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nSuddenly, Elias cupped her face and pressed his lips against hers. He backed her up against the nearest wall, pressing her body back against it with his own.

nAlyssa's first instinct was to jerk away in surprise, but his hands were so warm and inviting on her face.

nHis lips were so soft as they pressed soft touches to her own. She was confused, but she also felt like she was floating.

nShe rested her hands on his wrists, holding them tightly as she returned the kiss. She had only experienced a few kisses in her life, and they were mostly pecks.

nThey weren't anything as intense as this one, and she didn't want it to stop. She could do this forever.

nElias lightly dragged his teeth along her bottom lip before diving back into the kiss, stifling her surprised moan.

nHe smiled against her lips as his thumbs stroked her cheeks. He gave her a few more pecks before resting his forehead against hers.

nAlyssa had to catch her breath. She had forgotten how to breathe while kissing him, and he had stolen each and every breath left.

nShe slowly opened her eyes to meet his, falling into their dark depths.

n

"What was that?

" she asked. She didn't know how they got from her trying to avoid him to them kissing in the hallway.

nShe missed a few steps, and her mind was a hazy mess. She couldn't believe a kiss had dazed her so much, but it was an incredible kiss. It was the best one that she had ever experienced.

n

"A kiss,

" Elias chuckled as he pulled his forehead back from hers. His hands dropped from her cheeks and glided down her arms, rubbing them gently.

n

"I don't understand,

" Alyssa said with a shake of her head. He didn't even react when she kissed him, so why would he kiss her now?

nShe hoped that he hadn't done it out of pity.

"This isn't some pity kiss, right?

"

nElias laughed a little before shaking his head.

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"It wasn't a pity kiss. I kissed you because I wanted to,

" he replied as he gazed at her warmly.

n

"You didn't seem to like it when I kissed you,

" Alyssa pointed out. She had reacted far better than he did, and she was stunned. He had pushed her up against a wall and everything.

nThe thought of that made something flutter in the depths of her stomach. She had never been touched like that before.

n

"I was just surprised. I wanted to kiss you back. I swear,

" Elias told her sincerely.

nHe took her hand and stroked his thumb over her knuckles.

"I just didn't think I even deserved to kiss you.

"

nAlyssa gave him a confused look. She didn't understand what he was saying.

nShe expected a completely different explanation than him putting himself down.

n

"What? What do you mean?

" she asked. She didn't think that anyone didn't deserve to kiss her. That was an odd way of thinking about a kiss.

nIf she wanted anyone to kiss her, it was him. He was the one who showed so much care for her, more than anyone else.

nElias shrugged.

n

"I'm not exactly the nicest guy. I feel like you deserve so much better than me,

" Elias said. He actually looked insecure.

nAlyssa had no idea where he got that mindset from. He was incredible in so many ways, and she didn't need him to be the nicest guy on the planet.

nHe was nice to her and harder on others who weren't nice. That suited her.

n

"I like you… for you. You more than deserve me,

" Alyssa replied before lowering her eyes slightly.

"It's not like I'm all that great.

"

nAlyssa didn't see herself as such a great catch. She had her issues that she dealt with. He knew about most of them, and she didn't want him to deal with all of that.

nShe didn't want to bring him down. He deserved better than that.

nElias tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, encouraging her to look back up at him.

n

"You have no idea how amazing you actually are,

" he murmured.

"There's no one else I could ever want.

"

nAlyssa had no idea how she found herself in this position. The boy that she had the deepest crush on actually liked her back.

nIt felt like fantasy. Maybe she was dreaming. She almost wanted to pinch herself just to make sure.

n

"I've honestly had my eye on you since we met,

" she admitted. Ever since she first laid eyes on him, she couldn't look away.

nShe didn't want to, and then he kept showing up, like fate was egging her on.

n

"We were dancing around the inevitable,

" Elias smirked.

nIt sounded like he had liked her for a while too. That made her heart skip a little.

nAll this time, she could've made a move or said something, and he would've felt the same way. She had no idea. He was good at hiding his feelings.

n

"I guess I should've just talked to you instead of running away,

" she sighed with a sheepish look on her face.

nShe had just been scared of what she could've heard from him. She had nothing to be afraid of the whole time.

nShe had just wasted time she could've spent with him.

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"I get running away. It's okay,

" Elias assured her with a warm smile.

nHe always made her feel so much better, no matter what. It had been torture not talking to him, not having him in her life.

nIt felt like they didn't belong separated from each other, and she didn't want to waste another day apart from him.

n

"I hope I didn't ruin anything,

" Alyssa replied. She wouldn't be surprised if she seemed flaky to him now.

nNo one wanted to be with someone who ran at the first sign of trouble. She really needed to get a hold on that before it really cost her.

nShe got that because of her parents. It was easier to run and hide from their nagging rather than to face it.

nNow, she applied that to any trouble in her life. She hated getting in trouble or dealing with trouble, so the obvious solution was to avoid it at all cost.

n

"You never could,

" Elias assured her with a shake of his head.

"I'm just glad that everything is fine now between us.

"

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