Page 12 of When We Collide

“What—” He starts to speak and then stops to clear his throat and take a long sip of his wine before speaking. “God, that was a long time ago,” he lets out a nervous laugh and rubs his temple, all the while avoiding my gaze. “Uh, what made you think of that all of a sudden?”

“It’s just something Jess mentioned earlier at the party. It’s been gnawing away at me since this afternoon, and I thought I would ask you about it.”

A look of surprise on his face, Oscar looks over at me, “Jess? What did she say?”

Breaking the tension, Oscar shakes his head with a soft chuckle and sits forward in his seat. I force a smile onto my face and lean over to place the plate on the coffee table in front of me. Shifting to sit at the edge of the sofa, I try to ease the awkwardness that has settled between us. As our eyes meet, a charged silence falls between us. I can feel the intensity in his gaze as we both hold each other’s gazes, locked in a wordless exchange. My hands tighten around the fork I'm still holding, suddenly feeling self-conscious under his scrutiny.

“Uhm, she’s got it into her head that you were talking about me that night.” Shaking his head, Oscar chuckles—though it’s not one of amusement and I detect a touch of annoyance in theundertone—and sets his glass on the marble table beside the sofa.

Forcing a smile on my face, I lean over and place the fork with the discarded plate on the coffee table and shift on the edge of the sofa. “Obviously, I told her that she’s crazy and that you and I are just friends, and you don’t see me like…that.” I continue speaking, my nervousness evident I’m sure as I rub my clammy palms against my bare thighs where my denim shorts have rolled up to the top of my thighs.

The sudden awkwardness settling between us hangs heavy in the air as Oscar remains silent, his gaze fixed on the wall opposite as if searching for some answer or resolution. As I wait for him to respond, I take a moment to study the solemn look on his face, wondering what thoughts are running through his mind. “Right?” I prompt again, desperate for confirmation that this is all just a misinterpretation, and my sister is talking nonsense with her silly speculations.

Oskie, come on please, say something.

I hold my breath while I wait for him to respond, to laugh the whole thing off, but he doesn’t laugh nor react, he just turns his head and looks me dead in the eyes, offers a tight-lipped smile and nods before he utters, “Right.”

Ohfuck. He’s lying, and horribly, might I add. Ugh, I’m going to kill my sister. Why did she have to go and fill my head with all this shit. I was blissfully unaware in my bubble of ignorance, and she went and popped it and now I can’t unsee it and I’m fully aware of all the feelings he’s trying so hard to keep concealed. “Ah, well, it’s quite late, we should probably turn in and get some sleep. DJ is due to wake up for his nightly feed soon,” Oscar adds as he stands and I follow suit, nodding like a damn bobble head.

“Yes,” I glace down at the watch on my wrist and see it’s almost two in the morning. “Wow, it is late. Uh, I should most definitely get some sleep. I’ve actually sobered up so I’ll be fine to get up with him, so you enjoy your lie in, birthday boy.”

“Are you sure, I honestly don’t mind?”

I nod and wave him off as we walk out of the living room and make our way toward the stairs. “No, thank you for offering, but I’m fine, I got it.”

“Well, all right then. Thank you once again for throwing a surprise party for me. I really did have a great time.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did,” Oscar says. He leans down to brush a kiss to my head, but I lift my head to look up at him and step forward at the same time, thinking he’s going in for a hug, and his lips catch the corner of mine.

Holyshitballsof fire.

Oscar and I go impossibly still, instead of pulling away and apologising like any sane person, I just freeze, unsure of what to do or how to form a coherent thought. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, matching the rhythm of his deep breaths. Oscar’s senses seem to kick in quicker than mine because he is the first to draw back, but not completely. Only enough to look down at me when my eyes flutter open. Our eyes lock and our lips are so close I can practically taste him. I can’t even tell you which one of us closed the gap, or if it was simultaneous, but damn did that miniscule gap close.

Oscar's lips, ripe and plump, part slightly as he leans in towards me. The tip of his tongue is visible, glistening with anticipationas it brushes against his bottom lip before eagerly entering my mouth. His touch is soft yet firm, like the gentle press of a feather against my skin. I can feel the faint hint of stubble on his chin where he's growing out his beard, adding a hint of masculinity to this already intoxicating moment.

As our bodies draw closer together, Oscar's hands move up to my waist and wrap around me, pulling me tightly against him. Our breaths mingle as our tongues dance together, each movement filled with longing and desire.

With each kiss, I can taste the remnants of the wine we shared earlier, mixed with the sweetness of the cake that still lingers on his lips. The scent of his aftershave fills my senses and mingles with his own musky scent, leaving me momentarily dizzy.

I feel like I'm in a fever dream. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be kissingOscar, but here we are, ardently lost in each other. Why doesn’t it feel…wrong? It's doesn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable, if anything it’s the absolute opposite.

I can't help but think back to my teenage years when I had a secret crush on Oscar. I remember I would stare at his lips daydreaming about kissing him just like this and let me tell you, reality far surpasses any fantasy I ever had.

Then again, it's been so long since I've been kissed like this that I’ve forgotten how it feels. Or perhaps I just miss and crave the intimacy.

The internal moral compass in my mind is screaming at me to put a stop to this before it escalates and we do something we'll later regret. But my body refuses to listen, every cognitive signal from my brain ignored as Oscar's mouth abandons mineand travels down the column of my neck. He moves with skill and precision, nipping and sucking at my throat, sending shivers down my spine.

My fingers dig into the thin material of his black vest, grasping desperately as waves of pleasure wash over me, pooling between my legs. His name escapes my lips in a desperate plea, met with a guttural growl from him. With effortless strength, he lifts me into his arms, spins us around, and presses me against the wall. I am completely at his mercy as his mouth crashes onto mine once again.

I can feel Oscar’s steel-like erection pressing intimately against me as my legs wrap around him and I feel a sense of panic suddenly rise from deep within me.

Oh God, this is…toomuch. A kiss is one thing, but this… this feels too fucking real.

Just as I'm about to push him away and regain control of myself, DJ's cry echoes through the room, bringing us back to reality. We both pull away, gasping for air. Oscar presses his forehead to mine, his jaw set tight and ticking. My eyes flutter open and so does his and we just stare at one another. The look of admiration radiating in the depths of his warm brown eyes melts my heart.

“I should go and get his bottle ready,” I mumble, unable to keep my voice from trembling as he nods and sets me back on my feet.

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