"Arnold?"

Seven-year-old Arnold looked up at the extremely-uncharacteristically shy voice of his... girlfriend? The two first graders were in his bedroom, on an organized play date, and she had been sitting in the opposite corner of the room, relatively quiet, but otherwise normal. He remembered her playing solitaire by herself, her jaw set and her eyes determined. And they were sitting in silence. But now, she was standing in front of him, looking awful timid, with her hands clasped behind her back, her gaze fixed on her white tennis shoes, and a deep blush on her cheeks. He had never seen her like that before, and he was greatly intrigued by the sight.

"Hi, Helga. Everything okay?" he asked sweetly, dropping the Legos he was playing with and rising to his feet.

"Yeah, fine," she said, her voice high-pitched and quiet. "Um... can I... ask you something, Arnold?"

He quirked his eyebrows in confusion and worry, and nodded slowly in response. "Of course. What's wrong?"

"Well... nothing's really wrong, I guess, but I was just wondering if maybe... we could..." She mumbled something under her breath that Arnold couldn't understand.

"I'm sorry, Helga, I didn't hear you," he said politely, stepping forward and placing a hopefully-comforting hand on her shoulder.

The poor girl groaned in embarrassment, finally lifting her eyes to meet his. "Can I... well I was just wondering... and I guess you can say no if you want to... I won't force you, or anything, but I thought that maybe we could... or, maybe you could let me..." She cleared her throat, her voice trailing off before she could finish her thought. "Never mind. It's stupid. Forget it."

Arnold shook his head stubbornly, smiling as warmly as he could at her. "Don't worry, Helga. I want you to tell me. It sounds important. And besides, I like listening to you talk."

Helga gave him a small smile, pausing for an extra-long moment, her eyes looking him up and down, trying to find lies in his words or posture. When she figured he was telling the truth, she cleared her throat again and said, softly, "Well, I, uh... I l-like you, and I was wondering if... if I could... maybe give you a kiss." The last part of the sentence was rushed out as fast as she could possibly utter the syllables, but Arnold caught it. And he blushed nice and warm at the suggestion.

To be honest, he'd never really considered kissing her. Sure, he knew that mommies and daddies, and grandmas and grandpas kissed when they were in love. He'd seen it before, and, unlike some of his other friends... well, he'd never been totally grossed out by it. And now, thinking about kissing Helga like his Grandpa kissed his Grandma, his heart felt like it was... flying, or something. It felt nice, whatever it was, he just couldn't put it in words.

Apparently his prolonged silence was answer enough for Helga, because she suddenly took a large step away from him, and his hand fell off her shoulder. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks crimson, and she stuttered out, "I-I'm sorry, Arnold, I... I-I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... make you... make you uncomfortable or anything, I guess... I guess I can... maybe I should... I should go -" She moved her body like she was about to bolt through his bedroom door, but Arnold reached for her, stopping her in her tracks, and gripped her shoulders tightly. Without a beat of hesitation, he lifted up on his toes and planted his lips sweetly onto hers.

He stayed there for a few seconds, his eyes half-shut and carefully watching Helga's wide blue eyes, before he pulled away. The two first graders were blushing hotly, their eyes locked onto each other shyly and cautiously, awaiting the other's reaction.

Arnold was the first to speak, his voice shaky and nervous. "W-was... was that... okay, Helga?"

She swallowed and nodded slowly, her lips twitching upwards happily. "Y-yeah... um... thanks, Arnold." Her twitching lips stretched wide, and she beamed at him, giggling quietly at his half-lidded expression.

The boy grinned at her, squeezing her shoulders briefly before letting her go. "Your welcome, Helga. That was... that was okay for me, too." Despite the fact that his face was practically on fire, and he was just a little embarrassed, he'd never felt happier in his life. They gazed at each other for a few more seconds before Arnold gestured to the toys on the floor beside him. "Do you want to play Legos with me?"

Helga nodded eagerly, dropping to her knees, and said, "Sure."

Arnold's smile never left his face as he joined her, folding his legs Indian style and lifting the complicated house he was building so he could continue working on it. "Great," he said, his voice uplifting and pleased. They fell silent for a moment, before he added shyly, "And, um... Helga?" He waited until she was looking at him before he said, "I like you, too." She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling, and she leaned forward, giving him a light kiss on the cheek, before she returned her attention to the foundation of the house she was planning to build. Arnold stared at her, lifting a hand to touch his blushing cheek, and he grinned goofily, but didn't respond. The two first graders fell into a comfortable silence, bringing their focus on their Lego structures, only occasionally sneaking glances at each other.