A Moment A Laugh A Kiss A Cry Novels & Stories

The realization hit me all over again as we crossed the lawn. Not almost shaking his hand. Not almost hugging him. Not almost exchanging phone numbers. Kissing. Actual kissing. With lips. Like an idiot. “Oh my God.” Bree’s voice broke through my panic. I immediately groaned. “No.” “Oh my God.” “Bree.” She doubled over laughing. Actually doubled over. Hands on her knees. Struggling to breathe. People were walking past us, and she didn’t even care. “Bree.” “I’m trying.” “No, you’re not.”

Firm, resolute; her voice was a desperate appeal, seeming to pierce through my very soul. "Kiss!" came our yell, an urgent plea that fast echoed across the room, as Kalmia and I leaned in, our lips kissing in a passionate, all-abiding kiss that washed clean all the hurt, all the agony from the past. The moment our lips clasped, the world came alive for us, the very fabric of reality seemed to shift with the enchantment of our love. "I love you, my darling," I whispered while my lips remained on Kalmia’s, covering Dawn's eyes from witnessing our overly emotional acting.

I smiled, a real one this time. “And I’ll keep killing them until none are left.” “I miss you,” he whispered. “I miss you too, Luca. Every second. But everything I’m doing is for you.” “I know,” he said. “I love you.” My eyes stung. I shut them hard. “I love you more, baby. Now go to sleep, okay? I’ll call you tomorrow.” “Okay… night, Mari.” I hung up, letting the phone rest on my chest.

His presence was like the steady beat of a drum, a constant in a world of changing rhythms. “You look…” He shook his head, trying to find the right words. He wasn’t one for sappy moments, but this was different. This moment was real. He sighed, eyes narrowing playfully. “Screw it. Let’s just have him cry.” I let out a soft laugh, blinking away the sudden swell of tears that threatened to overwhelm me. “You were about to cry?” I teased, though my voice cracked on the last word. It was the kind of laugh that held no real humor but a raw honesty I couldn’t hide.

she retorted, her voice breathless but filled with humor. "Make me," he challenged, his grin widening. She didn’t need to be told twice. With a playful growl, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down, capturing his lips in a kiss that was both fierce and hungry, her laughter melting into a moan as his hands roamed over her body.

Throwing a lifeline made of sugar and bad jokes. I stared at the photo, at his kind, goofy face. He represented the “do over” I could never have. A simple coffee that stayed a coffee. A laugh that wasn’t monitored. A choice that wasn’t engineered by Clara Finch. My thumbs hovered over the screen. The tears kept coming, but they were quieter now. The image of Liam and Clara, fused in that kiss, flashed behind my eyes. It felt final. A door closing with a thunderous, silent crash.

Just grief leaking softly through fractures I no longer had energy to seal shut. Adrian stayed silent while I cried. Never interrupting. Never rushing to stop it. Just steadily there. After several minutes I finally whispered. “I missed so much.” His breathing shifted slightly. “Kayla’s first words,” I continued shakily. “ The first time she laughed properly.” Tears blurred my vision again. “I wasn’t there, truly as myself.”

She let the words hang for a moment before bursting into laughter, the sound rich and carefree, the tension of their secret world lifted briefly by humor. The room filled with laughter, the kind that was reckless, freeing, and almost dangerous in its volume. Even Amara felt it tug at the corners of her lips, a fleeting smile that threatened to break her carefully maintained composure. The absurdity of the moment—a group of women teasing about love, secrecy, and potential death—was both hilarious and grounding.

"Don't thank me. You have the habit of controlling boys. You got Richard and now you have my two brothers. I know Nate only sides with the truth and if he thinks you are innocent then I will have to give you a try." "Thanks." "Give me your phone, I will send the message." Aaron grabbed Aviana's phone while she chased after him. "Give me my phone! You don't even know how to type a romantic message." She yelled after him. "I know how to flirt. Just listen to this. Wait, what's the guy's name?" "Mason." "Hey Mason, it's me, Aviana. I just wanted to know if you will be free this afternoon. I would love to have lunch with you at Casa Vega at 2:30 pm. If it's OK, text me back. All love."

I took in a breath and watched Sophie's eyes flutter open. Her pupils were dilated. She licked along her bottom lip before casting me a bright smile. Kiss 💋 three hundred and fifty-two "With my Chelsea against the auditorium wall." I held my breath, waiting for the next line. The glint in Sophie's eyes told me that the words that I hoped for next would spill from her lips. Leaning in closer, balancing on her tiptoes, she whispered, "And my heart almost burst" She only ever recorded the extra special kisses. Only the ones that made her feel her heart was full. Everytime we kissed, I waited for those words. When they came, she almost blew me away with her smile.