Four Kisses

The second kiss

The second time I kissed her was at her school's spring ball. We were 14.
She had been at my parent's house for dinner and told me about the humiliation of not having a date. Some dumb girl had made fun of her and told her she was ugly and would never find a boyfriend.
She couldn't have been more wrong. Izzy was beautiful.
Most guys didn't ask her out because they honestly understood that they didn't have a chance.
Besides, there was me. I made sure she was seen with me enough to send a message.

The band played a slow song. I stood and held my hand out to her. I led her on to the dancefloor and lay my hands around her waist. Fighting the shivers in my legs I waited untill her hands were circling my neck before laying my cheek on hers.

"Thank you, Simon," she whispered quietly.

My skin prickled at her breath.

"Are they buying it?" I asked.

"Well... I'm here with the best looking boy in the house I'm not complaining," Izzy giggled.

We danced cheek to cheek for a while. I was pulling her as close to me as my teenage nerves dared. At fourteen we were roughly the same height. I still hadn't had my growth spurt and my voice was still doing weird little acrobatics. I positioned myself differently so I coold look at her. She was so beautiful. Her green eyes were glittering and she was smiling. Best of all, her smile was focused on me.
Only me.
As if I was the only person there.
We were swaying slightly to the music. Her hands were in my hair at the nape of my neck, giving me goosebumps.
I had started growing it the year before and she was always playing with the hair at my neck. If we were watching TV or in my room, if I was teaching her how to play the guitar or the bass. Her hand would somehow find my hair and run through it.

Izzy looked sideways a few times before looking back at me with a frown.

"We're being stared at," she muttered.

I glanced around to see several dancing couples surrounding us. Some were just dancing, but most were surreptiously studying us.
I caught a nasty smirk displayed on that horrible girl, Maddie's, face. She led her partner close enough to speak.

"So Izzy. I didn't know you could afford to pay someone to pretend to be your boyfriend," Maddie said with a superficial smile.

I felt very self conscious from her studying me up and down.
I looked back at Izzy who had tears in her eyes and her face turned away from the crowd. I smiled as she buried her face into my shoulder.
I felt angry towards the people who made her feel so small.
My arms enclosed her even tighter and I felt her cling to me as if I was her only hope.
My headstrong, stubborn, smart and funny best friend, had in the company of these people been reduced to a desperate geek. She was so much more than that.

"Do you trust me, Izzy?" I asked.

I felt her nod.
I moved my hands from around her back to rest on her hips. In all of Izzy's romantic films, this seemed to be a good move.
Staying with recreating a movie moment - because quite frankly I had zero idea what I was doing - I let go of her with one hand and gently touched her cheek. She raised her eyes to mine. I had to smile at the suspicious look on her face.

"What are you doing?" She whispered.

"I'm gonna kiss you," I said knowing I was showing a wide smile.

She blinked a few times, trying to register my words, before smiling brightly.

"Okay," she nodded and I almost did a little fistpump when the tip of her tounge quickly, unconciously shot accross her bottom lip.
She had agreed to kiss me!

Then I carefully cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes for a few seconds. Another move, courtesy of Hollywood movies.
I honestly don't know how guys got girls before movies showed them how.