I quickly looked up at Josh who was already glaring over at Jake. I leaned in close.

"Josh, I don't want-"

"We're gonna.. go to the closet." Jake said, grabbing my hand. My stomach dropped as I heard the hushed murmurs around us as he quickly pulled me across the room. Before turning the corner, I looked back to see Cait practically stabbing me with her eyes.

I nervously followed Jake as he brought me in, shutting the door behind us.

"Jake, I don't want-"

"Neither do I." He whispered, giving me a gentle smile. "Don't worry." I smiled back, letting out a sigh of relief.

"I.. I don't want him to be upset, I don't want him to think that we-"

"I like to think he knows me better than that." He giggled to himself. I nodded, leaning back against the wall to catch my balance.

"You guys seemed pretty friendly out there." He said, smirking back at me. "Sorry I interrupted. I thought I was.. well, I mean.. I just wanted to help." A smile escaped my lips as I looked away, avoiding his eyes.

"Yeah well, no offense but.. I kinda wanted him to be in here with me."

"You like him.. right?" He finally asked. I nodded, feeling my cheeks burn.

"I.. really like him." I sighed. He nodded, his smile growing. "Does he-"

"Oh, more than you will ever know." I bit down on my lip, trying my best to contain my smile, but it was no use.

"So.. what's taking so long?" He asked, crossing his arms and leaning back against the opposite wall. I shrugged, having asked myself the same thing hundreds of times.

"I don't know, but.. it really seemed like.. something was going to happen tonight."

"Well, there's still time. Since we came in here, I get to pick who's next." He laughed. My heart jumped at the thought.

"As badly as I want to, I.. I don't want my first kiss to be in a closet." I said softly, looking back down. He was quiet for a moment.

"Your first kiss?" He said. I nodded, avoiding his eyes.

"You're telling me.. after all these years.. you've.. you've never kissed.. anyone?" He asked. I shook my head, finally bringing myself to look back up at him.

"W-what we say stays between us.. right?" I asked reluctantly. He nodded.

"Of course."

"I.. I've been saving it.. for him." I muttered. "As.. stupid as that sounds."

"That's not stupid, Jaime. That's actually.. that's really sweet. So.. that's why you seemed so repulsed when it landed on you." He laughed, rolling his eyes. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, I'm.. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I understand."

We sat in the silence again for a moment. I appreciated how easy it was to be around him, he truly was like the brother I never had.

"What's going on with you and Cait?" I finally asked. He sighed, tilting his head back against the wall.

"Oh, look at that, we're actually out of time." He joked. I shook my head, playfully shoving him.

"Hey, I told you.."

"You're right, you're right.." He groaned, hesitating for a minute before finally looking back at me.

"I don't know, I mean.. she's nice and all but.."

"But.. she's not it." I said softly. He shook his head.

"Well, then.. why are you with her?"

"Because it's.. better than being alone."

"As someone who's been alone her entire life.. I can understand." He smirked back at me.

"Jaime, whether you realize it or not, you have never been alone. Neither of you have. You've always been each other's."

I guess he wasn't entirely wrong. Even if it wasn't romantically, I always had Josh there for me. Some people weren't even that lucky.

"How much longer do we have?" I asked. He peeked down at his watch.

"We've got a few more minutes. Anything else you want to know while I'm out here spilling secrets?" He laughed.

"Does he.. does he talk about me?" I pried, feeling my cheeks burn again.

"Yes." He said simply, holding his stare. My smile grew.

"W-what does he say?"

"I can't completely betray his trust, Jaime." He laughed.

"Okay, okay.." I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Jaime, I think that.. if you want anything to happen.. you're gonna have to be the one that makes the first move. You have no idea.. just how nervous he gets around you, and honestly, just seeing you two as friends has made me realize how I've.. never had a real thing."

"But what about-"

"Nope." He said quickly, looking down at his feet, getting quiet again. I could tell that this was most likely going to be the only time I would be able to talk to him about this.

"Well, I don't want Cait to be upset with me once we come out of here."

"I'll explain to her later, or maybe I won't, I don't know. Maybe this is finally a good excuse for her to break up with me, that way I won't have to deal with it." He groaned. I had never seen him like this before.

"Jake, w-who was your first kiss?" I asked. He bit down on his lip, hesitating for a moment, as if actually needing to think about it.

