Her heart was beating fast, I can feel it. I was that close to her. The air suddenly became chilly. I began to remember that it was night time. The place seemed to have grown dark.
I pulled away, it’s been to quiet. I wanted to see her face, ask if she was okay. But when I pulled away, she was still too close, closer than I have ever been to her before, nose to nose, barely an inch away from a kiss.
A kiss.
This wasn’t good. She was too close. I could feel her warmth, her breath, her hair, and wafting scent of chocolates. I felt her. I lowered my hands, and now they were at her waist. She was just looking at me, waiting for my next move. Maybe I was waiting for myself too. Or maybe waiting for her permission? I was going to do something stupid. I knew that.
She called my name. And that was all it took. I couldn’t hold back anymore.
I was kissing her, I couldn’t believe it.
-Ralph
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]