The Kiss

It was the first Gossip Girl Birthday Ball.

M and I had just started going out, and all my Upper Eastsider friends were curious to meet him. I always likened him to Lonely Boy, the guy nobody knew, though in truth, he looked more like Nate with his strong cheekbones and high-bridged nose.

"So. What? Now you're dating some guy you don't know?" my friends would ask.

"Well, he can't be worse than the guys I do know," I'd reply, giving them a mischievous look.


That night, I wore a bowtie. I wanted to pretend I was Chuck, sophisticated and polished. But at some point, I knew I had to stop acting and be who I really was: that girl from Constance who ruled over the steps of the Met. I quickly changed into a pair of red leggings and put on a red headband on my head. My friends loved it.

I was very nervous, worried how M would take it. After all, it's not everday you suddenly see the guy you're dating suddenly transform from Bass to Waldorf.

I slowly approached him and said, "So, are you shocked?" I will never forget what he said.

"Kane, I like you. I don't care if you're wearing a red headband or red leggings... I like you," M told me, smiling.

And then he kissed me, in front of everyone, red leggings and all.

That was the first moment I fell in love with M, the moment when you tell yourself, "This boy, this man, he's really something."