The First Kiss!

Just as Hugo leaned in to kiss Lily, a sudden sneeze exploded from his face. He jerked back violently, catching the sneeze with the sleeve of his noodle and sauce infused jacket. 

F*ck F*ck F*ck F*ck!

Lily, blinking in surprise, gave a little laugh. "Bless you?"

Before Hugo could wallow in embarrassment, a flash of inspiration struck like lightning. He straightened up, smiled, and said with the most flirtatious smirk he could manage:

"Sorry about that. Tryna blow you away both emotionally and physically... "

Lily's eyebrows shot up, then curved into a slow, amused smile. "Oh, smooth. Very smooth." 

Before Hugo could second guess himself or his wallet's ghost could haunt him with regret, Lily leaned in—and this time, so did he. 

Hugo's brain screamed at him again. 'THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING! AGAIN!' 

Hugo leaned in closer, his heart now drumming a wild solo that could've rivalled any rock band's drummer. His mind raced, a chaotic jumble of thoughts, each one more panicked than the last.

'How do I do this? What if I miss her lips and kiss her nose? What if I pass out from lack of oxygen because I'm too nervous to breathe? Where do my hands go? Should I—oh no, what if my hands are weird? Do I angle left or right? Is she angling right? Wait, what if we angle the same way and—'

Their lips met in a soft, warm kiss that sent fireworks exploding in Hugo's mind. 

Sparks shot through him, like plugging into an emotional socket. For a moment, everything was perfect. 

Time seemed to slow down. The world around them faded away, leaving just the two of them in a bubble of softness and warmness. 

As their lips met, Hugo decided to be bold. He placed one hand on her waist, feeling the warmth of her body through her dress. 

Then, without thinking—because thinking was clearly not Hugo's strong suit—he placed his hand gently on her waist.

Her warm skin sent a shiver up his spine. Emboldened, Hugo let his hand slide a little lower... and then lower... until it came to rest on her backside. 

Her very impressive, incredibly toned, miraculously bouncy backside.

'Oh my God, it feels like a cloud. A firm, bouncy athletic cloud.'

It felt like squeezing a pillow stuffed with dreams.

For a fleeting second, Hugo felt like a god—a hero who had conquered both his fear and Lily's glorious bum.

He could feel the power surge through him, like he'd just unlocked the ultimate achievement in a video game. 

His fingers tingled, his body hummed with electricity, and for a moment, he was on top of the world.

And then reality hit.

Hugo's mind, now in full panic mode, screamed at him. He realized he was actually kissing, and he knew nothing about kissing!

'What if you mess this up? What if she pulls away? What if you accidentally burp in her mouth? Oh god, what do I do with my tongue? Where does it go? How much pressure is too much pressure?'

Hugo was a complete newbie who had never kissed any woman before. He had zero knowledge about what to do and how to not mess it up.

'I should have asked Sanchez for some kissing lessons no matter how weird it would have been!'

In his state of complete and utter terror, Hugo did the unthinkable. 

As their lips brushed, he somehow managed to overthink the entire process and, in a moment of sheer panic, instead of softly pressing his lips against hers, he accidentally bit down.

Lily's eyes widened in shock, and Hugo instantly knew he had made a catastrophic error.

"Ouch!" Lily yelped, pulling back, her hand flying to her lip.

Hugo's face turned a shade of red that even a tomato would envy. 'Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—I was just—I mean—'

He knew that the words that would come out of his mouth would end up sounding like that which would ruin his alpha image, so instead of saying gibberish he just kept on staring at her with his eyes wide like a constipated ox.

Huummm!

Aura of Zen activated on its own once again, and Hugo could finally hear his heart beats again. It wasn't that his heart stopped beating, rather it had been beating so fast he couldn't hear it!

"My bad—some things are just too tempting not to bite."

Lily blinked, more in surprise than in pain, and then—because the universe sometimes has a sense of humour—she started laughing. Not just a polite giggle, but a full-blown laugh that echoed through the park.

Hugo stared at her in bewilderment. 'It worked?! What was going on? How was he knowing the right thing to say?!'

He felt like even the gods wanted him to get Lily tonight. All hands were on deck! Hugo hurriedly thanked them and begged for more support in his mind.

'Dear immortals, I shan't let you down. Each thrust shall be dedicated to your greatness...'

After the kiss, Hugo and Lily continued their stroll, walking side by side through the quiet night street.

They felt a little closer, and Hugo had even managed to hold her hand!

'A few more steps, an invite back to my place, and I'm officially back in the game.' He could practically taste the victory. It was just within reach.

He cleared his throat. 'Alright, Hugo. Stay cool.'

"So..." He tried to keep his voice casual. "Wanna come back to my place?"

Lily turned to him with a playful smile. "Sure."

'SHE SAID YES!' His brain erupted into chaos, like a stadium crowd going wild. 'I knew it! This is the Hugo Renaissance, baby!'

For a moment, he drifted into pure fantasy—no more lonely nights, no more smug gazes from Collins, and definitely no more pity looks from Sanchez. He was a man reborn.

And then, the universe, being the cruel jokester it was, struck.

Lily's phone buzzed in her hand. She glanced down—and just like that, her expression shifted.

"Oh no," she muttered, her playful smile replaced by concern. "It's my brother. There's an emergency."

Hugo's heart dropped faster than a lead balloon. 'No. No, no, no, no. This isn't happening.'

Not again!