"You know what sucks is.. I.. I don't even remember." He said softly. "It was so long ago and.. it didn't even matter. So.. I kinda envy you in that aspect. At least.. when you finally kiss him, you both will have a great story." My heart jumped.

"Wait, so.. he hasn't-"

"You didn't hear that from me." He said, his eyes getting wide. I nodded, giggling to myself.

"Hear what?" He smirked back at me.

"Exactly."

He went over to the door, leaning against it to get a better listen.

"Alright, I think we've been in here long enough." He said. "Any longer and they'll assume we went up to my bedroom." I shot him a look, feeling my face get hot. He shrugged.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time that's happened."

"I don't wanna know."

He opened the door, looking around before motioning for me to come out.

"Now just tell him you have to go home so you two can finally be alone." He winked.

"Yeah, cause he's definitely gonna want to be alone with me now that he thinks we've been making out."

"He knows I would never do that." He said plainly. "You've been his from day one. We all know it."

He was right.

I would always be his.

As we made our way back to everyone, Josh's eyes instantly shot up to me. I quickly went over, leaning down close.

"Can you take me home?" I asked. He stared back up at me, lingering for a moment before finally getting up.

"Sure." He sighed, avoiding my eyes as he lead me up the steps. He was silent the whole way until I pulled him down the hallway towards their stairwell.

"Nothing happened." I finally said, taking his hand, gently intertwining our fingers. "With Jake, nothing happened. We.. we just talked." He stared back at me for a moment, his grip on my hand getting tighter.

"Really?" He asked. "But.. w-why?"

"Because I.. I want my first kiss to be.. special. And.. he's not the one I want to share it with." I could see his eyes light up, his cheeks burning red as his smile grew.

"W-who is then?" He asked. I could feel my heart racing, like any moment it was going to jump out of the throat. I leaned in close, whispering into his ear.

"You know who."

He held his stare on me for a moment, his smile growing into a wide grin before leading me upstairs and into his bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind us. I went over, anxiously sitting down on his bed as he made his way over, sitting down close to me.

"Maybe I just romanticize things too much.." I sighed. "Maybe.. I'm just setting myself up for failure and when the moment finally comes, it just.. won't live up to it." He moved in closer, reaching up, gently caressing my face. In that moment I swear I could melt into the palm of his hand.

"I.. I don't think people romanticize moments like these enough." He said, giving me a gentle smile. "I know for me, I.. I know it'll be.. perfect, because.. I've been waiting for that special person too."

"So.. y-you haven't-"

"No." He said, shaking his head. I couldn't help but smile.

"So, then who's.. your special person?" I finally asked. He smirked back at me, his cheeks burning red.

"Jaime.. you know who." He sighed. "But.." My stomach dropped.

"But?"

"Jaime, can I.. can I tell you something?"

"Of course." I said, moving in closer, now leaning my forehead against his. He licked his lips, peeking up at me.

"Jaime, I.. I want to kiss you so bad but.. I've waited so long for this and.. this just.. isn't how I imagined it."

"How did you imagine it?" I asked, still unable to comprehend what I was hearing. How much had I drank? Was I dreaming?

"Well, I'd take you out.. on a date. A real date, and we would have.. an amazing time, like we always do together, but this time.. you would know how I really felt about you, and.. at the end of the night, I would walk you to your door and if you'd let me.. then I would kiss you. But.. not just any kiss. I'd want you to feel just how long I've waited.. how badly I've wanted to kiss you for as long as I could remember. I would kiss you the way you deserved to be kissed."

"Josh.." I sighed, the only thing I could bring myself to say. I wanted to pinch myself, needing to make sure that I wasn't dreaming, because the only time I had heard these things ended in me waking up back in my bed, all alone.

"Jaime, I want our first kiss to be special because.. we are special. What we have is.. so special and I've never wanted to risk ruining what we have but.. I don't think anything could ever ruin us. I just think.. we are meant for so much.. if we just.. maybe.. let ourselves try?"

I slowly moved my hands up his chest, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Are you gonna remember any of this tomorrow?" I asked, knowing for a fact that I would never forget it. I've wanted nothing more than to hear him say these things to me, never thinking that I would actually get to, so to wake up tomorrow for it to be nothing but drunken words from a hopeless romantic.. would kill me. He nodded.

"Just as long as you do."