Summer Long

July 1 - It's just a kiss, after all (3)

As Mary said those words...
I dare you to kiss Bella.

Everyone exclaimed in amusement while I became pale and began to sweat.
I looked at Bella out of the corner of my eye, and she stared unperturbed at Mary.
Strangely it seemed that that dare had not made her uncomfortable at all.

However, I did not move an inch from my position and blushed suddenly.

"Come on, guys, stop embarrass her! She has never done it..." Mary exclaimed and laughed.
I turned my face toward my fiancé: "You have to, it's a dare." He said, giggling.
"Yes, Ellie, you chose dare, after all..." Mary said, urging me with her eyes to move.

I looked at Bella to catch even the slightest sign of agreement or disagreement, but again she seemed not embarrassed at all by the situation.
In fact, she had not lost the slightest bit of self-control.
How did she do it?

After several more nudges, from everyone, I timidly attempted to get up, Bella evidently got the message and moved fearless to the vacant part of the couch.
She swallowed and I did the same.

We were now facing each other.
Bella and I.
Her bun was still composed, but strands of red hair fell gracefully over her face.
Her hair must have been long enough to do that kind of hairstyle.

I looked into her eyes and she somehow smiled confidently and decisively.

"Please, don't let it be just a peck on the lips... otherwise, I could kiss everyone here, no fucking doubt!" Mary exclaimed, totally intoxicated with alcohol.
I blushed so much at that point.

"Yeah, we know, Mary." Bella replied, looking up exasperatedly.
It seems to me that Bella and I were the only lucid people among all of them.

Everyone shut up and stared at us.
Which made me feel even more uncomfortable.
My entire face had probably turned red...
My throat, on the other hand, was parched.

I don't know why but when I turned toward Bella, her eyes inspired confidence in me.
It was strange how they were almost warmly hypnotic.

I sighed deeply.
After all, it was just a kiss. I thought.
Just a kiss.

"May I?" She whispered to me when I calmed down a little.
She said it so softly that I was probably the only one who heard it.

I think she understood that I would not move first.
I think I stopped breathing for a couple of seconds, too.
I nodded shyly to her and closed my eyes slightly.

Bella approached me slowly and gently; I was frozen with embarrassment.
I inhaled her perfume, I felt her breath on my face.
The tips of our noses brushed lightly against each other, then our lips met...

It was a very gentle kiss, two shy lips touching each other not sure how to act.
Then it became wetter.
I felt a shiver.
My lips trembled whenever hers paused for a moment to catch their breath.
Then they returned to softly enveloping each other.

Her tremblingly hand came just close to my face, and her fingertips gently touched under my cheek.
At that contact I shivered. It lasted a few seconds, but for me it felt like an eternity.

I pulled away first, quick as lightning.
I barely blinked, and catching my breath, I returned to reality.

When I looked up in confusion, Bella had a graceful, serene expression.
She was still standing with her eyes half-closed and her full lips slightly open.
When she immediately reopen them I noticed how amber her eyes were, and how they almost glittered.

I looked at hers details: I saw her mascara, her long lashes, her black and dark pink eyeshadow with a touch of eye-liner at the end of her eyelid.
Her gold hoop earrings moved gracefully following the slight shift of her head.
She had two in each ear.

I had the feeling that she was surprised or disappointed.
I did not understand whether in a positive or negative way.

I promptly lowered my gaze to the floor because I could sense everyone's gazes on us.
And Bella's gaze on me.
Someone started clapping, the tension subsided and they all laughed.

I quickly returned to my seat and Joe smiled amusedly at me.
I was too embarrassed to look at everyone so I just looked at Joe or directly to the floor.

Yet I kept sensing Bella's cryptic gaze in my direction.

After a short time we thankfully left the disco and said our goodbyes for the night.
I finally felt the outside air on my face.
When I awkwardly whispered my good night, I took notice if she answered me and she did.
She smiled kindly at me and said good night.

The other friends would leave the next morning,
Bella and Leo would stay until the wedding day, so I didn't want any kind of awkwardness between us.

I breathed a sigh of relief... the night was over and I could finally rest.
"Yeah! It was a hella good night baby!" Joe exclaimed to me, we were already outside the disco but he was still screaming.
Again he said it more as a statement than a question.
He was red in the face and kept laughing for no real reason.
I snapped a kiss on his neck: "Sure... but now I want to enjoy our vacation."
Shure we will now.

I had to hold him up a couple of times as
we went to our room.
As I took off my wedges, Joe jumped on the bed and started undressing while lying down.
He was quite drunk, between the pre-evening cocktails and the shots during the games.
I helped him take off his shoes and shirt.
All his movements were slow and senseless.

I finally went to the bathroom.
When I looked in the mirror I was devastated and tired.
Then I noticed something: the lipstick I had put on that afternoon had blended with hers, which was a much deeper, more opaque burgundy.

I touched my lips with my index finger to outline them, but realized that the only lips I was thinking about were hers... Bella's.

I sighed deeply and did it again a short time later.
Then I smiled, shooking my head.
I took off my makeup, washed my face with copious amounts of cold water, tied up the hair and crawled into bed.
I hugged Joe in the shadows of the
night and I looked thoughtful at the window to my right that overlooked a glimpse of the sea.

That day it was as if I had lived two lives in one day.
What would I have done in those seven days?
I realized that it was well past midnight... in six days I would be married.