And yeah, it did, because for a moment I almost forgot we were doing a photoshoot, not really in his bedroom. The heat between us is electric, and I wish I could slide his shirt off while he’s on top of me, then flip him over and press my mouth to his pale skin.
Collin climbs off me and collapses back onto the bed beside me, chest still heaving. The sound fades into a long, contented sigh. He stretches out, one arm flung above his head, brown hair messy, shirt slightly wrinkled. He looks like a gift as we lock eyes. I can already imagine the photo of this exact moment being something I hold onto forever.
“Let’s try something,” Sadie interjects, breaking our gaze. “Collin, scoot to the middle of the bed, on your back. Eli, come around to the otherside of the bed and lean forward on your elbows so your forehead is above Collin’s chin.”
“Like the Spider-Man kiss?” Collin checks.
“Yeah, except you don’t have to kiss.” Sadie grins at us with a shrug. “Unless you want to.”
I smirk at Collin as I get into position, leaning forward on the bed while he’s on his back looking up at me. I’d love to kiss him, there’s no doubt about that. His lips are slightly parted, and his eyes are wide, looking up at me. I just met him, and yet he feels like a piece of me. It sounds insane to anyone who doesn’t believe in soulmates, but that’s how I feel around him. The urge to kiss him, to know him, to learn him is strong.
Sadie lifts her camera. “Good. Just like that.” The quiet room is filled with her shutter as we stare into each other’s eyes. Collin’s are a golden-brown color with a darker brown rim around the lighter color. They’re unique and beautiful. Just like him.
I shift, placing one hand on the side of his cheek and lean in over him. He blinks up at me, a seriousness brought back to his face as he stares at me with parted lips.
His gaze flicks from my mouth to my eyes. “Hey,” he whispers, as if we haven’t been talking this whole time.
“Hey,” I whisper back.
Sadie lowers the camera slightly. “Perfect,” she says quietly. “Now, Eli, look at me for a sec.”
I reluctantly drag my gaze from Collin’s face to the camera, but it feels like my focus barely makes it past him. The second I look away, I can feel his eyes on me, and the pull to look back down at him is overwhelming.
“Good,” Sadie praises, and I turn my gaze back down to Collin’s.
He smiles at me softly, and I feel it everywhere in my body.
“Now, Collin, look at me. Eli, look at him.”
We do as she instructs. His face is turned in the palm of my hand and instead of keeping the space between us, I lightly press my nose to his cheek I’m now looking at.
“Perfect,” she murmurs, the camera shutter clicking quietly. “Now both of you, eyes on each other.”
We do just that, and the pull to lean down and kiss him is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.
Sadie lowers her camera but doesn’t speak for a moment before whispering, “That’s the one.”
We stay here in this position, me hovering over him, even after her confirmation. Collin’s chest rises and falls beneath me. His gaze flicks down for half a second to my mouth again, then back to my eyes. I see the hesitation, the question written there.
“Spider-Man kiss?” he asks in a whisper.
I give the smallest nod. “Spider-Man kiss.”
Then, finally, the space between us evaporates as he tilts his chin up and I lower mine. The kiss is soft at first as his lips brush mine, before I capture his mouth with more intensity. It knocks the air out of my lungs and floods them with heat and want and desire. I’m still leaning over him, and the angle is awkward, but his lips part, and I can feel him everywhere. My pulse is thundering as I kiss him deeper, tongue pushing into his mouth the best I can, not wanting to separate. It’s messy and hungry and awkward and not even close to enough. I want to flip around and pin him to this bed, want to taste him, consume him, but I know this isn’t the time nor place.
We break apart, both of us breathing hard. My hands are on his chin, and I rub my thumb over his stubbly skin. We’re both quiet for a long moment—just staring, breathing, trying to process what we’ve just done. Thankfully, I see no regret in his eyes, only a slow, dawning smile that matches the one tugging at my own lips.
Sadie exhales softly, almost like she’s been holding her breath too. “That,” she says quietly, “was beautiful. Thank you both for trusting me.”
Neither of us looks away from the other.
“Guess we’re done,” I whisper.
“Yeah,” Collin says, still smiling. “Guess so.”
But neither of us moves. His face is still in my hands as I hover over him.
Then he laughs softly, that same lighthearted one from before. “Well… we definitely nailed the connection part for a stranger session.”
