Reality

Insecurities.

They stood there for a moment or two. Her thinking of what her next sentence would be. Him admiring her face. She finally turned towards him and asked, "What are you thinking?" She thought this was perfect. Vague and sudden very different from everyone else. She always tried to be unique. Though she always thought are you unique if you try to be that way? She usually pushed that thought away along with the thought of being forgotten. It was her biggest fear. He looked at her for a moment and decided to be honest. He despised lying. 

"I wasn't really thinking. Just admiring you," he grinned. Her hands started moving the way they often did when she was flustered. Her index finger trailing the lines imprinted in her palm, almost floating over them. He wasted no time committing this to memory. Again she thought of what to say. Thank you or take a picture it will last longer, no that was too cocky. She was stuck, so she also decided to be honest. 

"I don't know what to say," she spoke breathily. His next comment was the result of him thinking while she was fidgeting. 

"Can you look at me," he spoke, building his courage. She turned her head and looked at him. He stared for a period of time. She didn't know how long but, it was long enough for her to feel self-conscious. She moved a strand of curly hair behind her ear. Then thought that would make her ears look big and ran her fingers through her hair to move it back while adding volume, purposely covering her ears. Her thoughts went back to him and she looked up again. All she saw was him staring at her like he was before. She was about to repeat her actions when he beat her to it putting her fingers in her hair and moving it back as she did seconds before. Maybe some girls would enjoy it but she didn't. She did not like people touching her hair. It was not smooth or tangle free but was frizzy and would make your fingers catch if you ran them to the tips. She did not enjoy the act and leaned away. He noticed. He felt awkward and lanky all of a sudden. He felt uncomfortable in his body and in that moment. She felt guilty. He probably thought she was repulsed by his touch.  Out of reaction, she grabbed his hand. He was surprised but by no means objected. He recovered quickly with help of the encouragement she provided and linked their fingers together. Her hands were large and his were too but again she felt self-conscious of how they were about the same size. She was only soothed by the fact that his were warm. She always wanted to hold hands with someone's whose hands were warm. She was not fazed by the mildly sweaty hands he beheld for it was only natural, be it 80 degrees. He, of course, noticed the size of her hands and did not care, for she was tall and they were long and slender. Some might say they were unfeminine but he thought they were beautiful. He thought she was beautiful. Her chocolate colored bouncy curls were reaching her shoulder blades. Her almond shaped eyes were adorned with lightly mascara covered eyelashes. Her eyes although a common color were anything but common. Her lips well he could not come to look at her lips for he would have to study them up close and she was easily shied away. He decided it was time. For she was, in fact, holding his hand, so he lifted his gaze from their hands and studied her lips. God, they were beautiful. Her reaction was expected. She began to distance herself. He pleaded, "Let me look at you. Please." He realized she too was insecure and took measures to comfort her. "You are beautiful," he blurted. Those were not the measures he had planned to take. He looked at her for a reaction and there it was a smile. Which brought his attention back to her lips. They were perfect. A shade of pink that belonged only to her. Her bottom lip was naturally plumper than the top one. He loved it that way. She suddenly wanted to speak, so she started concocting the perfect sentence again wanting to be sudden and spontaneous. With much thought, she leaned towards him and leaned her head against his. 

"I want to kiss you but I believe it is too soon. So I am just going to stay here until I don't want to kiss you anymore." He stood there to shocked by her sudden change from shy to outgoing. She was a mystery, so he too just stood there breathing her in. She smelled like mint. He leaned to where the scent was coming from and discovered it was the small area under her ear. He continued moving until his head was nuzzled in her neck. He was inhaling the mint scent discovering a trace of what also smelled like rosemary. She gasped at the intimacy of the moment and allowed herself to melt. She smelled him too. He smelt like a man or the cologne that she loves so much. Not a certain brand, just men's cologne. She had a weakness for men's cologne for some odd reason. She too nuzzled into his neck. It was perfect. There was no kiss. It was perfect. It was perfect because they had managed to achieve this intimacy with no kiss. The moment was bliss but every moment has an end. Ours just happened to be longer than others. Because my urge to kiss him did not leave me.

***

Dedicated to Witch_Hunter and the boy who laughed at us.