I sat in Houston's living room, still in a daze.
After my checkup, the doctor confirmed that I just needed a few more days of rest and some regular medication, so Houston took me to his apartment.
It was a simple one-bedroom flat, neat and organized.
I sat awkwardly on the sofa, unsure of how to act.
Houston walked over and crouched down to my level, his towering figure almost dwarfing mine.
"You don't need to feel pressured. I'm not home often, so you can stay here as long as you need to," he said with a gentle smile.
The intensity of his masculinity made me blush. "Thank you."
He smiled slightly, his expression melting like a snow-covered mountain under the sun. "Seraphina, don't you remember me?"
I was taken aback, slightly opening my mouth, but shook my head in confusion.
How could I forget such a fine man?
He sighed in a mockingly defeated way. "We used to play together when we were kids, remember? But then I moved away."
The sofa cushion sank as he sat next to me on my left.
"You used to call me a'stoic' when you were little."
I racked my memory and finally recalled it. We used to live in a large compound, with seven or eight kids, and one particularly quiet one—everyone called him'stoic.'
"Do you remember now?"
I nodded.
He then asked, "Do you remember the game we used to play, the one where we pretended to get married?"
How could I forget? Everyone knew that I was betrothed to Alexander, and every time we played, he was always the groom, and I was the bride.
My face paled. "It was just a game, nothing serious."
Seemingly casual, Houston asked, "What about him?"
I bit my lip. "He's... gone."
Suddenly, I felt his large hand grasp mine, his warmth spreading through my skin.
I blinked, confused, looking up at him.
Houston's voice was steady. "The game, I took it seriously. When we played as kids, Alexander was always the groom. The one time he couldn't play because he had stomach issues, I was pulled into the game. When it came to the vows, someone joked,'The groom may kiss the bride.'"
I covered my face, the memories flooding back.
After the vows, the game would usually end, but that one time, there had been the added step of the groom kissing the bride.
Even though we were all kids, we knew kissing someone of the opposite sex wasn't to be taken lightly.
"I saw my uncle get married, and they said the kiss had to happen, or it didn't count."
Everyone cheered, and they pushed us together, making us kiss.
My first kiss… was with Houston?
He gently pulled my hand away and looked at me intently. "That was my first kiss."
