Chapter 7

Lena should’ve kept her mouth shut.

That was the real problem.

Not the alcohol.
Not the rooftop bar glowing gold under midnight lights.
Not the stupid truth-or-dare game Orm forced everyone into after work while claiming it was “team bonding.”

No.

The problem was that Lena had looked directly at Miu.

Calm, unreadable, devastatingly pretty Miu… sitting across from her with one leg crossed over the other, lazily swirling ice around her drink like she had never once been nervous a day in her life.

And Lena, in a catastrophic moment of honesty, had admitted:

“I’ve actually never been kissed properly before.”

Silence.

Actual silence.

Even the music from the rooftop suddenly felt too far away.

Then Orm screamed loud enough to concern nearby tables.

“WHAT?!”

Several people turned.

Lena immediately regretted existing.

She covered half her face with one hand.

“Lower your voice before I jump off this building.”

Orm looked genuinely betrayed.

“You mean to tell me you flirt like that and nobody has kissed you properly?”

Across from her, Miu blinked once before taking another slow sip of her drink.

Then she smirked.

A dangerous one.

The kind that always arrived quietly before Lena’s dignity died.

“Well…” Miu said calmly, setting her glass down.

“That explains a lot.”

Lena narrowed her eyes immediately even while her stomach did something deeply humiliating.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You flirt like someone who learned romance from internet comments.”

Orm nearly fell out of her chair laughing.

Lena stared at Miu in betrayal.

“You’re being mean.”

“You started it.”

“I did not.”

“You called eye contact a ‘sensual psychological experience.'”

“Because it is.”

Miu smiled again.

Tiny. Brief.

But God.

That smile always felt unfairly private somehow. Like she only smiled like that around Lena specifically.

And Lena hated how her entire body noticed.

Then Orm, unfortunately, made things infinitely worse.

“Well if Lena’s hopeless…” She said dramatically, pointing at Miu with the confidence of someone who loved chaos more than friendship.

“You should teach her.”

Drunk Lena snorted immediately.

“As if she would.”

Miu leaned back lazily in her chair, arm draped behind her glass.

“Teach her what?” Miu asked, though her eyes never left Lena’s.

Orm looked between them with the excitement of a woman about to trigger a disaster on purpose.

“Uh… how to kiss properly?”

The table went silent.

Lena’s face heated instantly.

The city breeze suddenly felt useless.

“It was a joke.” She said quickly.

But Miu tilted her head slightly.

Thinking.

Squinting a little.

Calculating.

Which was somehow worse than an immediate answer.

Lena watched her throat move when she swallowed.

Then…

“Okay.”

Lena froze.

Actually froze.

Her brain genuinely stopped for half a second.

“What?”

“I’ll teach you.”

Orm choked on her drink so violently she had to grab the table.

Lena stared at Miu like she’d hallucinated the entire sentence.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No.”

“You’re really serious?”

Miu shrugged casually like she wasn’t actively shortening Lena’s lifespan.

“You said you’ve never been kissed properly.” Miu said.

“I thought you wanted experience.”

“I DIDN’T SAY WITH YOU.”

Another tiny smile.

Soft this time.

Almost amused.

“Oh…” Miu said quietly.

“My bad.”

Then, after the smallest pause…

“So you have someone else in mind then?”

Lena’s brain stopped functioning.

Completely.

Her mouth opened.

Closed.

Opened again.

Nothing came out.

And the worst part?

Miu noticed that too.

•••••

It should’ve ended there.

It absolutely should’ve ended there.

Instead, three days later, Lena found herself standing inside Miu’s apartment at exactly 11:42 PM questioning every life decision that had led her here.

“This is insane.” Lena announced for the fifth time since arriving.

Miu closed the apartment door behind her with one quiet click.

“You’re very dramatic.”

“You invited me over for kissing lessons.”

“You accepted.”

“That’s because I thought you were bluffing.”

Miu walked past her toward the kitchen without hurry.

“I don’t bluff.”

Lena followed automatically.

Which was another problem.

Everything about Miu’s apartment felt unfairly intimate.

Warm lighting.
Quiet music somewhere in the background.
A faint scent of coffee and laundry detergent.
One blanket thrown carelessly over the couch like Miu had been there minutes earlier.

And everything about Miu herself felt somehow worse tonight.

Oversized dark hoodie.

Glasses sliding slightly down her nose.

Messy damp hair like she’d showered not long ago.

Bare legs.

Rolled sleeves exposing her forearms.

Pinkish lips still shiny from water.

Lena suddenly understood why people ruined their lives over emotionally unavailable women.

Miu handed her a bottle of water.

“Relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

“You almost dropped your bag when I opened the door.”

“That means nothing.”

Miu hummed softly like she didn’t believe her.

Which she absolutely shouldn’t.

Lena twisted the bottle cap open mostly to give her hands something to do.

Bad decision.

Because now she was hyperaware of Miu leaning casually against the kitchen counter watching her.

