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There are no angels, there are devils in many ways. Take it like a man.
The World's A Mess, It's In My Kiss.
X.

She's not really the girl I had hoped for, but I sure do like the way she keeps touching me...

I passed up another opportunity to kiss Julianne when we reached the car with her clinging to my arm. Instead, I utilized the small window of time between putting her in the passenger seat and getting walking to the driver's door to freshen my breath with two healthy spearmint Binaca Blasts. As I sat behind the wheel, she slipped her own canister back in her purse.

A good sign...

As I had become accustomed to, she seemed to prefer silence on our short drive to her home.

Did you have a good time, Julianne?

It seemed like the obvious thing to say, but I was afraid to ask. The last step of my plan loomed one block ahead, and Taylor's words weighed heavy on my unfocused mind. A red stop sign prompted a bout of reflection.

She said something about a kiss starting our bond...

I sort of knew what Taylor meant. All the girls I had kissed had touched my heart in a small way, though I had not been very attracted to them. Julianne at least had that going for her, but I only wanted to make out with her and not feel pressure to create something meaningful. The lingering high from my bong hit allowed me to consider her point of view, without too much pain behind my eyes.

Let's see. Julianne probably wants a normal boyfriend to do normal girlfriend stuff with. The girlfriends of my pals sometimes join us on our hiking adventures, and of course sit with them at lunch and on the band bus. Some of them have sex, but others don't. They go out on dates, but I don't know where. Shit. I'm still confused...

"I had a good time, Ray."

Startled, I crossed the intersection. "You did?"

"Yes. Thank you for taking me out."

No lisp, but I guess that's all she's going to say...

Part of my preparations had involved picking a place to park at her house. She lived in a corner home, which gave her parents a wide view of the streets. One neighbor had a high wall separating the properties and a dark zone between the streetlights. I hoped to find an empty space along the curb, and my excitement rose when the perfect spot presented itself. Julianne gave me a small smile when I came to a stop, then sat up in her seat.

She's so pretty. Maybe that's enough for me? Whatever. Here we go. I'm going to kiss her now. Yep. It's our moment. We're ready. Three, two, one, and...

I froze. Completely.

Ok, douchebag, let's go. It's kissy kissy time...

Paralyzed, I studied the glow around a distant traffic light.

She's waiting, stoner. You're fucking with the program. Remember step seven, doofus...

Two fingers managed to take the glasses off my head, but I became fascinated with them.

Dumbshit. Just kiss her. You've kissed girls before. Although...

She's so pretty...

One minute or one hour later, Julianne opened her door, and said, "Ok, Ray. Goodnight."

Noooo. Don't let her go...

"Wait, Julianne."

I grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the seat. She closed the door and bit her lip. My hand went to her cheek and drew her face to mine.
Our mouths' initial gentle contact lingered, then I slowly escalated, caressing her thin lips with mine. Two fingers stroking Julianne's lower jaw downwards prompted her acceptance of my tongue. The sweet and sharp cherry flavor of her breath complemented my smooth minty taste as we explored a sensual intimacy that I had almost let escape.

After settling into an prolonged and intense lover's kiss, Julianne took my head in her hands and guided my lips to her flushed neck. I reached over to her soft waist and pushed the sweater up...

**************

Five minutes later, Julianne kissed me again, lowered the sweater, and fixed her mussed hair. "Ray. Wow.That was nice. Umm. Goodnight. I'll see you at school next week. Bye."

She walked away, but skipped back over to my door. I rolled down the window and she leaned in to lisp, "One more kiss."

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