When You Looked At Me

"God, Sage, you're so frustrating. You really don't get it, do you?"

"No, Cole. I don't. Why are you acting like this? Me and Henry are just friends."

"Right. Like how you and I are just friends?"

I paused. The room felt smaller. The tension between us pulsed in the air. My heartbeat quickened, chest tight.
"Henry has a girlfriend," I said quietly. "Why are you being such a jerk? I said I was sorry. I never promised anything. There'll be other games."
"Yeah, but-"
"Yeah, but what, Cole? If you have something to say, just say it. Damn it."
His voice dropped, rough and vulnerable all at once. "Because, Sage."
"Because what?"

And then he grabbed my face and pulled me instantly into his lips
Not softly. Not tentatively.

Hungrily

Sage isn't new to charm. She's smart, magnetic, a little guarded, and she has a laugh that makes people lean in. But she's also the kind of girl who notices things, like the way Cole's eyes always flicks down to her lips before he catches himself, or how he'll always offer her his hoodie before she even says she's cold.

Cole is frustrating. Not in the way most guys are. He's not loud or cocky or trying too hard to be funny. No, Cole is frustrating because he's thoughtful, and somehow knows exactly what to say to make Sage's stomach flip. He's the kind of guy who acts calm but falls apart the second she walks into a room. The kind who overthinks texts, panics around eye contact. He's not good at hiding it.