How To Kiss by Rachel Summers
I came in and threw myself on the couch. Rachel, who was laying on the floor, looked up.
"How'd your date go Anthony?" She asked civilly (which was a big deal for her). I groaned.
"Do we have to talk about it?" I mumbled. Rachel turned to me, smirking.
"No we don't." She said, lighting a cigarette. She blew a puff of smoke. I coughed violently, before calming down.
"Can you stop that? Just put out the cigarette, please." Rachel sat on the couch next to me.
"I don't think so." She smirked wider and yawned. "I'm feeling really flirtatious at the moment Anthony. And I have a feeling you don't have a girlfriend anymore so..."
I squeaked. "How do you figure that?!"
"It's all over your face. Did Marilynn dump you?"
"...no..." I lied. She looked at me. "...yes." I admitted and tried to keep the tears from coming to my eyes.
"Why?"
I gave Rachel a weak glare.
"I don't see why it is any of your concern."
" 'I don't see why it is any of your concern.' " She mimicked.
"I don't sound like that!" I protested.
"Look, I'll stop smoking for the moment and being annoying if you tell me." She promised. I couldn't argue with that deal. I opened my mouth to say something. "The truth. If you tell me the truth." She interjected. I sighed.
"She said our relationship didn't have enough passion." I murmured, and she put her cigarette out with raised eyebrows.
"I can believe that." Rachel laughed.
"What are you talking about." I snapped. "I can be passionate." I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth.
"Sure you can, Anthony." She laughed. "With a pillow in your room under the covers in the dark!" I felt the heat creeping over my face.
"That is not true."
"Yeah, sure. No offense, but I can't actually see you holding someone close and kissing them. You aren't the first thing to come to my mind when I think passion."
"Zach?"
"What?"
"Do you think Zach?" I asked again, referring to our friend who had gone to college off in LA. I thought Rachel has a crush on him, but she laughed in my face every time I express this.
"No." She says to me. "Truthfully I think about a husky dude sticking his tongue down his thin surfer lifeguard girlfriends throat, with cherry blossoms fluttering around them magically."
"Um, TMI Rachel..." I muttered. "But anyway, cherry blossoms are Sakura in Japanese right?" I cleared my throat. "And Zach is Japanese after all so- "
"Don't be stupid."
"Okay."
"Anyway, have you ever even frenched a girl before?" Rachel asked. I opened my mouth to answer but the cut me off. "I said a GIRL." I scowled.
"I was going to say no." I told her, as I shuddered at the thought of french kissing either gender.
"Well, obviously. I didn't believe Marley didn't try to make a move on you to do that." Rachel said thoughtfully.
"She wasn't that kind of girl." I informed Rachel. "That's why I liked her."
"What kind of girl is that, Anthony?" Rachel smirked. "What wasn't she like?"
"Someone who thinks you need to always be kissing to have a relationship. Jut because two people aren't into kissing like that doesn't mean they aren't passionate, or that they have a dysfunctional relationship."
"Please, you wouldn't know what passion was if it kissed you, well, passionately. You see my point."
"No I don't. I think you are confused, and are getting dim from the smoking."
"I'll ignore that because I'm too bored to retort. I'll quiz you." She offered.
"But I don't want to - "
"If a girl purrs at you, do you A. Playfully tackle her, or B. Take her to the asylum?" Rachel lit another cigarette, breaking our deal.
"Oh, B of course!" I shrieked. Rachel rolled her eyes at me.
"If a girl kisses you and you don't like her do you A. Kiss her back anyway in the heat of the moment, or B. Tell her no?"
"B of course." I said again. What an easy quiz.
"That's it." Rachel proclaimed. "You have a problem with kissing."
"What lead you to this?!"
"Anthony, quite frankly you never kiss anyone. Even your girlfriends have to be the one to kiss you. And whenever they do kiss you, you don't kiss them back."
"First of all you have no proof of this and second of all, so what?" I said meekly.
"So what? Do you even know how to kiss?" Rachel shook her head before looking up at me serious faced. "You don't, do you? Oh God, you actually don't?" I looked at her and scrambled backwards.
"I think I'll go away now - " Rachel grabbed the back of my shirt, and even thought I was taller she was apparently and sadly stronger because she pulled me back down next to her.
