Before Julian could answer, she closed the distance herself, tipped her chin upward, and rose onto her toes.
For a brief second she seemed to doubt whether she should go through with it or not.
...
Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
The kiss was surprising, yet warmer than anything she had ever felt in her life.
In that small contact was everything she had been holding back: the comfort of being seen, the relief of honesty, and perhaps a quiet rebellion against the standards that had pressed around her for as long as she could remember.
For once, she was not performing the role expected of her. She was simply answering a moment with the truth of what she felt.
Julian remained still at first, letting the moment belong to her.
He had said those things and kissed her earlier mainly to make her less suspicious about his identity. Even he had not expected it to lead here.
