Keep me Warm, Keep me Alive - Ch. 8

You backed off hesitantly, your face blushing, your heart pounding. Ivan looked at you with worried eyes.

- Sorry, did I scare you? - he asked, seeming embarrassed and disappointed.

- No! - you said. - No, it's just that... I thought... I didn't know you liked me.

He smiled, blushing.

- I'm sorry. - you whispered.

- Why are you saying you're sorry?

- I should've told you.. I should've told you about my feelings. Maybe this way I would've spent more time being with you than worrying about how much you actually liked me.  - you blushed while you said that.

He laughed.

- So you do like me?

- Yes. - you said.

You two looked at each other for a while. He grabbed your hand on his and kissed your face gently, his lips tracing their way to your mouth again. You let him kiss you, and this time you kissed him back, his lips moving with yours in a way that made you blush. It wasn't the first time you kissed someone, but you never had it this way before. It was sweet, and you liked it.

- We should do that more times - he smiled. You giggled.

- So you only came here because you wanted to tell me how much you liked me? - you smiled. Talking to him was so easy, now that he knew, now that you knew he felt the same way about you.

- No, I came here because I wanted to give you that book, remember? - he smiled.

- I kind of forgot. - you said, and he laughed.

- We'll be seeing each other again tomorrow, right? - he asked.

- If you want to...

- Of course I do.

- Then yes. - you smiled.

He smiled back and said goodbye. You opened the door for him, and smiled when he placed a finger on your lips.

- See you tomorrow. - he said.

- See you tomorrow. - you answered.

When you closed the door, you took a deep breathe, blushing. This was too good to be real, but it was real. He really liked you.

"And I am, doubtlessly and completely in love with him"  - you realized, suddenly, and felt tears running down your face.

You didn't know exactly why you were crying - sadness, happiness, or maybe a mix of them both. How would your parents react if you told them? You couldn't just walk to your mom and say "mom I'm in love with my tutor and he loves me back and I think we're kind of having a romance right now". And why would he, a grown up man, fall in love with you, a 17 years old, anyway?

You were happy, but also anxious and insecure at the same time.