His Mouth is Sweet to Kiss

"Your lips cover me with kisses; your love is better than wine. There is a fragrance about you; the sound of your name recalls it. No woman could keep from loving you. Take me with you, and we'll runaway; be my king and take me to your room. We will be happy together, drink deep, and lose ourselves in love. No wonder all women love you!" -Song of Songs (1:2-4)

Sister Charlotte watched parishioners file out of the church, wishing her goodbyes to some familiar faces, before she began to slowly inch her way towards the sacristy where Father Cristiano had disappeared. She was hoping to catch a minute alone with him, she had something that had been weighing on her mind for quite some time now.

She surveyed the empty church one last time to ensure that no one was around before she went and stood in the doorway of the sacristy. She watched Cristiano take off and neatly put away his vestments until he remained in his cassock, observing the tenderness and reverence that lay in his touch. 

The Portuguese had beautiful hands and Charlotte often watched them carefully when he wasn't paying attention. Those same hands had blessed countless souls, absolved sins, offered solace and comfort when needed, and gently held the Eucharist within their grasp. Oftentimes Charlotte wondered what his touch would feel like on her bare skin. Would he touch her with the same tenderness, the same reverence that he touched their Lord and Saviour with? What ecstacy could his hands make her feel? These thoughts were always followed with admonishments for thinking of her friend and blaspheming in such a way.

Charlotte admired the slope of Cristiano's shoulders and back. The strength in them spoke of his youth in rural Portugal where he had lived in a small village aiding his family on their farm. Cristiano often told her about his family and life back in his home country and she kept such information close to her heart. Likewise, she would tell him the particulars of her upbringing and her day-to-day life and he listened to her with an a slight smile and an enigmatic look in his eyes.

The sunlight shining in from the sacristy window caught in his ebony hair. She wondered how soft his hair was and longed to run her fingers through it, if he would allow it. He always kept it neatly combed but he had a stubborn cowlick that refused to lie flat at any given time. Charlotte found it endearing.

Finally Cristiano turned around and saw her in the doorway. He startled then quickly recovered his composure and smiled warmly at her. 

"Sister Charlotte! I wasn't expecting to see you here, is there something I can do for you?" 

Torn out of her revere, Charlotte scrambled to collect her thoughts and returned the smile. 

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about, if you're not busy."

"Of course, why don't we go to my office?"

They left the sacristy, and made the short walk over to Cristiano's office in the back of the church. Cristiano's office was a familiar sight and Charlotte had lost count of how often she had been here to talk to her beloved friend. 

Charlotte took a seat in the chair in front of Cristiano's desk and gripped the armrest. One of her legs bounced up and down repeatedly with little thought as she watched Cristiano sit down and rest his hands on the surface of his desk.