• He was leaning closer, his eyes locked on mine, my pulse beating like mad. I could feel the way my hand had started sweating, hear the beat of his heart as he placed his hand along my cheeks, gently pulling my face closer to his, his lips brushing mine. I felt so happy, my body moved closer to his, his hands entwining in mine.
    After what felt like a blissful forever, we finally broke apart, holding our gaze a minute longer, brushing the hair out of my face, and kissing my forehead and whispering the thing I’ve always dreamed he’d say to me:
    “Do you know how long I’ve always wanted to do that?” he asked, a grin spread across his face. “From the very day you started wearing dresses, twelve years too long ago. You were always part of the ‘guys,’ but that didn’t stop you from becoming beautiful.” It felt as if there was a flutter in my stomach, and I couldn’t do anything but nod slowly, resting my head against his chest. Your usual cheesy scenario, yes, I must admit, but it is kinda awesome, right?
    Well, we sat there for a little while, allowing the silence of the night to entomb us, the shine of the stars to light upon us. I had wished that it would last forever, but just like my luck, it didn’t. A boy, not much older than us, had begun to walk out from the bushes, his hands hidden beneath the denim of his jean pockets. He walked with grace, one foot gently stepping in front of the other, his jet black hair cut short, gelled into spikes, his eyes an additively, electrifying blue.
    I noted the way his skin were paler than a normal person’s, the way his eyes were beautifully slanted up, like a puma, ready to hunt. The way his grin spread across his face, his eyes locking onto mine the way Jake’s had much earlier, except his was filled with much more passion, more yearning. As if they were completely filled with desire. My heart gave a leap when he was suddenly standing before me, and for just that moment, I forgot all about Jake and the kiss we had just shared. Instead, what ran through my mind were images of me and this boy, moments we could share, the times we could have, the people we could meet. I tried to break contact with him. To grab onto Jake and run. Maybe even wake up from this dream to find myself resting against his chest, our fingers still entwined. Yea, that’s it. I was dreaming. Once I pinch myself, I’d be awake, smiling. Safe.
    I looked at the boy, staring straight into his perfect blue eyes. “Jake…” I whispered, the name sounding so unfamiliar and foreign as they escaped my tingling lips. “What’d you do to him?” I asked, my voice cracking under pressure, my eyes still locked onto his. But that was a mistake. I shouldn’t have said anything, and because of that, I’ll never, ever forget the velvet sound of his voice. The way it sent a chill down my spine. And not so much a bad one.
    “Nothing.” He said flatly, moving a few steps closer. I didn’t know what to do. I was paralyzed. By now, he had moved so close, his lips were close enough to brushing against mine. I watched in surprise as his finger slid across my cheek, tracing every detail on my face, the way his skin felt so cold to mine. I hadn’t taken notice to the way my fingers lifted up to his cheeks, tracing every detail against his face, and the way he took my fingers in his and kissed them so gently it was as if he hadn’t even touched them at all. Soon enough, his fingers traced the palm of my hand, and he leaned in and kissed me. Then, just as a cloud had passed over the moon, covering the land in a shadow- kissed dark, he was gone, leaving me to wonder if everything that I had just seen, felt, heard, smelled and tasted was even real at all. As if he himself was just a figment of my imagination.