Her List of Kisses

Chapter 21- Room Number Seven and Kiss Number Ten

Climbing the numerous flights of stairs in the youth hostel to reach Number Seven is both a blessing and a curse. I keep thinking about how I won’t come down these steps as the same person, that a boundary is going to be crossed tonight that will change something within me.

This will be the most intimate caress I have ever experienced, and I can already feel my innocence peeling away like banana skin.

I am simultaneously terrified and buzzing with excitement.

“Alright?” Will asks, squeezing my hand. I nod. His eyes have been glowing ever since I agreed to let him help me cross this kiss off. I know he wants me, and I want him too. I just never imagined that anything would happen tonight.

“Here we are. Number seven,” he grins. “One sec, I may have misplaced the key within the bottomless pockets of my jeans.”

While he fumbles to unlock the door, I think about the things that have the potential to happen behind it. My mind freaks out: will he be appalled at my body, did I remember to shave in all the right places, will I do something wrong, will he take this ultimate trust and turn it against me? I shake my head. This is Will Falcon I am talking about. He would never do that to me.

“How many times, Davinia? I told you to get out, and did you? NO! Now if you don’t want me to call the /bleep/ing police, get the /bleep/ out!”

There’s only one person I’ve ever known to use the kind of appalling swear words that cause me to sod little asterisks and cancel them out with bleeps instead. Jonesy: the bull-lookalike from the nights when Will took the guise of Oliver Smith and hid himself here.

Will, having found the room card, turns around in amused shock. We listen to the ranting argument from the room next door for a while and then he mouths you have got to be kidding me! I laugh a little, and then trail off nervously.

He opens the door to room number seven.

“Welcome, my lady, to the grandest accommodation on the planet that has never seen a hoover nor smelt the sweet waft of air freshener,” he bows and holds it open with an exaggerated flourish.

I can’t help it. I grin.

“Home of the most spectacular boy never to have made a suitable joke in all his life.” I reply. Now it is his turn to smile and his smile is, indeed, spectacular.

“Oh, shut up and kiss me!” shrieks Davinia from the neighboring room. We both cringe as sounds of kissing and slightly violent lovemaking begin to carry along the landing.

“Looks like we’ll be hearing that all evening,” I say.

Will shrugs and winks. “No matter, we'll have other things to think about.” When he sees my blush, he laughs again and kisses me, closing the door.

Then, “I’ll be back in a minute. Just going to freshen up.”

I nod my head, trying to appear calm. However, as soon as he disappears into the bathroom I panic and rush around; dropping my bag on the floor, locking the door to prevent intruders, spraying myself heavily with my body spray, combing through my nest of hair and applying a little flavoured chapstick. I don’t want him to think me ugly. I really don’t. When all of this is done, I sit on the bed as if I haven’t moved since he left and wait for his return.

He doesn’t take long.

Walking to me slowly from the doorway, he prolongs the anticipation building inside of me, setting me alight with each step closer. Eventually he reaches the bed and sits down at my side, his thigh brushing my own. He leans forward and breathes me in, pushing his face into my hair and making us both inhale sharply. My heart pounds and my blood roars inside my ears.