Sealed With a Kiss <3
Today’s post theme is a collaboration between myself and several
of my YA Indie writing friends, The Paranormal Plumes Society. In this themed post, Sealed with a Kiss, I will
share my first kiss along with a first kiss moment from one of my books.
My first kiss!
I wish I could rewrite history here
in a way that might make you swoon or green with envy but the truth is it just
didn’t happen. My first kiss was just…
OK. I was in eighth grade and the boy I
smooched (and was dating at the time) was a boy from my church. Up until the
moment of the afore mentioned smackeroo my contact with Allen had been limited
to Sunday school and youth events at church. The lip lock occurred on our first
official date… a canoeing trip. Yeah, you heard that right. Now that I look
back upon the moment I’m fairly certain the date location and activity was his
parent’s choice. Why do I suspect this, you wonder? Well, have you ever been
canoeing? Here’s the deal, if you prefer to remain inside the boat at all times
you must maintain balance with in the boat. This balance is achieved by the
placement of the canoe’ers within the
boat. If one canoe’r is present they sit directly in the mid-section of the
boat. If two canoe’ers are present they sit at opposite ends of the boat. So there we were, on our first official date,
sitting approximately 4 to 6 feet away from each other at all times. How romantic... NOT! (Note to self, remember dating
idea when Olivia [my daughter] reaches dating age – brilliant!)
The kiss eventually did happen. We leaned across the open span of the canoe
to touch our lips together for about 3 seconds. All the while we were sweating
in the hot sun and struggling to maintain our balance to prevent the canoe from
toppling over and of course we had to paddle ourselves to a remote location so
we would not fall under the eyes of eavesdroppers. AND… of course this remote
location designated for our privacy turned out to be a mosquito and large, ugly
bug invested, putrid smelling swamp-like locale. Yuck!
Verdict on the first
kiss!
So, how was my first kiss? Well, if you take away all of the negative factors
(the canoe, the mosquitos and gianormous bugs, the stinky swamp and the
balancing act) my assessment would be short but sweet, kind of how a first kiss should be.
Ironically, in The Guardians of
Souls, Liv and Jedd share an equally embarrassing ‘almost’ first kiss.
In this excerpt from The Guardians of Souls, Jedd and Liv
share their ‘almost’ first kiss. This s a pivotal moment for the pair because,
although they don’t quite seal that precious first kiss, they realize and finally
admit to one another, their feelings for one another.
Chapter Five
Jedd
Time - July 8, 2015
Place - Liv's house
Queens, New York
"You know you're
in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your
dreams."
- Dr. Seuss
I walked slowly down the street as I headed toward Liv's
house. I didn't know exactly what I was going to say to her. I had been acting
like such a jerk. I missed her and I wanted to set things right between us
before she and the rest of my spirit friends left for their supposed summer
camp outing this Friday. I knew where they were really going. At least, I knew
what they were really going to do and it wasn't a sporadic hiking quest across
the Adirondacks like everyone else assumed. They were going to hunt for Shy
Donavan, the evil Daeva who killed Jesse Howard and Laith's step sister,
Melissa Small last winter. Brayan wouldn't give me an exact location but I knew
they weren't headed to the Adirondacks. Shy would go somewhere more heavily
populated. He could hide and survive more easily among the chaos of a bustling
metropolitan city. I tried to speculate as to where that might be, maybe
Philadelphia, Chicago or Houston. I don't suppose it matters. I wouldn't be
joining them. Liv had made it very clear that I was not part of the in crowd
and I was not welcome.
OK, I'm not going to start to think like that again. I'm
going to see Liv to apologize and make things right between us. I don't want
her to have to worry about me or my deflated ego while she is hunting down a
soul sucking killer. My ego should be the last of her worries. If I'm honest
with myself I suppose I should admit my fear is that I am the last of her
worries. My real fear is that she doesn't worry about me at all anymore. It was
so much easier when we were younger. There were no confusing emotional
complications back then. Everything changed for us at the block party last
summer, or at least it did for me. Liv and I both reside on the same street in
the Forest Hills area of Queens. Every August before we head back to school our
neighbors get together and orchestrate a huge block party including music, food
and fireworks. It's a great time... or at least it used to be. Last year's
party felt like the beginning of the end for me. Before that party Liv was my
buddy, my best pal. She was just like one of the guys, you know what I mean. It
wasn't like she was a real girl, not until that stupid party. She comes
strolling down the street in this very distracting purple dress. Her shoulders
were bare except for two thin straps. The dress wasn't tight but it clung to
the curve of her shape. I don't think I was even aware that she had a shape
prior to that moment. Anyway, it hugged her body to her knee level. Her mahogany
hair hung long and straight against her olive colored skin with only one small
shiny metal butterfly clip to secure the length of her bangs away from her
face. Her chocolate brown eyes warmed in the sunlight. She wore no make-up,
just her usual cherry Chapstick, nor did she need any. She looked like a
Goddess, or better.
