Aria and Ace locked eyes for over a minute as they slowly reached the top of the Ferris wheel. Their booth was the first one at the summit, offering a breathtaking view. Ace's lips suddenly moved, and he gently pecked Aria's lips. The soft, fleeting touch sent a shiver down her spine, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Ace," Aria called out in alarm, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah?" Ace replied, tilting his head in question, feigning innocence.
"What have you done?" Aria asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Me? What have I done?" Ace asked, pretending confusion, though it was clear he knew exactly what she was talking about.
"You-You kissed me again, Ace," Aria said, her cheeks flushing.
"No, I didn't kiss you; it wasn't a kiss," Ace said seriously, looking at Aria with a hint of mischief.
"Then what have you done if not kissing me?" Aria asked, her curiosity piqued.
"What I have done to you is called a peck. I gave you a peck," Ace said, smiling softly.
"And what's the difference?" Aria asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"The difference is, this one isn't like the one we shared in the car, you know," Ace said, winking at her.
Aria's face turned bright red as she thought back to their previous kiss. She didn't dare ask any more questions, but Ace's words left her feeling flustered.
"Ohhh," Ace said, looking at her with a smirk. "Shall we try that one... the real kiss?" Ace teased.
Aria immediately uttered "No!!" loudly and turned her face away.
Later, Ace and Aria sat in a cozy restaurant, enjoying a peaceful meal together. After eating to their heart's content, Ace drove Aria to Helena's house.
"We're here," Ace said.
"Thanks for the day," Aria said, trying to open the car door.
"My pleasure," Ace replied, walking around to her side of the car.
"It was mine too. Bye," Aria said.
"Bye," Ace said, waving goodbye to Aria.
"Aren't you leaving?" Aria asked, noticing Ace hadn't moved.
"I'm leaving," Ace said, smiling softly.
"Okay, but you didn't get in the car, that way I think otherwise," Aria said, smiling.
"Emm, I will leave, but I will wait and look at you till you and your shadow disappear from my sight," Ace said, smiling.
"Oh!! Okay, take care," Aria said, smiling. She liked how Ace was and how he treated her; she felt like a princess sometimes.
"Ehm," Ace hummed.
"Drive safe," Aria said with a small smile on her lips and walked to the door before unlocking and getting in.
Behind her, Ace watched her with a smile on his lips as she walked away, then turned and walked around to his car and drove away.
Meanwhile, in Helena's room, screams of excitement could be heard now and then.
"Ace is really something," Helena said, beaming with a smile, as if she was the one who had gone on the date instead of Aria.
"Ace is seriously something, gosh," Helena kept talking, and Aria watched her with a small smile, a blush visible on her cheeks.
"Aria, from the way you're blushing, what else happened between the two of you, huh?" Helena asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Aria, whose eyes widened.
Earlier, when Aria was telling Helena about her first date with Ace, she had skipped the part where Ace pecked her on the lips, but somehow Helena had guessed.
"Ehm, ehm," Helena made the sound of clearing her throat while moving closer to Aria and pushing her gently with her shoulder.
When Aria turned her face to the other side, Helena followed her and moved her face right in front of Aria, looking at her with a smile.
"What happened?" Helena asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Nothing," Aria said, turning her face to the other side.
"Seriously," Helena said, looking at her with raised eyebrows.
Looking at Helena, whom Aria knew wouldn't stop asking questions, Aria slowly raised her index finger and tapped her lips twice with it.
The next second, a scream erupted from the room. "Ahhhhhhhh!!"
Helena screamed, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Hey! Helena, stop it," Aria quickly put her palm on Helena's mouth.
Removing Aria's hand from her mouth, Helena said, "You kissed."
Aria blushed. "We kissed."
"But it was just a peck," Aria added after a few seconds.
Helena's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Ehm, it was just a peck. Okay, was it nice?"
Aria smiled, feeling a bit shy. "What?"
"The kiss, of course! How did it feel?" Helena asked, eager to know.
Aria chuckled. "It's a peck, not a kiss."
Helena grinned. "Okay."
Aria smiled. "It felt nice, it was just good. But believe me, when it happens, you'll feel shy."
Helena hummed, smiling at Aria. "You're experienced now, ehm."
"My best friend got her first kiss today! She lost her virgin lips to her boyfriend!!!" Helena exclaimed loudly, as if announcing it to the whole world.