The Kiss

18^th Nov, 2021

She was sitting on a hard wooden park bench. Even though autumn had already commenced, all the leaves had yet to start turning yellow. She got up for, to her, an unknown reason and began walking without a particular destination in mind, simply...walking.

Her head bowed, looking at her boots, hands in her jacket pockets, she walked on and on her thoughts racing, playing tag with one another, until...bump...she ran into someone and stumbled to the unyielding concrete pavement. Looking up her breath hitched for there he was, standing tall, handsome as sin, with impossibly velvety eyes. Taken aback by what had occurred, he just stood there looking at her and then blinking himself to the present the shock gave way to slight panic and he scrambled to help her up.

“Shoot! I’m so sorry! I was looking at my bloody mobile and of course wasn’t watching where I was going. Are you all right?” he asked gently.
“...Um...yeah...ah, yes, yes, I think so.” she replied clumsily.
“I truly am sorry.” he continued with concern.
“Yeah, no, no worries. I’m fine, really.” she insisted, finding her voice again.
“Hey, you’re that waitress from that new coffee place downtown, right?”
“If you’re thinking of Dhalia, then yes, I am.”
“Yeah! That’s the name, Dhalia. Such a great name, my compliments to the owner.”
“I’ll be sure to let her know.”
“Oh? We have such a good relationship with the boss already, eh?” he asked with a smirk that tugged the left side of his mouth more than his right.
“I sure as hell should be, she’s my auntie.”
“Niiice, getting the gig at the aunt’s place, staying connected, no sweat, easy game, easy life.” he tried to be funny and tease, but she wouldn’t have it, and with her smile fading she replied almost imperceptibly quieter with:
“I wouldn’t be so quick to judge.”

Now it was his time to release the smile off his face.
“Sorry… That was uncalled for. It’s your business and I had no right sticking my big fat nose into it.”
“I don’t make any money.” she started after catching the genuineness in the look he gave her. “I work there to help my auntie out until the business takes off. And I only work the weekends, I do have a life and responsibilities.” Why was she explaining herself to him?

He could feel the shame creeping along his entire face and spreading to his neck and torso. He contemplated leaving to save face, but decided against it and figured he should man up and apologize.
“Well, then, now I feel incredibly dumb.”
“That’s ok, no way of knowing.” Why was she so easy to forgive him?

Silence ensued, not entirely unpleasant, but not overly comfortable either. They stood there silent and almost frozen, like two cats deciding if they should go their separate way, or maybe sniff each other and get acquainted a little bit more, and then she asked:
“And where were you going?”
“Me? Nowhere in particular. Just taking a walk. You?”
“Same… Do you want to...maybe walk together?”
“Sure thing.” he finished with a smile that she was sure was the sole reason why the polar ice caps were melting. And so they walked on, talking about nothing and everything; she remembered seeing him at the coffee shop from time to time, but failed to mention that she always thought him kind of cute...ok, a lot more than kind of cute, but she would sooner die than admit that.

The night came and while she was in the middle of explaining her frustration with one of her university professor’s manner of speaking to the students, he stopped abruptly and took her by the hand. Turning around she found his velvety gaze. Being a real giant compared to her tiny frame, he bent down and oh so lightly touched her lips with his and gave her the gentlest of kisses which so viciously tumbled her stomach and cut her at the knees. She opened her eyes and saw a beige ceiling. Turning her head to the right she saw the sun’s golden rays spilling into her room.

“Crap… It was a dream.” But such a dreamy dream it was. Offering her back to the liquid gold that assaulted her little four walls, she shut her eyes tightly hoping that she will go back to sleep, but it would not be. After she had hit her snooze button for the fifth time, she gave up and got up. Going through her morning routine of making coffee, reading her emails and skimming through the various social media notifications, she put on her jacket and her favourite pair of low heel ankle booties, and started off for work.

She though about the upcoming exams and found joy in that being her last exam period, ever. Almost done, just a few exams more to go and she would become a dentist. Her head bowed, looking at her boots, hands in her jacket pockets, she walked on and on her thoughts racing, playing tag with one another, until...bump...she ran into someone and stumbled to the unyielding concrete pavement. Looking up her breath hitched for there he was, standing tall, handsome as sin, with impossibly velvety eyes. Taken aback by what had occurred, he just stood there looking at her and then blinking himself to the present the shock gave way to slight panic and he scrambled to help her up. He took a breath to probably apologize, but she quickly yet demurely placed the tips of her fingers on his lips halting him, and whispered instead:
“Pinch me.”
“What for?” he asked bewildered.
“So that I would be sure that I’m not dreaming.” she answered without hesitation.

He looked at her as if she had just sprung up a third eye on her forehead, but pinch away he did. It hurt. With blissfulness playing around her mouth, she gave him a kiss, and not just a peck on the lips, a full-blown passionate french kiss. His sharp intake of air hinted at how absolutely flabbergasted he was, but it didn’t matter.

“What... Why... What was that?” he asked after the slightest of pauses, which was necessary for his brain to compute what had happened and then start functioning again, sort of.

“Just returning a favour.” she offered with an unapologetic shrug of her right shoulder and then walked past him, continuing to her destination.

For a long time he looked after her with a smirk that tugged the left side of his mouth more than his right.