After three years in college together, Chris and I were firmly in the friend zone. I knew him though various friends, and I knew the kind of girls he liked: blonde, giggly, airhead toothpicks. OK, maybe I'm a bit biased. Bottom line, girls not like me: reasonably intelligent, dark hair, curvy with a little extra padding.
Chris and I got along as some of the few northerners attending school in this small Florida town. We liked to talk hockey and play cards, laugh at each other being goofy and go see the latest action flick. He was comfortable with me, in a frustratingly platonic way. Chris was the tall, thick, kind and funny man of my dreams. Sigh.
It was nearly spring break and Chris was hanging out in my dorm while I tried to clean up and pack a few things. Though I shared the room with several other girls, including his current bimbo, it could at times be a bit claustrophobic. We laughed as every time he tried to move out of my way, he in fact placed himself in the way of my next target. This culminated in a slow dance around the room, my grabs for objects bringing me closer and closer to his musky smelling torso until I could feel his heat in the short space separating us.
I suddenly noticed that his chest was raising and falling with quick breaths, noting my own increase in respiration as well. Surely he noticed my flushed cheeks as he looked into my eyes, both of our faces growing serious as eternity sped by in the space of a scant moment before one of us, and I couldn't tell you who, broke the eye contact. We stepped away from each other quickly, as though caught in an act more intimate than it was, and shortly left the confines of the room for a smoke on the front step.
Though we were quiet, surely contemplating two different subjects, there was no discomfort. It took every ounce of my resolve not to lean my head back against his chest or shoulder as we sat next to each other on the steps. Our silent revelry was interrupted by the appearance of his fuming girlfriend. The pitch of her shrieking was such that I honestly couldn't tell you what the argument was about, but I decided they deserved privacy in any case, and retreated to the dorm, stubbing out my cigarette prematurely.
Though inside, I could still hear their muted back and forth exchange, hers angry followed by his strangely calmer response. I tried to continue with my cleaning spree, but in truth I was keeping more than half an ear on their proceedings. After only a few moments they followed me into the dorm to continue the fight, live and in person. I putzed around for another 30 seconds of intense yelling, before deciding to again relocate. I grabbed my robe and bath kit and headed for the shower. Chris caught my eye as I closed the door to the shared bathroom, and I read the apology on his face.
I took an extra long time in the shower, shaving and even moisturizing, hoping the feud would be finished by the time I returned. Instead, to my surprise, when I opened the door, Chris was propped against the jam, waiting for me. I started to say something, but stopped at the pained look on his face. He looked at me deeply, brow furrowed, not saying anything until I eventually cocked an eyebrow at him. That got a slight smile, before he pounced.
His lips met mine, catching me completely off guard. I stiffened up in shock before eventually relaxing into his touch, my body melting against his as our lips fused from the searing heat. It wasn't a deep and dirty kiss, but a hot passionate kiss that starts in your toes before erupting through your tongue and out your mouth like Vesuvius. I stumbled backward before realizing there was no wall to catch me; fortunately his arms did the trick.
I looked at him intensely, conflicted. Though kissing him was something I had dreamed about for years, I also was worried he had just been fighting with what I knew to be his girlfriend. The rational side of me tried to come up with something to say, some pointed question to ask, but I'm afraid my mouth merely gaped open and closed a few times like a fish out of water.
He smiled at me again, arms still locked around me, eyes smoldering, before gently bringing his face close to mine. As our lips touched for the second time I felt my heart flutter as my body responded to him from my head to my toes. I relaxed into him again, not able to keep a hold of the thoughts in my head. I noted somehow that my hands were braced against his arms, keeping us criminally separated. I rectified that, sliding them behind his head to pull him closer.
He moaned into my mouth and pulled my body firmly against his. Our gentle kiss turned deeper, tongues dancing, gently probing, before pulling back to again taste each other's lips. My fingers felt the short hair on the back of his head, not wanting to break contact but knowing it was time to come up for air. Our chests, pressed together in a warm and thoroughly un-platonic way, heaved as we separated, both gasping in disbelief.
