To See You

The Kiss

Zelda Abbott scanned the room, looking for the one person she wanted to see most.

It was the usual round of Christmas parties that were held by the New Orleans elite every year. This one was no different, other than the fact that it was being hosted by her father, and she had invited a man she had just started dating, Collin Strauss. Collin was one of her professors at school, so she felt very rebellious by inviting him.

She didn't feel strongly for Collin, but he was nice and made her feel pretty and important, it was a feeling that she wasn't used to since her brother tended to ignore her and her father treated her as if she was only a cog in the Abbott wheel. It was one of the reasons Zelda had chosen to go to graduate school, she wanted to push her boundaries and spread her wings. If her father had his way, she would already have married into another elite New Orleans family.

Marrying was something Zelda refused to do. There was only one man she wanted, it wasn't one her father picked out for her, and it wasn't even Collin Strauss, it was Boone Norris. Zelda scanned the room looking for him one more time. She was twenty-three, and too old to still have a school girl crush on Boone, who was also her brother's best friend. A man who was already engaged.

Collin joined Zelda where she stood against a wall and out of the way from the mass of people hugging and kissing. Zelda couldn't help but think that most of them hated each other most of the time.

"Is it always like this?" Collin asked, amused as he sipped his drink and watched the show. Collin was average height and had sandy brown hair and brown eyes, he was a nice looking boy next door.

"Yes." Zelda's reply was brief because she noticed Boone's entry into the room. She stood up a little straighter, her eyes glued to him and his beautiful fiance.

Boone was tall and dark. He was every girl's fantasy with his hard jaw and five o'clock shadow, and Zelda had been in love with him since she was a girl. The Abbotts and Norrises had always socialized in the same circles, making her brother and Boone's relationship a natural development, meaning he had always been in Zelda's life. Boone's fiancé, Anna, was as beautiful as Boone was handsome. She had long auburn hair, big blue eyes, and Zelda couldn't find a single flaw with her figure. The sight of Boone leaning down to hear what Anna had said and the watching him laugh in response was depressing.

"They make quite the pair, don't they?" Collin asked. He was watching Zelda not Boone and Anna, fascinated by the way Zelda's eyes had zeroed in on them as soon as they had entered the room.

"Who?" Zelda asked, tearing her eyes away from Boone and turning her attention to Collin. He was her date after all.

"Boone and Anna, all eyes went to them as soon as the entered the room. Do you think he loves her?" Collin asked, turning his attention back to the couple.

"Of course he does, why else would he ask her to marry him?" Zelda gave an overly bright smile, keeping her attention trained on Collin. Boone was Collin's Teaching Assistant, so he had an active interest in him.

"Hmmm..." was all Collin said as he rolled a sip of his drink around in his mouth. It was almost as if he was looking at a specimen in a magnifying glass as he watched the couple. Perhaps his ability to disassociate was what made him such a good writer. Collin had let Zelda read a few chapters of one of his books, and she had to admit he was a good writer. From the little she had read, Collin knew what it was like to love deeply.

Perhaps Collin could love her like that. It might take time, but at least he wasn't engaged to another woman. Zelda let her eyes wander back towards the couple, and her gaze caught Boone's. He smiled and nodded to her and Collin before turning his attention towards another person who had joined him and Anna.

The vague attention reminded Zelda that it was the most she was ever going to get from him, and the thought hurt her heart. Needing a break from prying eyes, she excused herself from Collin and headed towards the bar. Maybe a drink would help ease the pain a little.

Zelda asked for a glass of bourbon neat and threw it back, coughing as she did so, then immediately asking for another.

"You should go easy on the hooch," Boone suggested from behind Zelda as the crowd pressed him against her.

Zelda closed her eyes at the contact, before knocking the other drink back. "These parties are hard to bear. Everyone acts as if they like everyone else when in reality no one can stand each other." It was as good an explanation as any and one that was true.

Boone laughed. "It is a bit like a dysfunctional family," he noted before he leaned past Zelda and ordered two drinks from the bartender. Somehow his move put him even further into Zelda's space, and she couldn't help but think that he smelled good.

Zelda let her eyes scan his face, which was close to hers as he ordered his drinks, and she was lost in the details, the small lines around his eyes, the way his eyelashes brushed his cheek, he even had a small scar above his lip.

"Would you like another?" Boone asked, pausing as he caught Zelda's gaze trained on him. It was an awkward moment and Zelda quickly looked away.

Zelda shook her head, she was done with more than just the drink, she had to be done with Boone Norris. She turned to leave, and Boone caught her arm, stopping her.

Zelda looked at his hand on her arm and then at him, watching as he pointed up. There was a big ball of mistletoe right above their heads. "I believe the custom is to share a kiss." Boone's smile seemed sad, but Zelda was so dumbstruck by his use of the word 'kiss' that all she could do was nod mutely. Boone was going to kiss her!

Boone's face grew serious as he looked down at her. His stare was intense and made her think that he was about to reveal something important but instead, his hand came up to rest on her neck while his eyes never left hers.

"Merry Christmas, Zelda." His words were a let down, but the look in his eyes was something else.

"Merry Christmas, Boone," Zelda returned as she licked her lips when his gaze traveled to them.

As if in slow motion, Boone lowered his face to Zelda's and her world exploded as his lips met hers. It was better than she ever could have imagined. Her hand landed on his chest as she rose up on her tip-toes to gain better access.

It was no simple peck under the mistletoe as his lips lingered on hers.

When someone brushed against them, it broke the moment and Boone ended the kiss. His look was inquisitive as he stepped back, watching her. Zelda looked around her, expecting everyone to be staring and quite a few people were. She felt her cheeks turn red as she realized every single one of them had to see through her in that moment. They all knew she was in love with Boone Norris, even Boone had to know since she hadn't held back in her return of the kiss.

Unable to stand the inquisitive looks any longer, she turned on her heel and fled the room and the party. What was she going to do? She was in love with Boone and now he knew it. How awkward would it be every time she saw him, especially after he married Anna?

There had to be a way out.