The Kissing Game

All day Friday, I was thinking about how Gavin’s visit might go that evening.  I knew my mom would like him because he was such a good-natured person, but would Dad?  It was hard to tell, because even though Dad knew boys who were friends of mine from our old neighborhood, and he liked them, it didn’t mean he would like the idea of me dating them.  Or whatever me and Gavin were doing was called.  Not dating.  Good friends maybe.  In any case, he was the very first boy I was bringing home to meet them. 

I was utterly surprised in the first place that Dad decided to make sure he was available that evening to meet Gavin.  He spent a lot of evenings out with his friends, doing whatever middle-aged men do, I guess.  His being out made for much less arguing between him and Mama, so she didn’t mind at all.  Things were not perfect, but they had definitely gotten better over the years, so I felt comfortable inviting guests over.  I just hoped my parents wouldn’t embarrass me by asking Gavin a bunch of questions like he was my boyfriend who came to ask my hand in marriage or something, especially since we weren’t even a couple. 

I could just picture Dad asking Gavin, “What are your intentions with my baby girl? Because if you hurt her, I’ll track you down and kill you.”

I had to shake the scene out of my head.  Dad wasn’t that crazy.  At least, I hoped he wasn’t.

 

When the last bell of the day rang for us to go home, I quickly gathered everything I needed for the weekend from my locker.  Then I took a deep breath and went to stand in the park-n-ride area of the wide driveway at the front door of the school where kids were picked up by their parents, or girls went to meet their boyfriends to ride in flashy, souped-up cars that they spent all their drug money on to spruce up.  Gavin pulled up thirty seconds later in his black Ford Escort.  I looked around to see if anyone was watching me, as if I was doing something wrong and didn’t have permission.  No one was paying me any mind.  Feeling stupid for being so self-conscious, I walked over to the car, opened the door and got in. 

“What’s up, lady?!”  Gavin greeted me.  “Long time!” He leaned over in his seat to give me a hug.  I was embarrassed, thinking everybody was definitely watching me this, but I hugged him back, enjoying the closeness.

“It hasn’t been that long,” I said as we let go of each other. Then I looked at the other kids walking to the buses as he pulled off.  Still no one was looking. “I just saw you at your game here a couple of weeks ago.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t get to talk to you or anything until I got home and called you.  It’s never been just me and you out somewhere.  We gotta start hanging out, especially after my season is over!”

“That would be nice.” 

I wondered what his girl would think about it.  Even worse, I wondered if he would want me to meet her.  I would be so jealous!

“So tell me how your day went,” Gavin said.

We had our regular conversation on the way to my house while I gave him directions on how to get there.  It flowed just as easily as always, except I was fully aware of his physical presence.  Not just his being next to me in the car, but his fully masculine presence, his essence, his aroma, the bass of his voice as he sat next to me,  engaged in my conversation while focusing on the road.  I could smell what had to be expensive cologne, and if not, he wore it very well.  Cologne on most boys usually smelled like they used half the bottle in an effort to hide that outdoor funk they always seemed to have.  And perhaps it was only due to the confines of the small car, but his voice seemed to reverberate within me.  I began to get all excited just listening to him.  Calm down and look out the window, Desiree, don’t hurt yourself, I thought.  This is not even that kind of party.   That’s better.  Nice shrubbery they got there…oh, someone left their bike in that yard…that house has the prettiest sunflowers in the summer.  What did he just say?

“Huh?” I asked, turning to face him.

“What, were you daydreaming?”

“No, just thinking about something that happened at school.  Almost there,” I said before he could ask me to share.  “Turn left at this next road.”

 

When we finally got to my house, I appreciated once again how the house and lawn looked.  Dad was the best at creating an amazing view of it all.  When we got in, I also appreciated Mama’s tendency to be nearly obsessive about cleanliness.  Funny how I always took these things for granted.  As expected, no one else was home yet.

“Very nice home you got here,” Gavin announced.

“Thanks.  Want something to drink?”

“Sure, what do you have?”

“Mama makes good iced tea, want some of that?  Or apple juice, milk or water?”

“I’ll take iced tea, thanks.”

I turned on the television in the living room and handed Gavin the remote, told him to have a seat on the couch, then went to make us both drinks.  I could hear Prince Dejour on TV talking to a guest on Rap City while I poured.  This isn’t bad, I thought.  I’m not even nervous anymore.  Mama will be home in a little while, and she’s great at entertaining.  When I returned to the living room and sat beside Gavin, handing him his drink, he thanked me, sipped it once, put the glass on the table and turned towards me.  I put my glass down as well.  I didn’t want him watching me drink, because I was clumsy enough to spill it if his eyes were on me.

“You’re right, that tea is good.  So what’s up girl?  Whatchu been up to?”

“What?  You already know, don’t you?  I mean, I talk to you pretty much every day.” 

“Yeah, that’s right, we do talk all the time.  But now we’re right here in the same place, like I was saying in the car.  Isn’t it different with us being here together?  I know it feels different for me.”

“It does? How?” I asked.

“Well, for starters, I can’t do this over the phone.”

I saw it coming, but it still came too fast for me to stop it, not that I would have wanted to.  Gavin leaned in and kissed me, full and deep.  I could feel his tongue on mine, urging me to respond to it, and I did.  It was a long kiss, one that gave me time to wonder where it came from all of a sudden.  And it felt good, and tasted delicious, like strawberry mint gum.  It wasn’t too hard, but was just hard enough to let me know that he knew what he was doing, that he knew how to take control, and when his lips pressed a little harder, I knew that he liked it too.