Wouldn’t it be better if there was just no kiss at all? In my edit, I’ve just trimmed out the fireplace scene and removed the kiss. This way, we go from “We have feelings for each other” to “Yes we have, but we can’t be together”, and we finally end with “Our love is too strong to be kept under control, so let’s be together anyway”. I think it’s a more fluid approach to the love story, without the first kiss at all.
I intend to remove the “will they/won’t they” element from the movie, so them getting together earlier on isn’t a big deal.