Only he and Pippa were left.
'Step one complete...' Andrew thought as he sat nervously on the couch.
Many negative thoughts swirled in his mind. Was he rushing things too much? What if Pippa just laughed out of kindness so he wouldn't look like an idiot in front of her friends?
Did she really have feelings for him? Or was he just overthinking everything?
It had only been a month since they met; maybe he could wait a little longer and look for more signs that Pippa was interested in him.
But what if Connor decided to make a move and try something with Pippa? Would Andrew even stand a chance? Connor and Pippa had a longer history together than he did.
'No, no... I have to do it now,' Andrew thought, shaking his head. He was never one to back down. Well, okay, maybe he was—like when he dated Veronica and couldn't bring himself to break up with her...
But in situations like this, he acted. He didn't stand on the sidelines watching.
"Andrew?" Pippa called, her voice breaking through his thoughts. She was looking at him while he sat on the edge of the couch cushion, staring at the floor, hands clasped tightly together.
Andrew snapped out of his daze and looked up. There she was, her beautiful blue eyes fixed on him.
"Are the others... already gone?" Andrew asked, straightening his posture.
"Yes, Howard's mom is quite the character..." Pippa replied with a strange smile, briefly recalling how Debbie and Howard had been yelling at each other over something trivial just moments ago.
Andrew laughed lightly, but just as he was about to say something to Pip the door leading to the other room opened and Victor walked in.
"Oh, Andrew, you're still here?" Victor asked with a smile. He seemed eager to talk to Andrew about the game.
"Yeah, my parents will be here soon," Andrew replied as Victor sat down on the couch across from him and started enthusiastically talking about the game.
Pippa sighed internally. She had thought she'd finally get a moment alone with Andrew, without interruptions from Connor or Haley. But now her dad had shown up, bursting with energy to chat about touchdowns.
Andrew's plan was effectively ruined by Victor's sudden entrance. There was no way he could make his move with Pippa's father in the same room.
After a few minutes, Pippa took a deep breath and said, "Dad, I need to show Andrew something for the school project in my room since we're not meeting tomorrow."
"Sure, go ahead, but leave the door open and don't take too long," Victor said, pausing his touchdown talk to glance at Pippa.
Pippa gestured to Andrew with her head, and he awkwardly got up from the couch to follow her. They left the living room and began climbing the stairs.
'Am I really going to her room...?' Andrew thought nervously, swallowing hard. This was better than he'd expected, though it made him even more anxious.
They passed the first door, which had a sign with the name "Josh," and stopped at the second door.
"Wait a second," Pippa said as she entered and closed the door behind her.
Andrew stood there waiting, confused about what Pippa could be doing inside. Was her room messy? Strange for someone as perfectionist and organized as she was.
A minute later, Pippa opened the door and gestured for him to come in. It was Andrew's first time in this life visiting a girl's room—aside from his cousins' rooms, Haley and Alex.
'Everything's so neat, and it smells nice,' Andrew thought, curiously observing the room.
The decor had a vintage theme, with dark wooden furniture, pastel accents, and some antique-style lamps. It was an unusual choice for a teenage girl, but to Andrew, it fit Pippa's personality perfectly.
Once he stepped inside, Pippa left the door slightly ajar, then walked over and sat on her bed, looking at Andrew, who stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.
"Did you have something to show me for the project?" Andrew asked, trying to mask his nervousness.
"No, that was just an excuse to save you from my dad," Pippa said with a smile that Andrew found utterly charming.
"Come, sit down," she added, patting the spot beside her on the bed in a friendly manner.
Andrew hesitated for a second before walking over and sitting next to her.
"Thanks, I was getting tired of talking about tonight's game," Andrew said.
"I didn't expect that from you—a football fan and the star quarterback," Pippa teased with a faint smile.
"Well, everyone already asked me about the game. I was a bit drained… and besides, I wanted to talk to you… alone," Andrew said, trying to sound as casual as possible.
Pippa, who was ready to exchange her usual jokes with Andrew, fell silent, staring at him intently.
The room grew quiet for a few moments, with both of them gazing at each other without saying a word. Andrew felt the air grow heavier.
'It's time...' he thought as he slowly leaned closer to Pippa, closing the distance between them.
When their faces were almost touching, Andrew, unable to hold back any longer, closed his eyes and kissed Pippa. At first, there was no reaction. Pippa remained still, frozen as if she were in shock, not responding to the kiss.
Andrew, confused and feeling like the moment had been a complete failure, quickly pulled away, his heart pounding.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have…" Andrew murmured, looking at Pippa and waiting for some kind of response.
That was when Pippa reacted. She blinked as if snapping back to reality, and without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed Andrew.
This time, she closed her eyes, and now it was Andrew who kept his eyes open, a bit confused by the sudden turn of events. But he quickly closed them and surrendered to the kiss, savoring the feeling of Pippa's lips.
After a few seconds, they pulled away and just stared at each other.
'Whew, I thought I'd blown it!' Andrew thought, relieved. He couldn't help but wonder about Pippa's strange initial reaction when she had frozen up.
While Andrew was reflecting on that, Pippa's mind was in chaos. She hadn't expected Andrew to be so bold and kiss her here and now.
Sure, she had considered the possibility that he might be interested in her, but she never imagined he would show it so directly. As for her own feelings, she clearly had some for him; otherwise, she wouldn't have kissed him back.
'Is my breath okay?' Pippa wondered, touching her lips as if to confirm something.
Then another worry hit her: 'Oh no, I ate way too many fries tonight! Do my lips taste greasy?' Her nerves spiked as she regretted the mountain of snacks she'd devoured earlier.
As these thoughts swirled in her head, she felt warmth creeping up her pale cheeks. Even Andrew noticed the faint blush spreading across her face.
Then another reflection made her cheeks burn even more: "Am I good at kissing?" Pippa wondered, realizing it had been her first kiss and fretting over whether Andrew had noticed.
While these absurd, chaotic thoughts overwhelmed her, Pippa tried to keep her composure. But Andrew had already noticed her nervous gestures and flushed cheeks.
"That was a really nice kiss," Andrew said, trying to guess one of Pippa's concerns—and he nailed it.
"That's a relief… Are you a mind reader?" Pippa asked softly.
"No, but it was easy to read your expression and take a guess. I've never seen you this nervous," Andrew replied with an amused smile.
"Shut up, you were nervous too," said Pippa, giving Andrew a playful tap on the shoulder, which made him laugh.
After that, they both fell silent again, staring at each other. Just as they were about to kiss again, a shout came from downstairs.
"Andrew, your parents are at the door!" Victor called out.
"Don't shout, you idiot! Josh is sleeping!" said another voice, belonging to Leanne.
Pippa and Andrew exchanged amused looks, both smiling. Andrew was a little surprised to hear Pippa's kind mother scolding someone—it wasn't something she did often.
"Well… I have to go," Andrew said, standing up from the bed and walking to the door, with Pippa following him.
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