I remember the way his lips pressed against mine.

I remember his hot breath and the smell of his skin, so masculine.

My first kiss.

And it was fucking amazing.

And in my heart, I just have this feeling that this man I met—this mystery man—he’s the elusive one I’ve been waiting for.

Is it true? Can fantasies become reality?

I can only hope.

And then the reality that I’ll never see him again comes down on me hard. I shouldn’t have run away from him.

But what else was I gonna do? Kiss a stranger in the hallway forever? Bring him to meet my dad?

I don’t think so. That life is not for me.

I’m not allowed to be happy. My father sees to that.

What I am allowed is to be locked into an arranged marriage with the Governor.

I walk into my huge closet and remove the straps of my dress. It falls to the floor in a puddle. Stepping out of it, I sink down to the plush carpeting of my closet.

This is my favorite place to be.

I have the dream closet, the dream apartment, the dream wardrobe, and what looks like the dream life…from the outside.

Thelma walks in and finds me sitting on the floor.

“That sad, huh?” she says, and I look up at her.

A huge smile spreads across my face, and I say, “Actually, I’m not so sad anymore. I may or may not have had my first kiss tonight.”

Just the thought of him sends thrills through my body. What I wouldn’t give to see him again? My whole body’s on high alert, as though he’s still touching me.

She comes and sits down next to me, taking care to keep her couture intact.

“Are you serious? Who is it?” she asks.

I can tell my face is beaming as I say the words. “Actually, it was that mystery guy you pointed out. The hot stranger.”

“Really? I can’t believe that happened—and right under the nose of the Governor and your father.”

She hugs me, and I sink into her embrace. She knows I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life.

“Yeah,” I say. “Now I know what all the fuss is about. He made me feel…warm.” I close my eyes to remember the hot rush of feelings. “What I felt while he kissed me was like nothing I’ve ever known before.”

“I’m so happy for you, Baby. You deserve the best. You deserve to feel what it’s like to be with a good man.”

She’s right. I do deserve it.

And right now, I’m relishing the feeling between my legs and the memory of his lips pressing down on my own. I swear it’s enough to sustain me for my entire life.

What I don’t tell Thelma is that in my heart, I feel like he’s the perfect guy, the one I’ve been waiting for.

It sounds too silly to admit such a thing. Who falls in love at first sight anyway?

“So, what are you gonna do tonight?” she asks me.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just gonna change and take a bath. Theo said he might try to bust me out of here, and if he does, I’ll call you.”

“Sounds good. Just be careful and make sure you call me if you leave. I’m gonna go out with one of those hot guys I met at the party. And I’ll be back later.”

“Okay,” I say.

“Hey, Baby, I’m really happy you had your first kiss. And I’m glad it was with somebody worthwhile.”

I smile at her.

Of course, she’s right. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for as long as I can remember. It does something to take the sting out of marrying the Governor.

But at the same time, I know it’s unlikely that I’ll ever see the mystery guy again. And I do know that my future is cemented and that I’ll be moving to the Governor’s mansion soon.

I try not to think about that, though, because it brings me down, and tonight I am so very up.

I walk around in my lingerie, like I always do. It’s a habit of mine. No one ever sees me in this apartment, so why not do it? I like to look hot for myself.

I’m about to sink into a hot bath and relish the feeling of him, the guy who gave me my first kiss.

Walking around the apartment, lighting all of my expensive candles, all I can think of is him. I play some soft music and prepare to relax.

Then I pull my cashmere blanket around my shoulders to shield me from the cold as I make my way out to the balcony. I need one more breath of fresh air.

It’s still raining. It’s a heavy kind of rain, the kind that I love.

I look out on the city, one that I know so well. I practically have this view memorized.

And for the first time in a long time, I don’t think about jumping.

I know I would never have the guts to do it, but I’ve felt so trapped for so long that the idea of death comes to me every time I stand out here.

It would be so easy to fling myself over the edge and to forget that any of this ever happened.

Part of me wants to do it to make my father suffer. Part of me wants to do it so that my mother will finally understand how unhappy I’ve been.

They don’t love me, though. I doubt they would mourn me for very long.

The people that would mourn for me are Thelma and Theo. And of course, I could never hurt them like that.

Besides, tonight feels different. One kiss from a mystery man, and I feel like there’s hope again. I may never see him after tonight, but I had at least that one special moment.

A moment when I let myself go, when he held me in his arms and kissed me so passionately, I felt like things in the world could be right for once.

And then I ran away. I wonder what would have happened if I had stayed and confronted those deep things he made me feel.

I close my eyes and try to remember the exact lines and features of his strong and rugged face. I remember his full lips and the commanding way he embraced me. I remember feeling like I could trust him, that he would never hurt me.

Even though he exhibited a sense of power, I didn’t feel frightened of him like I do with the Governor. No, this guy made me feel like I could be safe for once without the aid of bodyguards. I feel like I could let go in his arms, and he would always, always catch me.

Mushy, right? What is that anyway? Romance? Lust?

I go inside and get ready to slip into the hot tub when someone knocks on the door. My heart flutters a little bit, because I think it’s Theo and I’ll be able to get out of here. He must’ve had to pull some serious strings.

I keep the blanket wrapped around my shoulders as I go to answer the door.

But the knocking becomes more intense, and it turns into pounding, and I get a little worried. Theo doesn’t knock like that. He knows not to make too much noise.

My stomach drops as I realize this might be it—the moment of danger that I’ve been running from my entire life. Someone is here to take me, and it’s not a Capulet.

I’m all alone with virtually no bodyguards, no Thelma.

I stand back and watch as the door busts in…

And there he is.

The mystery man is here to claim me, but now he doesn’t look caring or docile or trusting. He has a hard look in his eyes, and it makes me afraid.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, trying to cover myself with the soft blanket.

He gazes at me fiercely, and I realize I might’ve underestimated this man.