The Almost Kiss

Alex and Mia met in the eighth grade, their first day of high school orientation, when they were both assigned to the same group for a campus tour. Mia was the new girl, fresh from a different town, and Alex was the guy everyone already knew, popular but surprisingly down-to-earth. They bonded quickly over their mutual love for classic movies and shared humor, becoming inseparable throughout high school.

By senior year, their friendship was the stuff of envy. Everyone at school assumed they were a couple, but they always brushed it off with laughter, never admitting the flutter they both felt whenever their hands accidentally brushed or their eyes lingered a little too long.

As graduation loomed, the pressure of choosing colleges and facing the uncertainty of the future made them spend even more time together. Their friendship grew deeper, but so did the unspoken tension between them. They were often caught in those moments—almost close enough to kiss, almost ready to admit the truth, but something always held them back.

One evening, after their last school dance, they found themselves alone in the school's courtyard. The night was cool, the stars bright, and it felt like the perfect moment. They sat on a bench, shoulders touching, the silence between them thick with everything they hadn’t said.

Mia looked up at Alex, her heart pounding. She knew she needed to tell him, to confess that she was in love with him. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Alex leaned in, their faces inches apart. The world around them seemed to pause, and in that suspended moment, she was sure this was it—the kiss they had both been waiting for.

But then, Alex pulled back slightly, a nervous smile playing on his lips. “Mia,” he began, his voice unsteady, “I have something to tell you.”

Mia’s heart raced, expecting his confession to mirror her own. But then Alex dropped the bombshell. “I got accepted into Stanford… and I’m leaving in two weeks.”

Mia felt the words hit her like a wave, crashing over the moment that had felt so perfect just seconds before. She knew what this meant—Alex was leaving, and everything was about to change. Her heart sank as the reality set in. They were standing on the edge of something incredible, but now it was slipping away.

With her emotions swirling, Mia tried to muster the courage to confess, to make him stay, or at least ask him if she could come with him. But as she looked into his eyes, she saw a mix of excitement and fear. She realized that Alex had already made his decision, and she couldn’t be the one to hold him back.

Instead, she forced a smile and said, “That’s amazing, Alex. I’m so proud of you.”

The almost kiss became a moment they would never fully understand, a choice they didn’t know they were making. They hugged, holding on a little longer than usual, but the tension between them faded into the background, overshadowed by the future that awaited.

As they pulled apart, Mia whispered, “I’ll miss you,” and Alex responded with, “I’ll miss you too, Mia. More than you’ll ever know.”

The night ended with them walking home, side by side but feeling a million miles apart. They didn’t speak of what almost happened, didn’t dwell on the missed opportunity. Life moved forward, as it always does, and two weeks later, Alex left for Stanford.

Years passed, and they stayed in touch, though never as close as they once were. Mia went on to attend a local university, finding success in her own way, but there was always that lingering "what if?" that she never shook.

One day, while scrolling through social media, Mia saw a post that stopped her cold—Alex was engaged. The girl next to him in the picture was radiant, and they looked genuinely happy. Mia’s heart twisted, knowing that she had missed her chance long ago.

As she closed her phone, she whispered to herself, “It was almost us,” before walking away, leaving the memories of what could have been behind.