He shoved his hands in the pockets of his trousers, customarily bored. He seemed pitifully lost as he searched the room for her. She smiled to herself as she eyed him; the warmth of her affection rose as she noted his awkward appearance: his hair was slightly tousled; bright red wisps obscured one eye. His collar fell open. Earlier that evening she had managed-after a fair amount of convincing, bribing, and bargaining-to get him into a black suit and a crisp white dress shirt as long as he could forego the tie. This was the compromise. He complained that the shoes were too tight. The suit wasn't really "him." Despite these protests he looked beautiful; so elegantly disheveled. He'd matured so much in the few weeks she'd known him: no longer did he seem the timid, shy little fawn he was the night she first met him.
Generally he had remained the gentle, guileless boy she had instantly adored; however, there had surfaced in the last weeks a darker side to his personality of which only she was aware. In their private moments, she discovered his fondness for simply lying next to her, cradling her in his arms. This became an early morning routine he initiated in which he waked her with deep, drowsy kisses that became languid explorations of one another. However, he had become slightly more aggressive recently; on occasion he surprised her with new tactics. She began to think that in the process of this systematic cultivation of her young lover, she'd created a monster.
The sound of voices broke her reverie. They grew louder as a small crowd of people gathered about him. Clearly he was annoyed for a brief, furtive moment, then proceeded to shine each interlocutor with a hurried polite comment, nod, or forced smile. After a short while the little group dispersed. He locked his eyes on her. He merely smirked and mouthed the words, "come here." She smiled tentatively and eased her way toward him.
She reached a mark within fifteen feet of her target before she was blocked by yet another cluster of people. "Shit." She hissed through clenched teeth. He was swallowed up by the small crowd, and clearly out of her reach. Impatience, then aggravation seized her. In a puerile fit she disappeared into the powder room down the far hall and determined to seal herself in it-for the remainder of the evening if need be.
She hadn't closed the door behind her before the tears started to well and spill out over reddening cheeks. A lump formed and ached in her throat. Having been repeatedly cut off from her own lover was maddening. In their time alone he was fully accessible to her. Only to her. He was warm, tender, solely hers. But those moments were few and far between lately and she considered-this time with cold deliberation-just how much it was worth it. She remonstrated herself for crying, for ever showing the slightest trace of vulnerability. She forced them away with the heel of her hand, cursing herself. Her eyes stung. She glanced around the room for a tissue to dab her swelling eyes, but then she heard knuckles drumming against the door.
"Staying in there all night, are you?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe. She started to answer, but he abruptly cut her short; he moved forward into the room. "Suppose you'd like a bit of company?" He snapped the door behind him and locked it with a firm click.
"None of that now..." He said. The breathiness of his voice sent chills through her. She felt his lips, torturously warm and smooth against her face. She struggled to explain, sputtering in a pitiable effort to get out all the anger, but then his lips brushed against hers.
"I..." she began a second, futile protest.
"Shhhhh."
The kiss that followed made her instinctively drape her arms around his shoulders and receive him. She loved the way he kissed. His mouth, always sugarsweet and soft; the way he began ever so gently and built gradually to tender aggression. A shock of his ginger hair swept forward and tickled the bridge of her nose. She winced a moment, then smiled against his mouth. He laughed softly, his lips parted slowly. She felt his tongue and realized his intentions.