In that instant my life changed forever because I realized I
was in love with my best friend. That's why I'm going to apologize to her now.
It's not her fault that I fell for her. It's not her fault I'm too much of a
coward to tell her I'm in love with her and it is definitely not her fault if
she can't feel the same way about me. I mean, I'm human and she's much more
than that. It would only make sense that she would need someone who was more
than human. She is going to need someone who is like her. I can't be that
person and I should stop trying to be. I should stop punishing her for what I'm
not.
I began to feel more uneasy as I walked around to the back
of her house. She was outside on the deck. I could already hear her humming
along to an unfamiliar tune on her iPod. As I rounded the corner she spied me
and grinned as wide as the depths of my heart. She had been running. She was
sporting her gray Nikes, a white tank and blue running shorts. Sweat beaded up
on her cute little nose. She wiped her face with a towel and gulped a swig of
her Gatorade.
"Hi, Jedd. I've missed you." she beamed.
She didn't even hesitate with her words and she was
obviously very glad to see me. Why couldn't I be brave like that? Why was it so
hard for me to tell her how I felt? I felt my knees get weak as she skipped to
my side. She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me hard for a long
moment. I was overwhelmed with both longing and guilt. I felt longing for this
beautiful, sweet and intelligent girl that could never be mine and I felt guilt
for denying her the friendship that she had always been able to rely on in the
past and still deserved.
"I'm sorry I haven't been around. I've missed you
too." I finally managed to say.
She pursed her lips in hesitation and wrinkled her forehead.
She was troubled about something. I raised an eyebrow at her and she relaxed a
little. I couldn't believe I had allowed this much tension to come between us.
"I shouldn't have told you that things wouldn't ever
change between us, Jedd. I don't have that kind of power or control over life.
No one does..." she began.
Oh no, here it comes. She's going to tell me she doesn't
want me around anymore.
"What I should have said..." she looked away and
shook her head. Whatever she wanted to say to me was very difficult for her.
"What I should have said was I will never stop... loving you, Jedd."
she said in a tiny voice.
I almost didn't hear her, but I did and my heart was doing
somersaults and back flips. I stood there, my soul filling with joy while her
anxiety increased in my silence. I was stunned into stupor so I pulled her into
my arms and pressed my lips to her forehead.
"I love you too, Liv." I finally returned.
After several minutes she lifted her face to meet mine and
whispered, "So, what do we do now?" She was as clueless about this
emotional stuff as I was. It was comforting to know it wasn't just me. She
comprehended my stumped expression and we both began to laugh. "This is
crazy." she said shaking her head again.
"Why?" I challenged but I knew exactly what she
was thinking.
How could this be happening between us after so many years
of knowing each other? She watched me fall out of a tree and break my arm when
I was eleven. I had cried like a sissy in front her. I'd watched her puke her
guts out on the merry-go-round in elementary school. It was entirely
disgusting. We'd both seen each other at our worst and yet here we were in love
with each other.
"It's just that I know you better than anyone."
she shrugged.
"I know... Do you remember that day back in elementary
school when you spewed chunks all over the merry-go-round?" I asked and
she cringed at the memory. Her nose and forehead scrunched up in disgust.
"Well, if you had told me back then you loved me I would have thought your
words were more revolting than the chunks of vomit you hurled all over
me." I laughed and she laughed with me as she nodded her head in
agreement.
"I really hate that you can remember that, Jedd. Could
there be a more unattractive memory of me?" she whined.
"No." I said shaking my head firmly.
