Chapter Text
Denali sat behind a booth on a stool, eyeing the crowd that milled about before her.
It was Saturday evening, and as part of the annual charity fair in her neighbourhood, she had let herself be convinced by her best friend, Kandy, to help out at the booth that she was running.
What Kandy had neglected to tell her was that it was a kissing booth.
When she had turned up at the fair during her designated slot, dressed in something comfortable but cute, as Kandy had instructed, she was led by the Latina girl over to the booth that was occupied by Mik, having also been roped into helping out, though it was clear that he didn’t mind with how he was locking lips with a very happy Vanjie.
Denali had at first tried to wriggle out of it, but Kandy had flashed her signature pout and pleaded with her, claiming it would be easy and didn’t she just whine that her love life was drier than the desert anyways? After a moment’s hesitation, the brunette finally agreed, just a little bit enticed at the prospect that she might get to kiss someone hot.
And there had been a handful of really attractive people, and amongst them familiar faces that had also paid for kisses.
There had been the statuesque and sweet Kameron that had kissed her softly, though a little too chastely for her liking. Mik had been expectedly playful, having come back twice to kiss Denali while giggling uncontrollably. Stoic Brooke had been kind of hot with the way she had been a little dominant, but still somewhat gentle, leaving Denali a little breathless when she was done.
Jan and her girlfriend had been a surprise though. Jan had pecked her on the lips shyly, and Denali couldn’t help but pull her back for a slightly deeper kiss just to see her reaction, free of charge of course, while Jan’s girlfriend, Jackie, had watched with an extremely amused look at the side. Jackie had also kissed her, slipping her little bit of tongue before walking away with her girlfriend, arm wound around her waist as she threw a wink Denali’s way.
What that wink would entail, Denali wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to explore with the couple, though she knew it would definitely be something she would enjoy very much.
As things started to wind down near the end of her shift, Joey had turned up to drop his things off, promising to relieve her in 15 minutes while he went around the fair with Kandy.
The blonde was tapping her finger on the surface of the table, dark eyes a little glazed over as she thought about Kameron’s earlier offer to explore the fair with her later when a familiar cough pulled her out of her reverie. She blinked and looked up to find Rosé looking down at her, her trademark smirk stretched across her lips as she looked down at Denali, a fifty dollar bill held between her fingers.
There was a flash of irritation and heat that zipped down her spine, but she swallowed it down, not wanting to think too hard into it.
“No change.”
Rosé arched a brow. “I know, baby.”
“Then what’s the fifty for?”
“Five kisses.”
Denali stared hard at Rosé, the vey same ginger girl that had been endlessly teasing her and driving her up the wall since the day they met.
“No.”
“But aren’t you currently manning the kissing booth?” Rosé pointed out, her voice laced with amusement.
Denali huffed and pointed at the sign to her left, the one that said she had the right to turn away anyone that she didn’t want to kiss.
“Read the sign.”
“Can’t read it.”
She snorted at that, causing Rosé to grin in response.
“Then read my lips: No.”
“I’d honestly rather feel them with my own instead.”
Denali felt her cheeks heat up at that. The two of them had always been butting heads, and she had been aware of the undercurrent of raw attraction that was always humming between them, but she didn’t really want to be the first to give in. Her pride wouldn’t let her.
But then again, if it was for charity…
It took a moment of consideration before Denali finally took the fifty dollar bill from Rosé and dropped it into the jar next to her.
Looking at the still standing girl, Denali gestured at the stool in front of the booth and watched as Rosé sat down, all the while trying her best to calm the growing butterflies in her stomach. The way the other girl’s hazel eyes shone with mischief and something else underneath it didn’t help either.
Shifting on her own stool, Denali leaned across the booth.
“You ready?” She asked, trying her best to keep her nerves from showing as she gripped the edge of the table.
Rosé nodded, leaning forward too.
“Always ready to kiss you, angel.”
Denali’s eyes widened at that, and before she knew it Rosé was tugging her close by the collar and their lips collided together.
Warmth pooled in her middle and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered wildly as Rosé kissed her, humming a little into it, causing Denali to squirm in her seat. The sounds of the fair melted away and all she could feel was Rosé deepening the kiss just a little, feel her hand drifting to the back of her neck and giving it a light squeeze, making Denali moan, her senses overloaded with nothing but Rosé.
And then it was over as quickly as it started as Rosé pulled away, smiling lazily at Denali as the brunette could only stare back in a daze, her brain having short circuited.
Rosé straightened up, her tongue flashing for a moment when she licked her bottom lip.
“If that was our first one, I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Denali snapped out of it as Rosé moved to leave.
“Wait, you said five kisses. That was only one.”
“Already eager for another one?”
Denali sputtered at that, cheeks growing even redder.
“No! I mean you paid for five, so I owe you four more. I don’t want people to think I cheated you out of your money.”
Rosé chuckled, reaching over to tug at a loose dark curl. “Don’t worry, I’m saving the other four for another time. After all, there’s no rule saying I have to claim them all today.”
Denali’s mouth fell open at that, Rosé winking teasingly at her as she turned to leave.
“I’ll be seeing you around, Nali.”
And she was gone.
It took a while for Denali to finally regain her senses, her mind having been lost on the kiss that had just happened, on Rosé’s parting words and the fact that she was going to be kissing her again.
Four more times, to be precise.
She groaned and thumped her head onto the table.
Denali’s heart was not ready for this.