A Kiss to End All Firsts

Evelyn walked through the park, the soft evening air brushing against her skin. The world felt hazy, as though the lines between the present and something deeper were beginning to blur. She didn’t know why she’d come to this park today. It was just another stop in her routine, or so she thought. Her steps slowed as she passed the fountain, the steady trickle of water seeming to echo in her chest.

Then, she saw him.

He stood by the path, facing away from her, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. His posture was familiar, as though she had seen him here before. Her heart picked up its pace, but she didn’t know why. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the park in a soft twilight glow, but there was something about him, something in the air that made everything feel too vivid, too... real.

Evelyn stopped. Frozen. Her gaze fixed on him, her heart thrumming with an undeniable pull. It was like a current running through her, a recognition so ancient and deep that she couldn’t explain it. Her feet felt heavy, as though the ground beneath her was pulling her toward him. But she fought it, rooted to the spot, afraid to take the first step.

He turned—just as she did.

And for a heartbeat, everything stood still.

Their eyes met. Time stopped. The world narrowed. The sounds of traffic, the rustling leaves, even her own thoughts, faded away. Nothing else mattered. It was just him, standing there, an expression so familiar that it felt like she had always been waiting for this moment.

The connection was immediate. It was like an old song, one she hadn’t heard in ages but had always known. It wasn’t a shock—it was like coming home.

She didn’t know his name, not in this moment, but she knew everything else. She knew how it felt to hold him in the dark, the way his hands fit perfectly with hers. She knew his laugh, the warmth of it, even when she was miles away. The connection wasn’t just from this life—it was a thread woven through time, through all the lives they had shared.

He took a step toward her, and she stepped forward as well, drawn in by the pull between them. They moved in perfect sync, like two pieces of a puzzle, like two forces that had been waiting to collide. Her breath caught as their gazes locked again, the weight of everything that had come before flooding her chest.

And still, neither of them spoke.

Their connection was like a conversation that had been happening forever, one that hadn’t yet found its voice in language. A shared history—personal and universal. She felt the memories surging—fleeting flashes of faces, places, and laughter, many lifetimes compressed into an instant. But it didn’t matter. None of it mattered except for this moment, this unspoken communication.

His gaze deepened, his pupils dilating, and she felt it—the exact moment when the world outside of them ceased to exist. The park faded, the hum of the city gone. There was only him. Only her. And the knowledge that this connection was not new—it was remembered.

Her heart raced faster now, unsure whether to rush forward or hold back. She stopped inches away from him, the air between them thick with understanding, with something too big to name. He looked at her, his expression unspoken but clear, and it was so powerful that it nearly knocked the breath from her lungs.

There was so much to say, so much they both knew, but words didn’t matter. Not now.

In that fleeting moment before they kissed, everything inside her whispered, I’ve waited for you.

The look they shared wasn’t just a glance—it was the culmination of lifetimes, of every "hello" and every "goodbye" they had ever said to each other.

And still, neither of them spoke.

He leaned in, and she did too, drawn by the same magnetic force, as if some invisible cord between them was tightening, pulling them closer. Her heart pounded in her chest, the world falling away as their lips met—soft at first, like a question, a whisper of a kiss.

But it wasn’t a question. She felt the flood of memories again—of lives they had lived before. The kiss deepened, and with it, every single moment of their shared past rushed back in flashes. The passion, the pain, the love. All of it poured through her, through them.

The world around them disappeared. There was no park, no evening air, no sounds, no time. There was only him. Only the kiss. Every part of her felt like it was being filled up again, as though this kiss was the final piece of a puzzle she’d been unknowingly putting together for lifetimes.

When they finally pulled apart, breathless, it was only then, in the quiet aftermath, that the world around them began to rush back into focus. They were in the park again, the chill of the evening air brushing against their skin, the faint sound of distant voices, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was the feeling that now, they were finally whole.

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes filled with something deep—something ancient. The intensity in his gaze held her there, rooted in the moment, as though he was searching for something in her—or maybe, as though they were both waiting for the same thing.

She reached up, her hand trembling slightly as she touched his cheek, grounding herself in the warmth of his presence. His skin felt like home. His warmth seeped into her, and in that touch, she felt it again—their connection, stronger now than ever before.

She smiled softly, her heart still racing. “Hi,” she whispered, the word carrying the weight of everything they had just shared, everything that had been left unsaid but was understood.

He let out a breath, a small laugh escaping him, and for the first time, his lips curled into a smile that lit up his entire face.

“Hi,” he said, his voice low, and it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

It was such a simple word, but it felt like the beginning of everything.

“I’m Evie,” she said, breathlessly.

“Hi Evie. I’m Milo,” he said with an all too familiar smirk. And him saying her name had now become the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

And in that moment, she knew. This was it. This was the start of something they had been waiting for, not just in this lifetime, but in all the ones that had come before.