Confessions of a Teasing Heart

by: Roxanne

She was going to clock him. The thought had simmered in the back of Marie’s mind for the past hour, growing stronger with every insufferable comment he made. With his smug grin and endless sarcasm, the man had tested her patience since they met at the café.

They had known each other for years, always skirting around a flirtation that neither dared to acknowledge. But today, something was different. The banter was sharper, the tension thicker.

“I bet you can’t even throw a punch,” Trustin taunted, his dark eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Oh, I can throw a punch,” Marie shot back, her hands balling into fists at her sides.

“Prove it,” he teased, leaning in closer, his breath warm on her cheek.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside her. “Why do you always do this?” she asked, her voice softer now.

“Do what?” Trustin’s smirk faded, and his tone became more serious.

“Push my buttons, get under my skin. It’s like you want me to hate you.”

He looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “Maybe I’m just waiting for you to realize you don’t.”

Marie blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in his demeanor. “What are you talking about?”

Trustin sighed, running a hand through the bristles of his shorn hair. “You’re right. I do push your buttons. But not because I want you to hate me. I like you, Marie. Always have. Just didn’t know how to get your attention.”

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with unspoken emotions. Marie’s heart skipped a beat as she searched his face for any sign of jest, but all she saw was vulnerability.

“You’re not serious?” she whispered, her anger dissolving into confusion.

“I like you, Marie,” he repeated, his voice steady. “Teasing you was the best way to show it. I’m sorry.”

Marie stared at him, her mind racing. She had always known there was something more between them, but she never let herself believe it. Here he was, laying it all out in front of her.

She didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or—yes—clock him. Instead, she did something that surprised even herself.

Leaning in, she kissed him.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss; it was fierce, a release of all the frustration and longing she had held back for so long. Trustin responded immediately, his arms wrapping around her as if he had been waiting for this moment forever.

When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathless, but the air between them was lighter and clearer.

“You have a funny way of showing your feelings,” Marie murmured, resting her forehead against his chest.

“I’m an idiot,” Trustin admitted, and Marie felt the slight smile in his words. “I’ll be your idiot if you’ll have me.”

Marie couldn’t help but laugh, the day’s tension finally melting away. “You know, I was going to clock you.”

“I know,” Trustin chuckled. “And I would’ve deserved it.”

They stood there in silence for a moment, the weight of everything that had just happened settling over them. Then Marie pulled back slightly, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“You know, I still owe you something.”

“What’s that?” Trustin asked, raising an eyebrow

Marie stepped back, grinning. She reached behind her and pulled out the toy dart gun she had bought as a joke earlier that day. Without warning, she aimed and shot him right in the chest with a soft foam dart.

Trustin looked down at the dart, then back up at her, his expression a mix of surprise and amusement.

“I just shot you. Should I apologize or shoot you again?” Marie asked playfully.

Trustin chuckled, the sound deep and full of affection. “I think I’ll take my chances with another shot.”