“Okay,” I say, heart pounding. “You obviously know how I feel about you.” I force myself to take a deep breath. “So I just need to know if … Sarah … damn, this is hard
… but … do you feel that way about me?”

She doesn’t answer, just stares at me with those beautiful eyes that seem to melt something inside of me. It’s as if she’s frozen. I’m convinced this is the first time a guy has confessed his feelings for her, and the fact that it’s me, Zach Ramsey, her psycho brother’s longtime best friend … well, I’m surprised she hasn’t passed out right in front of me.

After a few silent seconds that feel like hours, I decide to do something that will definitely give me an answer.

I reach for her hand and squeeze.

At first there’s no response, just Sarah’s soft hand resting in my own. But when I squeeze a little harder, she squeezes back. I feel a smile cross my face. I detect a hint of a smile on hers as well, but there’s worry, confusion, and doubt there, too, which is totally understandable given the situation and our history. I promise myself that I will not screw this up. Sarah Foster is the last person I want to hurt.

“Sarah, have you ever—”

“No,” she interrupts.

“Wait,” I say. “How … how do you even know what—”

“I just know,” she interrupts again. “Zach, this is all new for me.”

“Me, too,” I say. “Me, too.”

I let go of her hand and place my right palm on the back of her head. There’s an awkward moment as our faces come closer and we try to figure out when to close our eyes and how to tilt our heads, but I suppose such issues are standard when it comes to people experiencing their first kiss together.

We exchange quick smiles as our heads fall naturally to the right, and we each close our eyes at the last possible moment before our mouths touch. The feel of her soft lips pressing against mine seems to tickle every cell in my body.

And from that point forward human instinct takes over. Sarah’s arms wrap around my shoulders and pull me closer. I bring my free hand up to the right side of her face and slide my other hand around to her left cheek. Soon afterward our mouths open. And although some couples’ first kisses might be less than perfect, this one is fantastic and deserves a trophy. To me, it’s like seeing Mt. Everest, the Grand Canyon, the Great Wall, and the Great Pyramid instantaneously. That’s how majestic the moment is.

When our lips finally part, Sarah whispers, “Wow.”

“Yeah,” I say.

“What about Tank?”

“Give me some time to figure that out.” I pause. “Don’t say anything yet, okay?”

She nods.