The next day, I looked for my best clothes. Not the most beautiful garments, but those which made me look good. I applied the cologne she loved, and I left my house.
My complete assurance that Zoe wanted me to kiss her was clouded by the doubts of the previous moment. What if she could not have lunch with me? What if she changed her mind and did not want me to kiss her? What if she wanted me gone once and for all? What if someone saw us? If someone saw us!
At any other stage of my life, I might not have been so daring with her. Most likely my shyness would have never made me look at her like that, and she would have ended up being one of my many good friends, but this time it was different. Since I saw her, and although it may sounds cliché, it was love at first sight. It was not just a
"I like you," it was a "I like you so much that I want to be with you no matter what and without time limits».
It was like feeling that you have crossed paths with a person who gives you
so much peace with her gaze and excitement with her smile that would not be fair
that you burden her with all the scars you may have in your heart. It was like a healer, like water on dry lips, like a star shining stronger than others in the sky. It was like feeling "where have you been all these years? I found you at last!». It was like seeing someone for the first time and wanting to kiss her, not passionately, but gently on the lips, but with heartbeats so strong that she could feel them. All that chemistry flowed in both of us which gave me confidence. After driving for a while, I parked my car and went to look for her.
I arrived at her office. The "good morning" that I used to greet had changed for a "hello, guys!", since her co-workers had seeing me several times, and I had even met some of them. In addition, Zoe's smile expressed that she was happy and that radiated more energy than any criticism or bad thoughts.
-Hello! I said to Zoe. Let's go?
-Let's go!
We walked a couple of blocks to a restaurant. In these two endless blocks, she talked to me about anything; she was nervous; she knew that at some point I would try to kiss her. For now, she I felt the security of the street, as many people were passing by
... too many witnesses.
I just bombarded her with looks and smiles; those that said "today, you will not escape!" and she just managed by talking non-stop, stumble with her own words. Even though it was logical to think that maybe she did not want to be kissed anymore, I repeated to myself over and over: "You will not escape!"
We were about to enter the restaurant, but I thought that because it was a public place, it could represent a barrier between her lips and mine. Although, it was early, and we could be the first customers, I did not wanted to take a chance. I took her hand and, instead of heading towards the door, I pulled her to the restaurant parking lot, which
also had access to it, and I said, "This time, let's go this way."
Zoe was very nervous, but not defensive, she knew what could happen ...
We entered the parking lot, and she quickly run to the door. In a thoughtful reflex, I took her hand and, while she turned smiling, I reached her. She looked at me with fear but with happiness at the same time.
The moment had arrived; the one we had thought about since we saw each other that day.
I stood in front of her and looked her in the eyes.
-What? She said, as if she did not know what was happening.
-Zoe, I'm going to kiss you -I replied, just to be sure she would not turn her face at the last minute. - But, what if someone sees us?
-There is no one ... I'm going to kiss you! I said, approaching her getting still closer while staring at her.
She smiled and kissed me.
They were the softest lips I had ever kissed in my life. There were one,
two and three kisses ... Only those, but each one transported me to a
different paradise. I closed my eyes just like her. We were already unified
and that moment, that contact, that link was stronger than anything in this world. I felt good; I felt relaxed. It was so romantic. The feeling was inside, and it was endless.
We opened our eyes; we smiled, and hand in hand, she said: "Let's go?", and she pulled me to the restaurant. We went in, and there was nobody, except the staff.
I sat next to her for the first time, not in front as I did before. We were holding hands, but it was not just a physical contact: We wanted to hold hands forever.
I looked at her, and her smile was of complete happiness. She smirked like a
girl and looked down playfully, to the point that I got to kiss her hair and then her forehead, smelling the most exquisite perfume that could have been invented, hers.
-Outside, you kissed me. It was me who was supposed to kiss you.
-Really, no? I kissed you!
"Well," I said, "now I'm going to kiss you."
And I approached her slowly. My fingers came to touch her neck, almost behind her ear, as I moved closer and this time she looked at me totally surrendered, knowing that now it would be more intense because my gaze approaching hers, felt a force and passion that was going to engulf her. This is how we joined our lips, and we felt the energy, passion, union, indivisibility. My hand ran through her neck gently to the rhythm of our breathing, which followed the rhythm of our kisses and, at the same time, we were getting breathless. When we stopped kissing - because
we had reached the perfect dose-, Zoe's face, which still had not opened her eyes, said "I am yours". I was already hers.
She opened her eyes. Her smile and her look were a million times more beautiful. Was it possible that I could make her so happy?
She glowed! I have never seen her like this in my life. But how big is
God!, I thought, I am immensely happy to be by her side and, on top of that, He gives me the joy of making her so happy. There was no doubt: We were meant for each other.
The caresses continued, the feel of our fingers, our hands, our lips; she smiled and I kissed her forehead, her cheek ... I did not stop kissing her.
- Does it bother you that I kiss you so much? -I asked. -I love it!
When someone entered the restaurant, we separated. She turned to see if he was an acquaintance and, taking my hand again, she would tell me: "Let's continue!"
That's how we were throughout lunch. We felt that everybody smiled at us, from the owner to the waiters. We radiated happiness, and it seemed that we had so much that we made people around us happy.
A «Come on, it's late! I have to go back to work! " made me ask for the bill, but we kept smiling despite the fact that we were going to separate and did not know for how many days. We left the restaurant holding hands, again towards the garage. This time there were already cars. We looked to the left and to the right; there was no one. We kissed and hugged. We did not get close enough, but enough for that hug not go beyond the limits of romantic. We hold hands and, like children, we escape towards the street.
Once outside, we let go of each other again, but this time our eyes and smiles were different; they revealed us, as if the people who walked by thought: "These guys are in love!"
I arrived outside her office and walked away smiling. We did not kiss on the cheek; just a "bye" and a glance, but they were nothing compared to what we had lived minutes before.
I sighed; I put my hands in my blazer, grabbed a cigarette, and went to look for my car. I could have crossed paths with a cyclist that hit me, stumbled over a rock, and I would have kept walking and smiling; a truck could have even ran me over, and I would have gotten up and smiled at the driver.
I got to the car and left,but now the seat on the side was not empty, neither the street, nor the sky,nor the universe. Now, my entire world was full of her.
