I watched as the sun set slowly over the city. Platen looked so miniscule and insignificant from my

 perch on the old hill that overlooked the old shopping mall I'd been to about a million times. I startled when I heard a rustling in the bushes behind me. Only one other person knew about

 this secret spot, Alex. "Hey" I said softly, keeping my eyes on the setting sun. "Sup" he replied

quietly, taking a seat on the ground next to me.

 "I went to your house. You weren't there so I figured you came up here," he stated. "You guessed

right." I smiled at him. He grinned back. There was a paper bag in his hands. I knew it was some type of food. "Watcha got there?" I asked curiously. "Fries," he said with a devilish grin. "Want some?" he asked, as if he didn't know the answer to that question. "Duh," I replied with a smirk. "Hand 'em over mister." I held out my hand expectantly. "Magic word?"

  I glared at him. "Please," I moaned in reply. He laughed and held the bag out. I grabbed a couple of

fries and munched on them. "Savage," he remarked, nibbling on a fry of his own. I stuck my tongue

out at him and continued to eat. We ate in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the sunset. I glanced

over at him, taking in his face.

  I'd seen those features just about everyday. Recently, I'd begun seeing them in a new light. His amber eyes gazed steadily forward, taking in the splash of brilliant colors that surrounded us.

I wanted to reach out and smooth his narrowed brows. His lips were pressed thin and his jaw was

clenched. It drove me insane trying to figure out what he was thinking so hard about. His chin was

perched in his hands, arms resting on his knees. Why was he so good looking?

  I cleared my throat. "Why was so serious?" I asked. He blinked and looked at me. "Hm?" he asked,

brow raised. I chuckled softly. "I said, why so serious?" He smiled a half smile. "Oh, it's nothing," he

replied a little too quickly. "Mhm hm, sure," I said flatly. He laughed. "Can't I have a private thought

now and then?" I pouted. "No. Friends don't keep secrets from each other."

  He looked at his hands, clenching and unclenching them nervously. I thought he wouldn't reply, but

he suddenly turned to face me. "Autumn?" he said quietly. Ugh, why was it so hard to keep myself from reaching out and touching his face? "Yeah?" I said, keeping my gaze down as I fiddled with a

leaf. He grabbed my fidgeting fingers. "I've got something to tell you."

  I looked up at him; his face a mere few inches from mine. "What?" I replied, trying not to look

down at his lips. "I...love you," he said. Did he just blush? My heart raced a bit. "I do too," I said

plainly, deciding that he was just being friendly. I knew he only saw me as a friend. He didn't break

his gaze.

 "No, I really like you...more than a friend," he whispered softly. I blushed, flustered a bit. "I..I do

too," I said, smiling awkwardly and blushing bright red. We gazed at each other for a moment before

he leaned in. He placed his hand behind my head and pulled me toward him gently. Our lips touched

and it felt like fireworks were going off as we kissed.

  I pulled away for air. Our foreheads touched and I could feel his gentle breath on my face. "You're a

good kisser," I said with a smile. He chuckled. "Not too bad yourself," he replied. He didn't move away or release his grasp for a while. I was perfectly fine being so close to him. It just felt...right.

He pulled his hand back and poked my nose playfully. I grinned and caressed his brow gently. He

relaxed it. Ah, much better. I grabbed his right hand and traced the veins along his forearm with my

finger. "I've liked you since the day we met," he admitted, breaking the silence. I looked into his

eyes, shocked. "No way," I said, shaking my head. "Yes way," he said with a smile, his eyes crinkling

at the edges. Why was he so cute?

  I smiled, remembering the day we'd met. I was at McDonalds with my mom. The server had

forgotten to give me my fries and I'd gotten so upset. Hey, fries were a big deal to 5 year olds. Alex

had been there with his mom as well and saw me crying. He ran to my table and sat next to me, just

to share his fries. It was funny to think, after all these years, that our relationship had started over

fries. "Now what are you thinking about?" he asked, wrapping an arm around me. "Oh, nothing," I

said with a smile.