#2 No Kiss Blog Fest

                                                 

My second blogging/writing resolution is to get more involved in the online community. I have been visiting Nathan Bransford's forums again and I am going to try and comment on others blogs every day and begin taking part in some of the activities going on. So...Starting right away - my first activity is to participate in the "No Kiss Blogfest" which I learned about from Lindsay's (a.k.a Isabella's) lovely blog Adventure in Writing - which linked me to Frankie Writes who is the creator of this exercise. Note: This excerpt has been edited for length quite a bit.

I stepped down from the bank onto the ledge and felt the shock of the water surge through me, sucking the air from my lungs. I let out a little yelp and saw Kyle turn his face to see what was happening. I had no choice. It was either stand there exposed in my underwear, or dive in. So, I jumped, the freezing water rushing over my body, tiny bubbles effervescing against my skin.
I swam across to the ledge where Kyle was now sitting up again, and found a wide rock beneath the water on which I could sit, modestly submerged. But my rock was in the shade and I began to shiver.


“It’s really cold,” I chattered, my arms folded over my breasts.


“It’s invigorating for sure,” the sun was in his eyes and he was squinting at me. “You can come up here in the sun. Believe it or not, I’ve seen women in their underwear before.”


I laughed a little sourly, and breathed “Yeah,” looked away and shivered harder.


“Come on,” he held out his hand to me and after a moment I took it, getting a foothold on my rock and stepping over the water onto the dry, sun drenched ledge. “See?”


“See what?” I said sitting down beside him, shaking still.


“Not so bad.”


“No,” I laughed.


When I looked back at Kyle was staring at me. I held his gaze, my stomach doing flips, my arm pits prickling, watching him watch me.


“I’ve never met anyone with your color eyes before,” he said matter of factly.


“Ah. Yes, a family trait.” I looked down, breaking the hold, a little embarrassed.


“They’re almost all gold. It’s interesting. You’re different.”


“Than what,” I asked, feeling warm and relaxed now in the sun, although a jittery feeling inside persisted.


“Than the other girls I know.”


“Really? Well, I’m not sure that’s a good thing, but thanks I guess.”


“You seem so …” and he broke off, not finishing his sentence.


“So what?”


“I don’t know… solitary, hiding out in that old house. Truthfully, I’ve been a little intimidated by you.”


“Ha,” I laughed, incredulous, and then felt I shouldn’t have. “It’s true, I guess. I’m here taking some time for me. But, I wouldn’t say I’m hiding out,” I said.


He was quiet for a minute, thinking, looking off into the woods and then back at me. Then with one finger, he touched the tip of my nose. “You look like a llama.”


“What? I thought llamas were ugly with big hooked snouts.” Of all the things I’d ever wanted to look like, this was not one of them.


He laughed with a full smile. “No. Llamas are cute. They have long dark eye lashes and pretty triangle shaped noses like you, although mostly they don’t have freckles, but there are blonde ones.”


“I see.”


He was still smiling, his head leaning on his shoulder, his body leaning back on one hand.


I shifted my eyes sideways, sensing that there was something uncomfortable in the possibilities of where this conversation could lead.


I imagined how he would taste: sweet and cool as silver. Then reality slipped in. I saw Steven’s brown eyes peering out at me from my conscience, sending at once a pang of both guilt and anger through me.


I turned my face, breaking the moment, before Kyle even made up his mind.


When I turned back, he was still close to me, but I could see the intention had faded. He smiled with closed lips, leaned away, and slipped into the water and waited for me to follow. Disappointment and relief surged through me as I plunged in after him, bracing against the shock of the water, and we swam back across.

Do you have an almost kiss - either from a WIP, a movie, a novel, or...wherever to share? If so - get to it - but stop off at Frankie Writes first to sign up so yours will get added to the list.