personal enjoyment

restrained sneezing fit

I was at a dinner party with a mixed group of friends; we had eaten, and had moved to the living room of the couple who were hosting. There were about eight of us in the cosy little space - it was dark outside and the fire was burning, as the were candles placed about the room. We were gathered around a little central table, some sitting on chairs or the sofa, others on cushions on the floor.

I was on the end of a sofa, and sitting on a cushion near my feet was a girl I'll call Alice. I'd only met her once or twice before, and never spent time with her before that evening. She was smart and funny and loud, but very slight and slender, pale with big eyes and very short tawny hair. Everyone was talking and laughing, when suddenly I saw her turn away from the centre of the room slightly and bow her head, cupping her hands around her nose and mouth and releasing a soft 'Huh-ishooh'.
The sneeze was low and quiet, softly spoken, but not stifled. No one seemed to notice it but me, and the group kept on talking loudly. She stayed quiet, however, and I kept my eyes on her - she was sitting directly in front of me so I could do this inconspicuously. About fifteen seconds later, she bobbed her head and sneezed again, a mirror of the first: 'Huh-ishooh'. This time, she sighed afterwards and sniffed quietly, beginning to rummage in her pockets for a tissue. Still, no one else seemed to have noticed her sneezing, but I could now tell she wasn't finished. She was still looking for a tissue when the third sneeze came, slightly louder this time, and directed into her shoulder as her hands were searching through her bag - a quick gasp and a more forceful 'HAH-ISHooh', but with the same soft, deep, vocalised finish. The group kept chatting.

Finally, she found a tissue, and brought it to her nose for a soft blow. She kept the tissue there, however, as she gasped quickly and sneezed a fourth and fifth time.

'hh-HAH - HUH-ishoo! HUH-ishOO!'

Her sneezes were still quite soft, but more forceful now. One of the people hosting the gathering finally noticed, and turned to her, though the rest of the room kept talking.
'Bless you. Are you okay?'
'Yes, I'm fine. I've just got a really sensitive nose and once I start snee -Ihh- sneezing, I c-can't... huh-ISHOO! Sorry! I can't stop.'
The host smiled and nodded sympathetically. Alice kept sneezing every thirty seconds or so, not contributing to the conversation, until she'd reached eleven sneezes, and then they stopped. She then joined back in, loudly and happily. No one else commented on it, or even seemed to notice. I still have no idea what the rest of the group were talking about.