I stood on my tippy-toes, the sand blanketing my feet, and met his parted lips. At that moment, I expected him to pull away—to be caught off guard—but he didn’t.

He returned my kiss but didn’t deepen it like I had hoped.

Matias placed one hand on the middle of my back and pulled me closer to him, only to open his mouth more, but not to kiss, rather to speak.

“Call me Mateo,” he whispered, the feeling of his warm breath ...