Chapter 3

"...What?" I ask, with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

She nods, a little sheepishly, the barest of smiles tracing the corners of her lips. It's like there's this sudden lightness in the air, like the weight from her shoulders has shifted to the space between the two of you. "Serious as a heart attack." She says, the words carrying a mix of nerves and a little bit of the relief that comes with saying it out loud.

"Wow.. Uh...I don't know what to say." I let out a big sigh, then look back at her. "Sorry, I just, uh, didn't expect this." I furrow my eyebrows a bit.

She chuckles softly, the sound almost reassuring, a mix of 'me neither' and 'maybe that's a good thing?' "I mean..." She pauses, as if the weight of the situation is finally sinking in, and she's just trying it on, feeling its shape in her mouth. "It's okay to be surprised, you know? I mean, we've known each other for so long...it's not like this was the plan, y'know?" There's this sudden lightness to her demeanor, like she's found the courage to let the words out, and with them, this little bit of joy.

I lean back on the couch, taking in what she said. "Okay...So...now that this is outta the bag..." I let out a big breath. "What do you wanna do?"

She tilts her head to the side, the way her eyes meet mine is like a question, and she's searching for the answer in the way I breathe, the movement of my shoulders, for the signs of what's going on in my mind. "It doesn't have to mean anything right now." She says, her voice carrying the weight of her thoughts, of the 'just in case' that often guards us from the unknown, but she's also testing the waters, trying to find that line between 'maybe we're on something' and 'maybe we're not'.

She's quiet for a moment, contemplating a answer, her mind racing to catch up with the words she wants to say, and she's finding it hard to keep them all in, the 'maybe' and the 'I don't know', but there's also this little spark of hope in her voice. "Yeah, I guess I do have feelings for you." Her voice is almost a whisper, but it's there, and her gaze is fixed on you, like she's trying to read my thoughts off your face. "And to be honest, I don't know what it all means, or...where it all could go." She shrugs, a little hesitant, not knowing how much to say, but the air between us two is different, and it's like the possibility of a relationship is no longer a distant dream.

I side closer to her, now I'm a bit awkward. "I mean...It's not that I oppose the idea of us being something more than friends. I mean, we've known each other for a long time..." I look into her eyes. "It's not like it would be impossible."

She watches me, and there's this sense that everything's different now, like the distance between us two has shifted, and it's no longer the 'just friends' kind of close. Her gaze is somehow both curious and a little bit hopeful, as if she's waiting for me to say something else, to take this moment further. "Yeah..." She nods, and there's a pause, like her breath is holding on to the next words, to the 'what if' of it all. "It's not impossible." She repeats, and it's like the weight of the possibilities is pressing on her chest, and it's a little scary, but also exciting.

"It could be nice...you and me..." I slowly lean in closer to her.

The silence settles between us two, with this strange tension that's both electric and a little nerve-wrecking. It's like she's holding her breath, waiting for the moment to reach its tipping point. And then, her eyes close, almost instinctively, like giving into the 'what if' of the situation. She leans in too, and there's this feeling that everything is on the brink of changing, that one simple move could shift everything from friends to something so much more.

I lean in even more closer, and soon our lips touch each other.

The moment is sudden, and her lips meet mine, and it's like the air around us is charged with a sense of the unknown, with the future that's waiting just beyond that first kiss. I can feel her breath, the warmth of her lips, and it's like everything else fades into the background, leaving just the two of us, and the possibilities of what's to come.

She melts into my embrace, her body pressing against mine, like the kiss is a promise of something more to come, of a closeness she's been yearning for. The hand on her face is like a gentle reassurance, like we're both finding a way to hold on to this moment, to the feelings that are slowly unfolding, and the possibilities that come with it.

After what feels like an eternity, we pull away from each other. She looks at me, and it's like her eyes are searching mine for answers, for a clue that could help make sense of what just happened. She's a little breathless, her lips still tingling with the memory of the kiss, and it's as if her mind is trying to catch up with the way her heart is racing. She's quiet, as if she's waiting for me to say something, to give a name to what they've just shared.

"Okay...Now I definitely know there's a spark between us." I chuckle, referring to the electric feeling of when our lips touched.

The corner of her mouth lifts into a small smile, a mix of relief and the excitement that comes from finally acknowledging the 'spark'. She nods, and her voice is both light and a little bit shy. "Yeah, there's definitely something there." She says, and it's like she's found the start of a conversation she's been wanting to have for so long.

I smile. "Well, it seems my best friend, Katie, from now is is my girlfriend." I chuckle, and hold her hand.

She follows my lead, and her hand finds its way to mine, the warmth of a relationship, the beginning of all the things to come, and in that moment, she lets out a small, contented laugh, a mix of happiness and a little bit of disbelief, like it all suddenly feels too real. "Yeah, that sounds right." She says, and there's this sense of this moment being different from all the others, it's like the start of something new, a chapter where everything could unfold.