Then I placed one of my hands on the small of her back. A
strand of her hair had unsecured itself from her pony tail and I brushed it
away from her face with my other hand. Her skin was warm and soft and she
smelled like berries or apples, some fragrance in her shampoo or perfume. We
stared into each other’s eyes in a new way. It was strange and wonderful at the
same time. The pit of my stomach warmed as butterflies danced inside of it. As
my heart sped up I realized I'd stopped breathing. She must have done the same
thing because we both sucked in a deep breath of air at the same time. Our
faces were so close together I could literally taste her breath. It was warm
and smelled of her grape Gatorade but it tasted sweeter. I slowly leaned in to
kiss her, waiting for her eyes to give me permission, but never got her answer.
The patio doors flung open as Mr. Glyn loped outside with a plate full of
chicken breasts and hamburgers to barbeque on the grill. Liv and I
instantaneously wrenched ourselves apart, embarrassed by almost being caught in
lip lock.
"Hi kids... I haven't seen you in a while, Jedd. It's
nice to see you again. Would you like to stay for dinner?" Mr. Glyn
smiled.
His smile was too wide, in fact he looked on the verge of
laughter. Not only were we busted but now my best friend slash girlfriend's Dad
was laughing at me. Liv knew it too. She was glaring at her Dad as he mashed
his lips together tightly, no doubt fighting back the urge to laugh. Then he
glanced toward the open window in the kitchen. Mrs. Glyn stood there giggling,
she didn't even attempt to stifle her amusement. Great, now that Mr. Glyn has
invited me to dinner I'll have no choice but to suffer their amusement this
evening. If I leave now it will make her parents think I feel guilty about the
fact that I was just about to kiss their daughter... and I don't feel that way
at all. I only feel horrifically embarrassed that they nearly witnessed it. It
was my first kiss for crying out loud, or at least it would have been.
"Absolutely, I would love to stay for dinner." I
replied to Mr. Glyn with as much confidence as I could muster.
"Oh... well good." Mr. Glyn said surprised.
He looked back toward the kitchen window where Mrs. Glyn was
still standing and they nodded at one another. Mr. Glyn's expression looked
impressed. Huh, that's cool I guess.
Dinner was awkward to say the least. Liv's Dad didn't leave
us alone for more than two seconds but he never made me feel unwelcome. I guess
it must be weird to watch your kid start to act all gooey eyed and stupid. Who
am I to judge? The Glyns are good people, just a little hovering where their
daughter is concerned. It's just me after all. They know me and they should
know that I would never hurt Liv. Then again, I had kind of skipped out on her
since school let out. Well, no more. From now on I will do whatever Liv asks of
me, no more and no less. After dinner we played the game Pictionary with Liv's
folks. I hate that game because I can't draw worth a damn! The things we do for
love... We split into teams according to gender. It was Mr. Glyn's idea and it
was a dumb one. Both Liv and Mrs. Glyn are very artistic. Mr. Glyn is every bit
the lousy artist that I am. We struggled with our stick figures while Liv and
her Mom drew sketches worthy of being matted and framed. Liv and her mother
won, surprise! I hate losing and it put me in a bad mood. It was the losing or
the lingering memory of my almost kiss with Liv that irritated me. I wouldn't
get my chance again tonight which is going to result in a long sleepless night
of wondering fantasy. Liv walked me down to the end of the driveway when I was
leaving. Her parents remained in the backyard but I had lost the nerve I
possessed earlier. I just knew if I attempted to kiss her again Mr. Glyn would
suddenly appear in the driveway on an errand to collect the mail from the
mailbox. Then Liv surprised me.
"Sleep well tonight, Jedd." she said and she
stretched up onto her toes and brushed her lips quickly against my cheek.
Blush spread across her face making her that much more
lovely.
"I will, because I'll be dreaming about you,
beautiful." I smiled at her. On my way home I grinned so big my face hurt.
Sealed With a Kiss Line Up <3
February 1st Abbi Glines
February 2nd Tiffany King
February 3rd Shelly Crane
February 4th
February 5th Amy Jones
February 6th Addison Moore
February 7th Carol & Adam Kunz
February 8th Courtney Cole
February 9th Nichole Chase
February 10th Fisher Amelie
February 11th
February 12th Laura Elliott
February 13th Michelle Muto
February 14th Michelle Leighton
