So, here's my Entry to the Fabulous Frankie
Diane Mallis, 3rd Annual No Kiss Blog
Fest!! This is a no-kiss scene from one of my own manuscripts. “Breaking
Cardinale Rules” Please don't hate too hard. Thanks...
I
made Drew take me to the boardwalk. It had been so long since I'd
had any fun, and I guessed someone like Drew, had never been there
before. And I was right. As we walked along the boards, I made him
stop periodically and do all of the worst, most touristy things you
could possibly do.
It
was wicked fun, almost like a date. At first he would not relax at
all, because of all the people and noise and general commotion. He
protested a lot. But I teased him out of his self-imposed
up-tightness as much as I possibly could.
I
bated him into playing some of the games, knowing how naturally
competitive he is. Did it surprise me that he won, every single time?
Nope. Ring toss, darts, shot gun (of course) basketball, frog bog,
you name it, he won it. After I had about twenty ginormous stuffed
animals too many, Drew decided it wouldn't be fair, if he kept
playing. I suggested he take the extras and hand them out to all the
little kids that walked by, and actually had enough guts to approach
him. The vendors were delighted when we walked away.
Boardwalk
pizza is insanely good, so I made sure he tried a slice. Of course, I
insisted on funnel cakes for desert. He drew the line when I
suggested the fun house, mumbling something like, “too many
variables” so I didn't push it. But I did torture him, until he
agreed to sit in one of those little photo booths and take pictures
with me. It's a really small seat, and instead of sitting sideways
and all awkward, I just jumped right onto his lap. Taking someone
like Drew by surprise, was more fun than any of the rides. He
recovered, and then shocked me, when I felt his lips brush by my neck
and settle near my ear. He leaned in and whispered, “Thank you.”
My
smile in those pictures was so incredibly broad, it made Julia
Robert's look small. Drew didn't smile. On film, the innate beauty I
can see inside him, kinda got lost in the translation. He wound up
looking like he did when anyone else looked at him: absolutely
terrifying. Before I could comment, he snatched the pictures from my
hand and put them in his wallet. At first, I was kinda taken back,
but then I decided that it was all kinds of awesome.
How
I convinced him to get on the Ferris Wheel, I'll never know. When it
stopped at the top, he looked at me, with those fierce green eyes and
that all-encompassing intensity of his. All the noises of the
boardwalk faded into silence, the bright lights died away, and I
swear his stare laid me so bare, I felt like a ripe banana, he just
peeled. The wind picked up and that stinking Ferris Wheel carriage
started swaying back and forth, making my stomach feel as
uncomfortable as my mind.
Would
Drew, try and make a move on me? Would he kiss me? And considering
how broken and dead I am inside, would I actually want him to?
He
leaned closer, then closer still, until he was just inches from my
face. Deep down inside, I felt something ignite. It was a slow burn,
just a spark, mind you, but enough for me to know, if I gave place to
it, it could quickly turn to flames. I didn't think it was possible
for me to feel this, or want to feel this, with anyone, ever again.
But there it was, desire. I wanted Drew. I wanted Drew to kiss me and
reignite that desire inside me, more than I wanted my next breathe.
Unfortunately, this revelation came a little too late. Because it was
then I realized, Drew hadn't been leaning in to kiss me, at all. He
was only leaning towards me to get a closer look at something down
below us, on the boardwalk. What an idiot I am.
“What
is it Drew?”
“On
your left, below. Man in the brown leather jacket?”
“Um,
yeah.”
“Subcompact
Glock 27, right breast pocket. It's a common off-duty cop weapon, but
I'll keep an eye on him, all the same.”
That's
what I get for thinking GI Drew was about to kiss me, or relax, even
for a second. It was pretty much at that point, I longed for nothing
more than a ride to take my idiotic ass, home.