Leah smiled at his words, rapidly intaking the honesty within them. She was about to turn to play a last game of chase when he reached for her hair. She stood still, silently eyeing him as he did so, as if in a trance. She submitted herself to him, lowering her head ever so slightly, which might’ve not seemed like a big deal, but for her it was. Letting someone touch her was a huge trust in that person, after all her former mishaps in life. She kept her eyes locked on him throughout the whole exchange, sensing he was having a hurricane of thoughts in his head. She was about to ask if he was doing alright when his hand slowly ran down her jaw.
She quivered slightly, trembling at his touch. She screamed inwardly, reasonably sure she knew what was coming, the men who had abducted her often had tried to kiss her on the lips. And her prediction was right, as her crush of a day kissed her, which she allowed, with no resistance, except for light shivering. As their lips touched, like a chain reaction, her cheeks flushed red and her hands flew to her lips after the kiss to certify it had just happened. She was always used to being very indirect when it came to dating in her little town, so this was a huge leap. She didn’t know what to say, so she kept her mouth shut, looking at the grainy sand floor beneath the clear water, her face still a rose color, before whispering in a voice of content disbelief “You kissed me.” She had cracked it open, finally. There had been all those years where she had blocked out everyone, and he showed up one day and made her remember how to want.