosened her grip on his shirt and moved her hand to the back of his neck, digging her fingers through his hair. Apollo squeezed her other hand tighter as their lips moved in sync. The hand that had been cupping her face slipped down to her waist, pulling her even closer to him.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally parted for some much needed air. As they gasped for breath, Leila dropped the hand that had been playing with his hair to his bicep.

"That was… Wow," he stuttered. "I mean…"

"Yeah," she whispered.

A long pause allowed them to regain both their breath and their thoughts. "I really can't wait until our next date," Apollo said.

Leila laughed before extricating herself from his embrace. "We'll make arrangements. I'll text you later."

"Parting is such sweet sorrow."

"Oh, shut up!"

She felt like giggling the whole way to her apartment. After unlocking the door, she closed it behind her and leaned back against it. Leila slid down to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. "Really? Romeo and Juliet?" she asked herself. She dropped her chin to her chest before tilting her head back to look at the ceiling. A grin spread across her face and her eyes fluttered shut. I hope this relationship doesn't end that way.

AN: There may or may not be a surprise update later this week. I don't know. I guess you'll have to wait and see...