“You’re funny.”
“You smell good.”
“Stahhhp!” I was embarrassingly turned on by his little thumb strokes on my palm.
“Now you go, dude. Tell her,” Ling said.
“I’m Gavin, and uh... I don’t know, I like to play guitar and work on cars. I’m an engineering major.”
It was unusually quiet in the room after that. Even without sight, I could tell Gavin was tall, just based on where the sound of his voice was coming from. We were close. He smelled like mint and cardamom soap. I could feel the specific heat of his body even in the warm room.
“Ling?” I said.
“One sec, Penny. Josh is changing a setting on the camera.”
She was far away now. I could sense that only Gavin and I were on the stage.
“Are you really nervous, Penny? Your voice is shaking,” Gavin said, only loud enough for me to hear.
“Yeah.” He clasped my hands together between his and brought them to his chest. I could feel his heart beating. I could tell he had a strong, lean body. “I’m nervous, too,” he whispered.
“You don’t seem like it. Why’d you say you weren’t?”
“I was trying to impress you.”
“Go ahead, you guys,” Ling said.
“What?” I asked.
I felt like I was going to pass out, and then Gavin’s hands were on me, one on my back and one on my waist. I was acutely aware of everything. He was wearing a T-shirt. He was warm. I felt safe. My hands naturally went to his broad shoulders. I couldn’t speak. He pulled me flush to his body and moved a hand from my waist to caress my cheek. We were acclimating ourselves to the space and to each other’s bodies. My hand went to his face and felt his scruff.
His hand on my back was strong, pulling me up and in, and then his mouth was on mine. Slow and gentle at first. He laid playful slow kisses on my bottom lip until I opened to him and we were kissing harder, faster. Our tongues were dancing, gently teasing. He was a good kisser. I knew that immediately. I had no awareness of my surroundings, only a feeling of wanting more, as if we had kissed before. Nothing awkward, no teeth clanking. His hand went to my neck and then he pulled away and trailed kisses down my jawline to my collarbone. I was going to spontaneously combust. If he was the ugliest guy in the world, I would have still been attracted to him. It was an easy decision standing there on the stage, blindfolded, while Gavin nibbled on my ear.
He slowed and stopped just after placing one last delicate kiss on my lips.
“Whoa!” Ling shouted. “It just got way hotter in here.”
Gavin and I laughed nervously. We were no longer touching. It felt odd. I wanted to bury my head in his chest.
I was still standing motionless when Ling said, “Not yet, Gavin. We have some questions first before you take off your blindfold.”
He clapped his hands together. “I’m just dying for that gift card, you know?”
I could tell he was being sarcastic.
“Okay, Gavin,” Ling said, “what do you think Penny was trying to tell you with that kiss?”
“Tell me? I think I did most of the talking. Wouldn’t you agree, honey?”
I laughed abruptly and nervously.
He went on. “Confidence, maybe.”
No one had ever said that to me.
“What about you, Penny?”
“It was... sensual.”
