Kisses of Life (1/1)

I remember when we first met. I had accidentally slipped by the pool and fell into the deep end. If I hadn’t hit my head on the edge I would have been fine. Luckily, you were around and dove in to save my life. When I finally came to, your lips were on mine. You didn’t take my breath away but I took yours instead. The water purged from my lungs and I finally took gasps of air.  I looked at you bewildered at the time. I could see you smiling at me. It wasn’t until later that I realized you were my hero.                                                             ************************** We became friends that summer. It was on one hot day when we biked down a long trail in the forest. I didn’t estimate how much water I would need and so I ran out. I don’t know how you noticed but when we stopped you took a swig of your water and gave the bottle to me. I could only stare at you after my protests went in vain. You said I needed it more. I never understood why you never put yourself first. I drank from the bottle and you smiled. I thought to myself and realized that we just had our first indirect kiss. My face flushed and all you could say was for me to drink up. I felt even hotter.                                                             ************************** Together we had been assigned to work on an art project. I was going through my book bag trying to find my sketchbook when I suddenly withdrew my hand. I waved it in the air, suppressing curses. You came up to me and asked what was wrong. I looked down and noticed the paper cut.  It was right on my knuckle. I knew then that it was going to be uncomfortable drawing like this but I had no choice. As I sighed to myself, you took my hand and placed a kiss on it. You playfully told me it’ll be all better now. At times, I wondered how old you were. You were such a child at heart.                                                             ************************** It was your birthday and we were out celebrating with our friends. You finally caught up and turned 18. I could no longer be the “old woman” as you put it. We had a great time singing and eating. We had decided that we would have our own private sleepover.  I can’t believe I sat through that horror movie for you. It was your birthday so I couldn’t say no to you after your pouting and pleading. We both headed to your room. After we got in our pajamas, I told you to wait on the bed and close your eyes. I could tell that you were really giddy. When you were allowed to open them you saw the big Mickey Mouse plush you’d been eyeing for months. You squealed so loud and hugged the plush to death. I was so busy looking at you spazing that I didn’t notice when you grabbed me. I can clearly remember the pain from being hugged tightly on the bed. Despite that, I was really happy you liked my present. In the midst of you showering me with thank yous, I felt a pair of lips on my cheek.  You released me and all I could do was hold my cheek as you continued to suffocate your new inanimate companion. If only I knew back then what you were doing to me.                                                             ************************** All I could do was cry and you stood there trying to console me. I understood that you had to go away to college. I was happy for you but at the same time I was crushed because I wouldn’t see you for four years. You took my hands and kissed them one by one telling me that we could e-mail each other every day. You wiped the tears from my closed eyes and kissed them saying we could see each other through webcam on the weekends. When I finally opened my eyes I could see the tears falling down your face. I felt so much pain in my heart. You brushed my bangs aside and placed a lingering kiss on my forehead. You told me that I’ll always be on your mind and smiled at me. I tightly embraced you as you stroked my back.                                                             ************************** Four years passed by fast. For those four years you did exactly what you said you would on that day you left. It was four years of missing you being by my side. That emptiness grew bigger and bigger as I realized that my feelings for you grew stronger and stronger. That night when you called to tell me that you were coming home, I nearly passed out from joy. Many restless nights were spent thinking of you returning to me. That day came and I was so nervous. It was hard for me to think of what to say to you. I heard a knock at my apartment door. When I opened it and I saw you standing there smiling, I was at a loss of words. The only thing I could do was smile back at you. It had been far too long. You reached out and hugged me a for what seemed like forever. I started to cry all over again. You pulled away from the hug and once again wiped the tears from my eyes. Then I felt your lips on mine. It was at that moment that you breathed new life into me again.                                                              --------------------------------- “Fany.” “Fany!” “Tiffany!” I was startled from my thoughts as I finally heard Yuri call my name. I looked at her confused and asked, “Did you need something?” She shook her head and replied, “No. I was worried about you. You had this distant look on your face. What were you thinking about?” Pulling her next to me I draped an arm over her shoulders. “I was thinking about our first kisses, how they changed my life,” I said. “Yeah? I never would have dreamed in a million years that things would have ended up this way,” she said. “Oh? What do you mean,” I asked intrigued. Yuri pulled me closer into a side hug and smiled. “For the longest time in high school I had a crush on you. I didn’t know how to approach you though. We didn’t have that many classes together besides gym so I didn’t know how to start a conversation with you. When I saw you fall into the pool I nearly panicked. I thought you were going to die but when you came to I felt so relieved. I was so close to losing you without even letting you know how I felt. On that day I decided that I would bring myself to know you better because I’d never know when you’d go away again,” she said looking into my eyes. Surprise overcame me. I never knew how deeply Yuri felt about me. She’s been holding that in for so many years. It explains so much now, the way she smiled at me, how she could read me and make me feel better…why she did what she did before she left for college. All this time…I thought that what I was feeling was one sided. It wasn’t until she kissed me in front of the door that I knew it was mutual but to think that she’s been holding out for so long. I no longer wanted to hesitate. Like her, I had to have the courage to say what my heart was telling me to say. “Yuri,” I asked tentatively. “Yes Fany,” she said. I leaned in closer to her and captured her lips. It was a gentle and sweet kiss. I pulled away and looked her in the eyes for a moment. With all my strength I whispered, “I love you.” She stared at me for a minute as if she was in shock. Then she grinned like I never seen before. “I love you so much Fany,” she said and showered me with kisses. “I promise you that you will get many more life altering kisses in the future!” “I look forward to them,” I said smiling and resumed kissing my love over and over again.