“Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

Jan looks at Kris, who is lying full length across his bed and twisting the ribbon of a teddy bear around his finger. He's done it so many times that it'll probably snap before the knot can be untied.

“Yeah, a couple of times.”

“What's it like?”

“Haven't you…?”

Kris shakes his head and lowers it even further, almost hiding his face in the bear's furry chest, and Jan immediately gives up any notion of teasing his friend.

“It's not that great, to be honest,” he answers. “People's breath stinks and they always want to do it with tongue and it just feels really weird.”

Kris sighs, like this isn't the answer he wants, and stops garroting the bear in favour of rolling onto his back. He gazes sadly at the ceiling in a manner that Jan is becoming familiar with.

“Why are you asking?”

“I don't know.”

“Is it about Bojan?”

“No!” Kris snaps. Jan doesn't know whether to smile or roll his eyes, but ultimately does both. It's kind of cute to listen to Kris go on and on (and on) about how much he doesn't care about Bojan at all, and then watch him look at their friend like he's just seen God.

“Then who do you want to kiss?”

“I don't know. Nobody. I'm just asking.”

“Well, maybe you should ask Bojan. He's probably done it way more than me.”

It's a bit mean, he knows, and Kris scowls. “I know he has. I've seen it.”

“He must like it then.”

“Do you think it's different if you do it with someone you like?” Kris asks, starting to play with his fingers now that the ribbon is no longer available.

“I don't know.” Jan ponders that. It's true that he hasn't really liked either of the people he's kissed before - and to be fair, he didn't actually kiss them. They kissed him and he just went along with it. He doesn't know if that's relevant.

“Maybe,” he says at last. “There must be something that makes people want to do it.”

“I like you,” Kris says. Jan looks down and finds that he's finally stopped watching the ceiling, and is looking back at him.

“Do you want to kiss me?”

“I mean, not really, no. Are you offering?”

“No. Unless you want to.”

Kris laughs. “You're very easy-going.”

“That's me,” he agrees.

“Okay.” Kris rolls over and crawls up the bed to him. “Can I try it with you? I've never done it before and I don't want to make a mess of it when it matters.”

“I don't matter?”

“You're the only person I can think of who won't be weird about it.”