The kiss was warm and feather-light, nothing like the dramatic declarations in romance novels but infinitely more magical. It tasted of trust and sunlight, of quiet promises and shared secrets. My eyes fluttered shut. I kissed her back, letting the world fall away.
When I finally opened my eyes, Velka was right there, inches away, her cheeks flushed and her lips parted in a soft, almost comical surprise. There was a silence a big, world-changing silence where neither of us seemed to breathe, and even the air in the dormitory tiptoed to the windowsill, wary of intruding.
Then Velka coughed. "Um."
I swallowed. "Um."
