The Upside of Falling

by Alex Light

“That was your first kiss?” I nodded. “Tell me, Becca,” Brett said, running his thumb across my bottom lip. “If this were a book, how’d you want your first kiss to be?” “I don’t know,” I said honestly. I never really thought about that. “Come oooon. I don’t believe that for a second. Would it be raining? What about fireworks? Or would it be late at night when you’re sitting on a bench in front of a bookstore?” “That doesn’t sound totally horrible,” I said. Brett took my face in his hands then, gently. He moved closer until I could see nothing but those deadly ocean eyes. “I think you’re amazing,” he said, “and I think you deserve a first kiss that’s a hell of a lot better than standing in a school hallway while everyone watches.” “Like sitting on a bench with no one watching?” “Becca,” he said, closing the space between us until our foreheads were touching, “your first kiss should have been like this.”