A Twisted Tale

An Experimental Kiss

"Let's see. You can't start your day without music." He said.
"Oh my god! You too are the same, aren't you?" I asked laughing.
We were walking down to the restaurant which was around the bend and I chose to ask him something that I heard him say this afternoon. "What exactly have you been told about me?"
"I haven't been told anything. I did a little bit of digging myself and found a few interesting things about you." He said smiling.
"Like what?" I asked.
For which he replied "I know you love reading books. You sing pretty well. You have not learnt dancing but are good at it nevertheless. Cooking is your stress buster. Good so far?"
"Wow. You've been doing your homework. But I hope you realise that all these qualities are known to all. Tell me something that not many people know about me." I said challenging him.
"Well, from what I've observed, you don't judge a person based on what they say. You look at their eyes and read their emotions when they speak. Based on what you see in their eyes, you make your decision." He answered back with confidence.
"That is an astute observation you've made. I believe that the eyes are the windows to a person's soul. I look into their eyes and know if they're being truthful or they're lying. But that isn't always the case. Some might find it creepy when I stare at them for long." I said.
He laughed at that and asked "What about me then? What do you see when I talk?"
I became serious and answered "Deep down you are a good person. When you talk about your father, I see the respect and love for him. While talking about business, I see the cold calculating mind of a businessman shining through your eyes but while talking to me, I can't really figure you out. It's like you're being yourself but are hiding something at the same time. I can't really put my finger on it."
There was a flicker of fear in his eyes before it was replaced with humour. He laughed and said " Come on! I'm out with a beautiful woman who also happens to be very smart. I've always been a fan of beauty with brains. And when I finally get to be around one, I'm nothing but happy."
We laughed and continued to talk as we walked in to the restaurant.
It was a really quiet and cozy place. Given the kind of money he had, I was surprised he chose such a place.
He pulled a chair out for me and then went on to sit down. The waiter arrived at the table immediately.
"I'll have a spaghetti with beef fillet ragu and a Pinot Noir. What about you?" He asked.
One look at the menu and I knew I wouldn't have much options here. I wasn't a vegetarian but the only meat I ate was chicken, shrimp and occasionally fish. I preferred vegetables more. "Umm... I'll go with a saffron Risotto and a glass of Chardonnay." I said.
He told the same to the waiter in Italian.
"I didn't expect you to choose such a cozy place for dinner. I thought you'd go with something more extravagant. I'm happy to be wrong." I said.
This was the first time I've seen his smile actually reach his eyes. He looked very handsome when he smiled like that. He said "Money is not permanent. My father made me earn my pocket money every month. I spent almost all of it the first few months. After those failed attempts, I started spending money with care so that it would last me the month. Slowly, I learnt how to save the money and then I went on to invest that money in shares. I kept buying shares throughout college. And now, I am the silent partner of the very same company with forty nine percent of the shares in my name. So, I don't waste money on an extravagant meal when I know that the same meal would be available for a better price."
I was so glad that he wasn't one of those people who threw around the money they had in others faces. "I really appreciate you for what you've told me about using the money wisely. I'm not a fan of extravagant things either. Charles and Martha both spoil me as it is. Like that's not enough, Mark too never hesitates to buy me things. Despite my protests, I'm treated like a queen." I said smiling.
He said "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure. Ask away." I replied.
"What's between you and Mark?" He asked.
"Mark is the one person I trust the most in this world. He's my support system. The best friend who's always had my back. He knows me better than I know myself. It's not like we don't have our differences, but we get past all of those issues within a few minutes. He's family." I said while reflecting on all the wonderful memories I had of us.
I was pulled out of my thoughts as the food arrived. It smelled delicious. I dug into the food while Valerio continued to bombard me with more questions.
"Do you love him? Is that why you said you wanted to think about Dad's proposal?" He added quickly.
"I love him as a friend. But he's not the kind to commit and I'm not the kind to screw around. I don't do relationships without commitment because I want what my parents had. And unfortunately, Mark's a fuckboy. So whatever childish notion of love I had, is long gone. We're just great friends. Besides, you're being stupid if you think that proposal would have been approved instantly. This has got nothing to do with him." I replied.
He nodded and we finished our meal in comfortable silence.

He paid for the meal and we continued to talk about our hobbies. We reached the apartment about fifteen minutes later. I was about to say good night and suddenly he pulled me hard against him. I was about to ask him what the hell did he think he was doing but shut up when I saw that he was yelling at someone to watch it. He has one hand on the small of my back and the other was on my shoulder. He was a good three inches taller than me and I, for once, was wearing a four Inch heel.
I tried to come up with something smart and started to pull away but he placed his hand on my waist and tightened his grip. I looked up and found him staring at me intently. His eyes found my lips and I saw them darken. I knew he wanted to kiss me and I let him do it. His free hand moved to lift my chin up as he kissed me softly. That kiss sent tingles along my body. I wrapped my arms around his neck and then his kisses became more demanding. He gently bit my lip and I moaned. Boy he kissed well. Before it could escalate any further, he pulled away, rested his forehead against mine and said "I couldn't resist kissing you. And given how you responded, I figured I didn't have to apologise for not seeking your permission." He said and kissed me one more time before saying "God, you are irresistible. If I stay here any longer, things won't go as planned. Good night Meera. I'll see you tomorrow."
I smiled at the thought of seeing Valerio again and said "Good night. Get home safely."
Looks like the experimental kiss wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.