Vera walked past the park she and Louis had stayed in the last time they had met. She smiled as she recalled him asking for a kiss as her penalty. "What? It's too hard?" He had asked her, in a teasing tone. "Well, um… no." Vera could recall how heated her cheeks had been as she had spoken those words. She had never kissed a boy in all her life. Louis had looked at her with mockery in his eyes like he was able to read her mind and pick out her concerns, so Vera had leaned over with her burning cheeks, and had placed a kiss on his— a soft one. Even kissing him on the cheeks had felt odd to Vera, too strange, too close, and personal. After the kiss, she had been unable to lick her lips for minutes. The thoughts had invaded her mind over the course of the next three days. That day, Louis had laughed, and it had been so weird to see him laugh at being kissed on the cheek by a girl that she had joined in his laughter. The both of them had continued to laugh, and after laughing to satisfaction for a reason they had been unable to identify, he had turned to her, leaning against the tree wall. "You know that wasn't the kiss I meant. I didn't ask for a peck." He had pointed out, and she had looked down at the people having fun. "What's the difference?" Vera had asked, feeling like she was going to be as hot as a heated oven in minutes. "I wanted a kiss on the lips. One that would last for a minute at minimum." He had told her clearly, and she had given a fake laugh. "The next day you catch me on the streets, without following, stalking or planning anything, then, I'll give you a kiss that would last a minute at minimum." She had returned, thinking it was a fairly good bargain, since she was going to try her best to avoid him for the time being. She would chat him up on text, but wouldn't see him. That would be better. She didn't think she could handle all the butterflies, and crazy heartbeats. He had laughed, and had accepted, making Vera wonder why he had answered so quickly. Thinking about it, as she watched the empty tree house, Vera chuckled. He hadn't known about her smart plan. Vera had avoided all the usual routes that she used to take home. She had also stopped frequenting the cafe where she always had her iced latte. And it had been days since she last saw him, although he texted her daily, asking how she suddenly disappeared or if she was no longer going to work. "Wanna climb the treehouse again?" Someone asked, tapping her shoulder, and she jumped in shock. When she turned around, there he was. Louis. He was staring at her with a bright smile. He looked really happy to see her. "Louis." She called, and couldn't deny the joy that had spread in her heart. "You simply disappeared off the face of the earth, but fate made us meet today. I was just thinking about the pretty woman who keeps on leaving me curious, only to find out she's actually here thinking the same thing as I am." He said, with a teasing smile. "Thinking the same thing as you are? You must be mistaken." She said, with a scoff, and turned away. "Isn't that the case? I came here because I missed you, and you happened to be here, thinking of us too." He said, raising his arm in the direction of the treehouse. "You're greatly mistaken. I realized there are a lot of rides I haven't tried yet. A colleague wants to go to the park together, so I was wondering what rides we'd pick fist." Vera lied seamlessly, without even having to think. The lies just went spiralling out of her mouth. "Oh really? That's quite harsh. I wished you wouldn't be so harsh." He said, and Vera rolled her eyes, then cleared her throat, before walking away, but he held her hand. "Do you… want to go again. On the tree?" He asked, but she shook her head, while giving an obvious fake smile. "Unfortunately, I've been so exhausted after a tedious day without my boss, and I need rest. You look like you sleep all day. Do you even go to work?" She asked, he gave a weird laugh. Mark had been caught off guard by the question. "Of course, I do. I'm the boss, so I can stay at home for days if I want to." He retorted, and she jerked her hand out of his. With feigned sweetness, she pointed out, "My boss is a successful man with not just a company, yet he goes to work on a daily basis." She said, and he smiled. "Everyone has a different way they work their things. I prefer working from home, and once in a while, I check on my employees, and the company, but like I told you, I don't live here, so my company's headquarters aren't here. Also, um… well.. Actually, can we just skip this topic? I can't believe we're arguing over who should work from home, and who should not. I just wanted to see you, and you know, talk." He said, and she took a deep breath. "We can talk on my way home. I'm too exhausted to do more than that." She replied, and he smiled. He walked Vera home slowly, and they began to talk like they'd never had a petty argument. When they got to Vera's house, she waved at him. "Thanks for walking me home tonight. Bye." She said, and turned to leave, but he caught her wrist, and turned her to him. "Not so fast, lady." He said, and Vera's heart began to race. She knew what was going to happen. "Not so what? Look, I'm tired, and…" "You promised a kiss the next time we coincidentally met. Well, we have, and if you don't have the nerve to fulfill it, I will." He said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. Vera gasped, shocked at the intimacy, but before she could say anything, his lips had come down on hers. Her first kiss.