“That’s a lover’s kiss,” she says, looking at me tenderly.
“You’re right,” I concur, pulling her back to me. “I can do more.”
I take her face in my hands and taste her lips again. I pass my tongue slowly over her lower lip before biting it and letting out a grunt right into her mouth.
“Is that better?”
“Decidedly so,” she says, blushing. “We’re making a spectacle.”
I laugh and, taking her hand, invite her to walk towards the car. I open the door and let her get in before taking my place behind the wheel.
“Where are we going?”
“I’d like to take you somewhere.”
“Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I took the day off.”
“Jason,” she chastises me.
“They can do without me for a few hours.”
“You shouldn’t be saying no to everything else for me.”
Is that what I’m doing?
“I just wanted to spend the afternoon with you.”
And that’s not a lie.
I just want to be with her. Who could blame me?
I bring her to Phoenix Park. The sun is still high in the sky and with any luck, we’ll have a few hours of light and warmth ahead of us.
Spring is a stupid season that I’ll never be able to understand: yesterday I was wearing a scarf and gloves and it was unbearably cold.
Today, the sun is out and the temperature is up at least ten degrees. It’s enough for us to enjoy this unseasonable weather. I just could not pass it up.
We walk hand-in-hand along the gardens which are manicured to perfection. We approach a little lake and I sit down near the shore, indicating with my hand for her to take the spot next to me on the grass.
She sits close by me, but it’s not enough, it feels like there’s too much distance between our bodies. So I put my arm around her waist and pull her into me. I lay down in the fresh grass and she lays her head on my chest. I take her hand and caress it slowly, making little circles with my finger on her palm. She lays on her back with her face to the sun, eyes closed.
She smiles. She’s happy and calm.
And I feel my heart explode.
“Your heartbeat is going nuts,” she says, putting an ear to my chest.
“Never been better.”
She lifts her head to look at me, to make sure I’m telling the truth.
“You know…it’s nice to hear someone else’s crazy heartbeat for a change.”
I kiss her forehead and run my hands all the way down her long hair, letting the tufts slide between my fingers.
“That’s not the only thing that’s going crazy.”
