Well, they didn’t kiss before but, do you know that trope when two characters are about to kiss and then someone else interrupts them before they do it? That sort of happened.
But, I get what you mean, I think I’ll go to some rewrites leaning more to your suggestion. I never felt too comfortable with my first idea and I think I like yours a little more. I’m glad we have discussed this.
Well personally, I totally freak out when someone hugs me or otherwise without asking me first, and I all but have a panic attack if they do it from behind. I make a high-pitched squeaking sound before finding a corner to crawl into and everything. Sometimes I even attack. So my opinion on this is quite clear.
While others may think that takes away from the romance plot, I personally like the idea of establishing boundaries like “You can do this,” “You cannot do that.” Even just simply having the option to ask for a kiss is much better, in my opinion due to personal reasons, than “Without warning, she cupped your face in both hands and kissed you.”
But that’s just my very biased opinion.
In the game I just wrote several romance sections for (Uncle irwin’s Bookshop/Through The Pages) I was not able to apply my customary touch to relationships, because the people who meet through the stories only have a brief scene to get to know each other. My most forward character (Wexley) invades your MC’s personal space while demanding their intentions. But from there, you can either shamelessly hit on him to clarify things, or demand he step away.
I wish I’d had more time to clarify different options, but you can either be excited, repulsed, or insist he’s trying to mislead you with seduction. (p.s. - This is an open call to please play our game and comment on the romance paths, if you have time.)
https://dashingdon.com/play/forumcommunitycoopproject/uncle-irwins-bookshop/mygame/
There is actually a moment in Guenevere that you won’t see unless you are doing the Guen/Morgana romance where it’s their first kiss and Guen is given the option of asking Morgana if she can kiss her. It’s not a spontaneous kiss even without asking because by that point interest on both sides has been confirmed and Morgana is just allowing the MC to make the first move. It’s something I liked because it suits a Guenevere who’s the shy type and mainly because it just seemed right for Morgana who is a lot more reserved than the other romanceable characters and especially considering her backstory.