Chapter 1: Thursday

"So my parents are going out of town."

I look up from the book of poems Dante gave me to read. Dante was still engrossed in his sketch pad, carefully adding the finishing details to his drawing. The last bit of today's sunlight slipped through his window, casting some light on his flawless face. It reminded me of the first time he brought me into his room and how I couldn't stop staring at him as he read to me. Even now Dante's face shined as beautiful as ever.

I sat up setting the book aside and glanced at his mirror. My appearance wasn't that great today, with my hair tied back in a messy array. I had just finished working out before Dante asked me to come over. Dante on the other hand looked perfect sitting with his legs crossed on his big chair. He wore a white shirt and pajama pants. And of course barefoot as always. He's been stuck home for the last three days since he caught a cold. His mom swears it's from all the swimming he does. I doubt anything could keep Dante from swimming. Literally. Nothing. It was a way of life for him.

He looked at me puzzled, kinda smiling. "What are you staring at?"

I smiled back. "Can't a guy smile?"

I knew I wasn't getting off that easily. It's been two months since that night at the desert. The night I realized and told Dante the truth. A truth I buried deep inside of me for so long. The night I set myself free. It was the best feeling in the world. To let all my fears go and hold Dante's hand. To look into his bright eyes. Feeling the spark between our lips. Since then, its been three months of spending time together. Reading, swimming, long talks, holding hands, driving around El Paso, all those nights looking up at the stars out in the desert. Nothing but adventures with Dante. And yes. Kissing. Plenty of it.

Dante laughed at my typical Ari response. "My parents are going out of town for the weekend."

"Where they going?"

"My dad has a college lecture he's giving up in California. Plus my mom has family there and she wanted to see them."

"Oh, that's cool."

"Yea. They're leaving tomorrow morning. My mom's worried about leaving me alone. She doesn't believe that my cold went away."

"You know your mom. Always worrying."

"Yea...um. They also gave me a ...talk."

"About what."

"About us being together. Alone in the house."

My quickly felt my cheeks redden at the implications. Did his parents really think we'd do that? Me and Dante haven't even become THAT intimate. The thought honesty scared me. And yet part of me was excited about it. Dante looked a bit embarrassed as well. He looked at me, waiting for me to respond.

"Well, I um guess it natural for them to think something like that. But we both know that, you know, we've been going uhh.." I sounded so dumb. I've gotten better at talking to Dante over time but this topic was still a problem.

"I know. We've been going slow. I don't wanna do something you aren't ready for."

That made me think. Was Dante really restraining himself for me? Was he ready for more?

Dante closed his sketch pad and walked over to the bed with me. He laid parallel to me with his eyes closed. My eyes scanning over his angel face. I wanted to know what he was thinking. But part of me was scared. Dante wasn't afraid of being vocal about his body and us being intimate. I still felt uncomfortable about it and the thought of sex made me feel inadequate. I didn't want to feel that way. Not anymore. Dante made me feel so many good things. I want to be able to express myself fully when the time came.

I laid back down beside him.

He remained silent. I opened my mouth yet the words wouldn't flow. So I did the next best thing. I leaned my face closer and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. That made him smile.

He was staring at me now, almost like he was trying to convey a message through his gaze. I just kept staring back, feeling more and more lost in our own universe. A universe where the stars seemed so bright. A universe we wanted to explore together.

"So that's it? Your parents basically gave you a talk about... sex?"

"Well specifically my mom. My dad didn't really partake too much in the conversation. She mostly went on that we should be careful and it's ok to feel urges."

My heart kept beating louder. I'd lie if I said I didn't have urges for Dante, yet too scared to act upon them.

"To be careful? It's not like one of us can get pregnant." That made us laugh.

"And...," I continued. "I've never been with anyone else before you so there's no cha- "

Dante suddenly jumped on me, causing me to fall back with him on top. His lips silenced me which was more than okay by me. Just like that, we were in our own world. All that mattered was us. I let one hand slip through his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss while another rested on his waist. All I could feel was his warm lips and his hands running down my chest. It almost hurt when he broke the spell.

"Oh Ari." His eyes shined like stars. "I've never been with anyone either. You're the closest I have ever been with."

My cheeks felt hot again. "Really? I thought maybe you...experimented while you were in Chicago.." Part of me truly thought that. That perhaps Dante may have done more things than I have.

"Well I did experiment but only to a certain limit. As far as intimacy goes, I've only tried kissing, nothing more."

"Oh." My breathing became steady after he said that. I was a bit relieved. I couldn't blame him for wanting to experiment. Unlike me, he was comfortable with his body. But it made me feel better that he was at the same level as me. "I've only kissed one girl before you. It didn't really mean anything to me."

I'm not sure why I mentioned that. Part of me felt like I had to confess that. He simply brought his head lower to mine. His forehead against mine. "How was it?" He whispered.

"Wh-what?" Shivers went down my body. He smirked, almost knowing the effect he had on me.

He repeated himself. "How was the kiss with the other person?" His eyes still set on mine. Looking at him from above made me feel so weak yet so strong. His flawless features. His smooth lips. He was perfect.

"It was okay. It's nothing compared to kissing you though. You're perfect Dante."

That made him blush. "Not as perfect as you Ari." Eagerly, I brought his head down, anticipating the spark of his lips. I could feel him smiling through the kiss. Maybe it was me who couldn't stop smiling. It didn't matter. We were pleased to be enjoying yet another secret of the universe together. Kissing.

Author Note: Let's see how the rest of the weekend goes in the next few chapters ;D