"You stay here. Who are you going to talk about this with, your own hand?" I shook my head.
"I'd rather not talk about it at all, thank you and good night."
Rachel laughed loudly.
"What are you, some stand up comedy performer? Believe me, you aren't funny."
"I wasn't trying to be." Rachel laughed again.
"How much does it take to put you out of your Anthony comfort zone?" She asked randomly.
"Surprisingly little." I squeaked. Rachel slung an arm around my shoulder and hugged me.
"One hug, enough to get Anthony to have a panic attack?" She asked rhetorically.
"Actually, yes."
She put her hands around my neck in a motion to strangle me, but then just let them hang there, and was I glad. If she had attempted to kill me I probably wouldn't have even moved. I'd quietly choke to death. A gag every now and then, but I wouldn't disturb her.
She put a hand on my face.
"I bet you're sweating with fear. Sometimes I think you like Zach more than me. If I kissed you, would you file for rape?"
"No...um...maybe...no...."
She smirked again and I was sweating, but not with fear...maybe a little fear, but mostly the thrill.
"You've always been sort of cute. Especially when you look like a deer caught in headlights." She smiled. She moved closer. I was definably out of my comfort zone now. She put a hand around my head and pushed my face towards hers, forcing me to kiss her.
To tell the truth, I didn't put up as much of a fight as I would like to have thought.
And I did something amazing. I kissed her back.
I actually, honestly kissed her back.
A million things went through my mind. We'd get married and finish college together. After we graduated maybe we'd adopt. We'd teach them right and wrong, and be good parents. We'd sit in rocking chairs and watch our grandchildren play in our grassy yard under the sprinklers. Our graves would be next to eachother, Rachel K. Parks, a beautiful intelligent special woman, a wife, a -
My thoughts were interrupted as she broke the kiss and stood up with her signature evil grin she had on, whenever she was breaking my heart.
"An that Anthony Parks, is how to kiss. I think you have the hang of it." She turned back to the TV and began changing the channel. I stood up and left the room, calling myself a fool for assuming that the kiss meant anything.
Nothing would change, as everything never did.
"How'd your date go Anthony?" She asked civilly (which was a big deal for her). I groaned.
"Do we have to talk about it?" I mumbled. Rachel turned to me, smirking.
"No we don't." She said, lighting a cigarette. She blew a puff of smoke. I coughed violently, before calming down.
"Can you stop that? Just put out the cigarette, please." Rachel sat on the couch next to me.
"I don't think so." She smirked wider and yawned. "I'm feeling really flirtatious at the moment Anthony. And I have a feeling you don't have a girlfriend anymore so..."
I squeaked. "How do you figure that?!"
"It's all over your face. Did Marilynn dump you?"
"...no..." I lied. She looked at me. "...yes." I admitted and tried to keep the tears from coming to my eyes.
"Why?"
I gave Rachel a weak glare.
"I don't see why it is any of your concern."
" 'I don't see why it is any of your concern.' " She mimicked.
"I don't sound like that!" I protested.
"Look, I'll stop smoking for the moment and being annoying if you tell me." She promised. I couldn't argue with that deal. I opened my mouth to say something. "The truth. If you tell me the truth." She interjected. I sighed.
"She said our relationship didn't have enough passion." I murmured, and she put her cigarette out with raised eyebrows.
"I can believe that." Rachel laughed.
"What are you talking about." I snapped. "I can be passionate." I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth.
"Sure you can, Anthony." She laughed. "With a pillow in your room under the covers in the dark!" I felt the heat creeping over my face.
"That is not true."
"Yeah, sure. No offense, but I can't actually see you holding someone close and kissing them. You aren't the first thing to come to my mind when I think passion."
"Zach?"
"What?"
"Do you think Zach?" I asked again, referring to our friend who had gone to college off in LA. I thought Rachel has a crush on him, but she laughed in my face every time I express this.
"No." She says to me. "Truthfully I think about a husky dude sticking his tongue down his thin surfer lifeguard girlfriends throat, with cherry blossoms fluttering around them magically."
