My Seven Ex's

I never knew a kiss could be this sweet until Elio kissed me at seventeen.

It happened on a Monday afternoon, the kind that seems ordinary until it changes.

Around 2 p.m, I walked out of my lecture hall. My bag hung loosely on one shoulder. My mind was already elsewhere. San Francisco sun was bright but gentle, warming the concrete paths and glass buildings around campus. Students gathered in groups, laughing, arguing, checking their phones, living their ordinary lives.

I was halfway down the steps when I heard someone call my name.

"Vanya!"

I didn’t turn because the only one person that called my name like that loud, playful, like she owned it is Ava.

Before I could fully stop, she wrapped her arms around me from behind, almost knocking me off balance.

"Miss me?" she laughed.

I laughed too, because with Ava, laughter was automatic. We pulled apart and looked at each other properly Ava looked exactly the same confident, dramatic, always too much in both the good and bad ways. I knew she’d gotten into trouble again just by the way she was smiling.

"Don’t tell me," I said. "You fought someone," she gasped, "I defended myself."

"You slapped someone, "she deserved it."

"Who this time?"

"My deskmate," she said proudly, "she touched my book with dirty hands."

I stared at her.

"What?" Ava shrugged, "boundaries."

We walked out of campus together toward our neighborhood, our shoes tapping against the pavement. Ava talked the whole way, acting out the scene like it was a movie how the lecturer froze, how the class went silent, how she was sent out.

"You should’ve seen her face," Ava said, "I don’t regret it."

"You never do."

"That’s why you love me. Ava was reckless, but she was my best friend. The one who always pulled me into things I’d never do alone.

By the time we reached our street, the sun had shifted lower, casting long shadows across the modern apartment blocks and parked cars.

"Oh," Ava said suddenly, "there’s a birthday party tonight."

I stopped walking. "Whose?"

"Our neighbor’s theres music, drinks, and many people."

"I don’t do parties

"You do tonight

"Ava?

She grabbed my arm. "Please just show your face, you don’t even have to stay."

I sighed, I always gave in. Ava knew exactly how to bend me without breaking me.

"Fine," I said, "but I’m not dancing, she grinned, "we’ll see."

The party started before the sun fully set, music spilled out of the apartment like it was alive, the bass vibrating through the walls. Lights flickered and laughter filled the air, people I barely knew moved around like they’d known each other forever.

I stayed close to Ava at first, nursing a drink I didn’t really want, that was when she pulled me forward.

"Vanya," she said, excitement lighting up her eyes, "meet Elio."

I looked up, and forgot what I was about to say.

Elio stood there, tall and relaxed, like the noise