Just watching.

Like she already knew exactly what Lena was thinking.

“So…” Miu said after a moment.

“What exactly are you hoping to learn?”

Lena crossed her arms immediately.

“You’re enjoying this too much.”

“A little.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

The answer came too fast.

Too soft.

Not teasing this time.

And Lena felt her chest tighten instantly at how certain Miu sounded.

Miu noticed.

Of course she noticed.

That was another problem with Miu.

She noticed everything.

The teasing in her expression eased slightly.

Then quietly…

“Come here.”

Lena’s heartbeat immediately betrayed her.

“This feels illegal somehow.”

“You’re twenty-six.”

“That’s not the point.”

Miu laughed softly.

God.

That laugh.

Low and warm and impossibly gentle.

Lena walked closer anyway.

One step.

Then another.

Close enough now to notice details she absolutely did not need to notice.

The faint smell of shampoo.

Sleep-heavy eyes behind her glasses.

The warmth radiating from her skin.

The way Miu’s gaze flickered to Lena’s mouth for barely a second before returning to her eyes again.

Lena forgot how breathing worked.

Miu noticed that too.

“You’re overthinking.”

“You’re very close to me.”

“Yes.”

“That’s distracting.”

“That’s part of the lesson.”

Lena swallowed hard.

Miu lifted one hand slowly.

Not touching yet.

Just hovering near her waist.

Waiting.

Even now.

Even teasing her like this, Miu still waited for permission without saying the words aloud.

And somehow that affected Lena more than confidence would’ve.

Because it meant Miu was paying attention too.

“You can touch me.” Miu murmured.

Lena’s hands lifted carefully to Miu’s shoulders.

The second she touched her, warmth spread straight through her chest.

Miu’s eyes softened immediately.

“There.” She said quietly.

“See? Not difficult.”

Easy for her to say.

Miu looked unfairly calm while Lena was internally experiencing cardiac failure.

Then Miu’s fingers brushed lightly against Lena’s jaw.

Very gently.

Barely there.

Just enough to make Lena inhale sharply.

Miu noticed immediately.

And smiled.

“That…” Miu said softly.

“…was your first mistake.”

“What?”

“You react to everything.”

“That sounds judgmental.”

“It’s observational.”

Lena glared weakly even while her pulse kept climbing.

“You’re impossible.”

“And yet you’re still here.”

Unfortunately true.

The silence stretched again.

Heavy now.

Different.

No longer joking.

Lena suddenly became aware of everything all at once.

Miu’s thumb resting near her jaw.

Their bodies almost touching.

The warmth trapped between them.

The quiet sound of both their breathing.

The fact that Miu had stopped smiling.

Oh.

Oh no.

Miu looked serious now.

And somehow that was infinitely more dangerous.

Her eyes looked darker up close.

Focused.

Intent.

Her voice lowered slightly.

“Lesson one?”

Lena nodded before her pride could stop her.

“Confidence.”

Miu stepped closer.

Their knees brushed lightly.

Lena’s pulse went completely unstable.

“You hesitate too much.” Miu murmured.

“You think too much before touching someone.”

“Well excuse me for respecting human life.”

That earned another soft laugh.

But this time Miu didn’t move away afterward.

Instead her hand slid slowly to Lena’s waist.

Firm.

Warm.

Possessive enough to make Lena’s stomach flip violently.

And Lena forgot every language she’d ever learned.

“See?” Miu whispered.

“Breathing wrong already.”

“This is sabotage.”

“No.” Miu said softly.

Her eyes dropped to Lena’s mouth again.

Slower this time.

Lingering.

“This is teaching.”

The tension snapped.

Not dramatically.

Not suddenly.

Just slowly enough to completely ruin Lena.

Because Miu leaned in carefully…

Giving her time.

Giving her space to pull away.

Lena didn’t.

Their lips brushed once.

Barely.

Soft.

Testing.

And the second it happened, Miu exhaled quietly against her mouth like she’d felt the impact too.

That tiny sound destroyed Lena instantly.

Completely.

Miu pulled back only slightly.

Still close.

Still holding her waist.

Close enough that Lena could feel her breathing.

“Well…?” Miu murmured.

Lena stared at her helplessly.

Her brain felt liquid.

“I think…” Lena whispered weakly.

“…this lesson is very unethical.”

Miu smiled slowly.

God.

That smile again.

Then she just… looked at Lena for a second too long.

Eyes dropping briefly to her mouth before lifting back up again.

The pause alone made Lena’s heartbeat stumble.

“Miu…” She whispered weakly.

Miu moved closer.

Close enough for their noses to brush.

“You’re shaking.” Miu murmured softly.

“That’s your fault.”

A tiny smile.

Then… Miu kissed her properly anyway.

•••••

Author’s Note:

Come to think of it… what if kissing lessons weren’t just a joke? Would you take it seriously? 😏

Feel free to leave a 🌟 or drop a comment if you enjoyed this story. Thanks.

– J –