Royal Disaster

the disastrous conversation

is it too much if i ask for your opinions on how this is going? is there anything you'd like to comment on? is there anything that doesn't make sense (like detail wise, not plot wise)? um, is this too fast-paced? do the characters seem 3-dimensional or really flat? any constructive criticism is welcome.

It was safe to say that, in the eighteen years and several months that I had been living, I could count how many people I've kissed (and that counts the familial kisses) on my one hand. And, adding Arthur to that list, well, I could still count them on one hand.

            There was something about the manner of him trying to help me breathe that sort of didn't sit well. I could blame it on the fact that maybe he was just as panicked as I was and did the next best thing, it may have been because he was so overwhelmed with what to do, but whatever the reason, the risky move of kissing me did not seem to prove worth it- at least, not at first.

            After the initial contact, he pulled back. We were still slightly cloaked in the shadows of the "King Kong Experience" so, luckily, everyone was too enraptured to really notice us.

            My eyes had loosened, no longer pressing tightly together. There was a beat where I thought my heart had stopped, shocked by what Arthur had done. But I still couldn't breathe.

            I guess he took that as a cue to try again.

            This, just like the first, was not anticipated. I was frozen in my seat, unable to move or think or act, so I was still in the same position, my whole body angled into him, practically leaning towards him, his hands grasping my face and our faces, I assumed, only centimeters apart.

            So I could only sit there, once again, like a doll as he, this time more gently, pressed his lips to mine. Pushing some air into me, as if that was what I was in need of.

            But it was only when he nipped at my bottom lip did I really breathe.

            Letting out a gasp, I popped my eyes opened, taking in a large breath right after. My chest rose and fell heavily as I felt the air leave my lungs and my throat stretch.

            "Breathe, Kaia," Arthur murmured, "keep going, come on."

            And as he did that, we were once again cloaked in darkness as the tram moved forward. The other passengers around us clapped loudly but it was dull to my ears. I felt Arthur sigh in relief as he pulled my head forward to lean into him. I didn't fight him, willingly falling into him with my hand sliding up to curl around the front of his shirt.

            "Breathe," he continued to murmur into my head as the ride resumed. "Just breathe."

            I did so, waiting until my head cleared out. Before I knew it, I had calmed down enough to think clearly, and I fully realized what, exactly, had just happened inside that tunnel.

            Stiffening, my senses became super aware of my position. Flushing, I uncurled my fingers from his shirt, slowly retracting them back to my side. Then I moved my head away from Arthur's chest, trying to look anywhere but at him.

            Oh my God. I thought to myself as I sat up straight. I hadn't had one of those types of attacks in years and to think that I got it with him made me feel incredibly embarrassed.

            "Are you okay, now?" Arthur asked me, his voice laced with concern. He dipped his head lower, trying to meet my gaze. Neither of us was listening to the tour anymore and it seemed irrelevant to know exactly what we were looking at.