“Random kissing time!”
Someone shouted and that’s when it happened: I felt a gentle hand on my waist and I was pulled against a strong chest.
I didn’t feel worried because the gesture was comforting and protective and I felt safe, regardless of not being able to see who was holding me close.
I know it was a boy because the chest was definitely ripped with hard muscles that felt warm and defined under the soft cotton of a t-shirt.
“Hey, who?—”
My question was interrupted by soft, warm, velvety lips crushing against mine and for the first few seconds I completely froze, barely registering that I was being kissed. That was my first kiss and when the realization of that fact dawned on me, my heart began beating erratically in my chest because I didn’t know what to do.
Did I move my lips, did I just wait until something else happened?
How do you ‘kiss someone back’? The answer came when I felt the stranger’s lips moving against mine, gently at first and with very little pressure but when I attempted to move my lips the same way he was, the pressure increased and I felt his tongue tease at the seam of my lips.
I opened my mouth and the feeling was warm and exciting at the same time.
His tongue massaged mine with firm but gentle strokes and I followed matching his movements, completely wrapped up in how good that contact felt, in how it made the rest of my body feel alive, abuzz with sensation.
He tasted delicious, fruity and vaguely sweet, like cherry coke and he smelled like fresh cotton with a hint of something more masculine.
I have no idea how long that kiss lasted for, those lips made me forget about everything else around me. I gave myself to it with my eyes closed and my heart feeling increasingly more full.
The kiss ended, just a second before the lights came back on and by the time I opened my eyes, the guy was gone.
“Dude, stop it! You’re thinking about it right now!”
Nic’s voice brings me back to the present and I sigh, knowing that I’m totally busted.
I know that she’s right, that my obsession with that kiss is completely unhealthy, especially because since that night, I’vecompared every single kiss to that one and nothing has ever come even close to it.
Every time I’ve kissed someone, no matter how much I liked them, I’ve been disappointed.
“I know, Nic. It’s just that?—”
“Kaya, do you wanna know what I think?”
I narrow my eyes in mock annoyance.
“Does my answer matter?”
She giggles.
“No, because you’re getting my fucking two cents anyway. I think that it’s been three years since that kiss and that party was crowded with virtually every teenager in Star Cove and Shell Cove. You know better than me that Shell Cove is full of tourists and most people are just passing by for a weekend or one single summer. It’s impossible to tell who it was, so you have to let it go. Moping about it won’t bring you any happiness and as your best friend, I want you to be happy. So, let’s go get pretty before your ‘beau’ gets here tomorrow and let’s have a fun, hot summer.”
I sigh and accept Nic’s hug. On a rational level, I know that she’s completely right, but tell that to my heart.
I dream about that kiss every night before I fall asleep, I think about him every day.
Sometimes, when I’m sad or worried, I write him letters, even though I have no idea how the guy even looks. But I felt this overwhelmingly strong connection and I imagine that he would understand, that he would take me in his arms and kiss the rest of the world away.
But yeah, Nic is right and I solemnly swear that I’ll give this thing with Marc a fair shot.
Marc is handsome and great to talk to, so I need to stop thinking aboutMystery Dream Guyand date a very real guy who is actually interested in me.
I open the front door, completely lost in my own thoughts but I find way less resistance than expected and I’d have been sent flying face first down the front steps to the house if I didn’t land against a rock hard body.
“Hey! Sorry, are you all right?”
