A Place in This World

PROLOGUE

It was our Post-Graduation Party that night. Everyone's been dancing frantically to the beat of the music, consuming all that were left of their energy in each of their head banging, hips swaying, and hands throwing in the air. It could be said that the party seemed to be the last party the Earth would hold.

Ysabelle, why the heck are you here? You should be sound asleep in your dorm this hour for heaven's sake. I rolled my eyes heavenwards as I sip a drink of my wine arguing with myself if I should still stay or not. I was never a party goer but for this once I took a leap out of my comfort zone. I settled for another drink. I had felt some heat in my stomach and cheeks. I have to be patient. I have to stay until he comes and ask him out and confess. That, I thought, was a now or never chance. I stilled on my seat at the bar counter facing the dance floor. My eyes were like of the most brilliant spy searching for her subject. Gotcha! I deeply breathe in and smiled. I saw him - the very reason of my presence in this wild party. He's --wait-- leaving the party this early? Oh no! I have to move quickly. I followed him out of the bar. Sheesh! What am I now -- a stalker? I moved half running even if my sight was blurring a bit. For that moment I only had one goal to achieve and that was to tell him what I feel about him-that I love him.

I saw Chuck entered a room. I stopped by the front door. I hesitated to knock. What if he was not alone inside? Could I take the embarrassment? I shrugged off every doubt and what ifs in my head. As I was about to knock, the door creaked and I retreated turning towards the next room. I hid my face as hard as I could and acted like I was opening the door. Fudge! That was close. I blew some air out of my relief.

To my great surprise the door I was faking to open sprung wide-open in front of my face and there it laid bare the man I was following. I felt like my own saliva choked me and was killing me that I can hardly breathe. What happened? I asked myself. I was sure he entered that other door.

"What can I do for you?"

My thoughts were startled and had dispersed upon hearing him talk. I gathered all of my courage. I remembered my goal. I commanded myself to tell him right that very moment. I looked at him straight to his eyes. It was a now or never situation. I sighed and bit my lower lip.

"Chuck I-I-"instead of telling him I tiptoed and kissed him. My lips touched his. His lips were like cotton candy-soft and sweet. It was just a peck because I didn't know how to kiss hard. It was my first. I pulled away from him and touched my lips. I felt like a melting marshmallow.

"And you call that a kiss, little missy?" he broke the silence enveloping the two of us. He pulled me closer to him and our face were just an inch away. I felt his breathing. I felt his hands on my waist. All I could hear was my heart pounding crazily. I saw his eyes blazed like wild fire. He breathed opposite to my mouth and he seemed to tease whenever he distances his lips from mine. Then the next thing I remembered I was drowning from his kisses. The feel of his skin to mine was like the scorching heat of the sun in its peak of the day. His touch was like ecstasy to me-intoxicating and addictive. The moment that we were moving like we were two individuals in one body seemed to be the best thing that ever happened to me. The noises we made were like sweet melodies that I never wanted to stop listening to. We were like, at that moment, the center of the universe.