"Um, TMI Rachel..." I muttered. "But anyway, cherry blossoms are Sakura in Japanese right?" I cleared my throat. "And Zach is Japanese after all so- "
"Don't be stupid."
"Okay."
"Anyway, have you ever even frenched a girl before?" Rachel asked. I opened my mouth to answer but the cut me off. "I said a GIRL." I scowled.
"I was going to say no." I told her, as I shuddered at the thought of french kissing either gender.
"Well, obviously. I didn't believe Marley didn't try to make a move on you to do that." Rachel said thoughtfully.
"She wasn't that kind of girl." I informed Rachel. "That's why I liked her."
"What kind of girl is that, Anthony?" Rachel smirked. "What wasn't she like?"
"Someone who thinks you need to always be kissing to have a relationship. Jut because two people aren't into kissing like that doesn't mean they aren't passionate, or that they have a dysfunctional relationship."
"Please, you wouldn't know what passion was if it kissed you, well, passionately. You see my point."
"No I don't. I think you are confused, and are getting dim from the smoking."
"I'll ignore that because I'm too bored to retort. I'll quiz you." She offered.
"But I don't want to - "
"If a girl purrs at you, do you A. Playfully tackle her, or B. Take her to the asylum?" Rachel lit another cigarette, breaking our deal.
"Oh, B of course!" I shrieked. Rachel rolled her eyes at me.
"If a girl kisses you and you don't like her do you A. Kiss her back anyway in the heat of the moment, or B. Tell her no?"
"B of course." I said again. What an easy quiz.
"That's it." Rachel proclaimed. "You have a problem with kissing."
"What lead you to this?!"
"Anthony, quite frankly you never kiss anyone. Even your girlfriends have to be the one to kiss you. And whenever they do kiss you, you don't kiss them back."
"First of all you have no proof of this and second of all, so what?" I said meekly.
"So what? Do you even know how to kiss?" Rachel shook her head before looking up at me serious faced. "You don't, do you? Oh God, you actually don't?" I looked at her and scrambled backwards.
"I think I'll go away now - " Rachel grabbed the back of my shirt, and even thought I was taller she was apparently and sadly stronger because she pulled me back down next to her.
"You stay here. Who are you going to talk about this with, your own hand?" I shook my head.
"I'd rather not talk about it at all, thank you and good night."
Rachel laughed loudly.
"What are you, some stand up comedy performer? Believe me, you aren't funny."
"I wasn't trying to be." Rachel laughed again.
"How much does it take to put you out of your Anthony comfort zone?" She asked randomly.
"Surprisingly little." I squeaked. Rachel slung an arm around my shoulder and hugged me.
"One hug, enough to get Anthony to have a panic attack?" She asked rhetorically.
"Actually, yes."
She put her hands around my neck in a motion to strangle me, but then just let them hang there, and was I glad. If she had attempted to kill me I probably wouldn't have even moved. I'd quietly choke to death. A gag every now and then, but I wouldn't disturb her.
She put a hand on my face.
"I bet you're sweating with fear. Sometimes I think you like Zach more than me. If I kissed you, would you file for rape?"
"No...um...maybe...no...."
She smirked again and I was sweating, but not with fear...maybe a little fear, but mostly the thrill.
"You've always been sort of cute. Especially when you look like a deer caught in headlights." She smiled. She moved closer. I was definably out of my comfort zone now. She put a hand around my head and pushed my face towards hers, forcing me to kiss her.
To tell the truth, I didn't put up as much of a fight as I would like to have thought.
And I did something amazing. I kissed her back.
I actually, honestly kissed her back.
A million things went through my mind. We'd get married and finish college together. After we graduated maybe we'd adopt. We'd teach them right and wrong, and be good parents. We'd sit in rocking chairs and watch our grandchildren play in our grassy yard under the sprinklers. Our graves would be next to eachother, Rachel K. Parks, a beautiful intelligent special woman, a wife, a -
My thoughts were interrupted as she broke the kiss and stood up with her signature evil grin she had on, whenever she was breaking my heart.
"An that Anthony Parks, is how to kiss. I think you have the hang of it." She turned back to the TV and began changing the channel. I stood up and left the room, calling myself a fool for assuming that the kiss meant anything.
Nothing would change, as everything never did.
