A Billion Stars

Chapter 20

Things to remember when kissing Ricky Bowen: breathe, breathe, breathe. Ricky's hand moves up to cradle the back of my head in attempt to move our mouths closer and I pull him towards my body by his hips. His kisses start slow but they turn rushed and deep before slowing down again, taking his time while we explore each other. After a few moments (all too soon) Ricky pulls back and his eyes meet mine as he waits for a reaction. His lips are slightly swollen and one of my hands comes up to cup his cheek, running a thumb across his bottom lip. His lips part a little more and we just continue to look at each other, wonder and curiosity evident in his eyes. He breaks the silence first, his soft but firm voice cutting through the quiet room. "You're shaking a little." He tells me gently and I nod, knowing there's no point in denying it. I can practically feel myself vibrating as he holds me. This boy has me feeling everything from fear, to shock, to excitement and I don't know how to control it all. "I just, don't know what to do." I admit timidly, because it's true. I have no clue what happens after the first or second kiss and his gaze is telling me he wants me to make the first move. I just don't know what that move is and when I feel his hands clasp firmly across my back, I feel myself calm down a little. "You don't have to do anything Nins." He tells me, dipping his head down so that he can meet my eyes. I nod and run my fingertips over his cheek gently and he moves closer to me, his forehead almost pressing against mine. The nerves filter back into my system though when he still doesn't say anything, and part of me wants to pull away. "Hey, hey come here." Ricky says when I begin to pull myself away just a little. I smile shyly and I turn off my brain, moving a hand to the back of his head and bringing him down to connect our lips again. He breathes out into my mouth and returns my kisses with the same eagerness, his hands gently running across my back. After a few seconds, I pull away, wrapping my arms around his torso and resting my head against his chest. I did it tentatively, this type of affection something I'm not used to showing, and until I feel Ricky's strong arms wrap around me I don't dare relax. My head rests on his heart and I feel the rapidness of its beating which makes me smile. "What are you smiling at?" He asks with amusement present in his voice. I laugh and pull back to look at him. "Your heart." I say and he grins, pressing a light kiss to my forehead. "You're telling me yours isn't beating like mine?" He asks and I grin back, shaking my head. "Is that right?" He says and I feel his hand move from holding my neck to resting just on top of my heart. "Oh really?" He asks quietly and just from that tone alone, my heart rate goes up and he smiles proudly. "That's what I thought." He says cheekily and I push him a little, laughing and reaching past him to close the door to my apartment. "So, uh what was that?" I ask quietly and Ricky turns around to look at me. "I was sorta tired of the interruptions today, and my luck told me I'd get close to kissing you tonight and your damn ex would show up. I took a chance." He says with a shrug and I smile, tucking my hair behind my ear. "That's... probably completely true." I say and he throws his hands up in the air with a smile. "I know." He says and I swing my arms nervously. "Sooo.." I say and Ricky takes a step towards me sensing my nervousness after the lull in conversation. "I believe I'm here for a movie night." He says and I nod. "Did you pick anything?" I ask and he gives me a mischievous look. "Only the best movie in cinematic history, with the best musical score written by the coolest composer who-" I cut Ricky off. "Oh my god you're such a nerd." I say and he laughs, grabbing my arm so that he can sit us both on the couch together. "I am not. West Side Story is just-" I cut him off again. "WEST SIDE STORY?" I exclaim and he nods proudly. "I take it you like it too?" He asks and I can't contain my smile. "That's an understatement. You're allowed to be a nerd about this." He bites a smile back and looks ahead at the tv. "Movie night just got a whole lot better." He says happily.