First Kiss

First Kiss
By Michael Cannata

He took her in his arms, looking down at her hauntingly beautiful face. He'd been waiting for this moment all night. She tilted her face upward waiting to feel his lips touch hers. She'd been kissed before but never by a man as strong and confident as he was.

Her trembling lips pursed in anticipation as he drew closer. He never thought this moment would come and his excitement became even greater. He'd admired her from the moment he first saw her. She was cautious, always being wary of strangers and showed no willingness to share in his first attempts to chat, but gradually she warmed up to him

.

They met in the local Laundromat where they both spent Saturday afternoons doing their wash loads. He started a casual conversation and did most of the talking in the beginning. He wooed her slowly after their first encounter. Over the last couple of months she had become more animated and involved in their conversation as he hoped she would.

His chance to take things to another level came on a cold, rainy afternoon. Her car wouldn't start and she came back in from the rain looking both angry and distressed. She had no money for a cab and carrying all her laundry home on the bus wasn't possible. He tried to help jump start her car but nothing he did would get it running.

He gallantly offered to give her a ride home. Reluctant at first, she finally smiled and accepted the ride making his heart leap. By the time they reached her house they were laughing and she seemed more at ease than he could have hoped for. She graciously accepted his offer to carry her laundry into the house for her.

The rest of the evening was a pleasant blur as he passed the time enjoying her company the way he'd been dreaming of for so long. But it was a kiss he wanted; the kind of kiss that would make the evening something special. A kiss they would both remember.

Just before he kissed her for the first time, he reached out gently and touched her face. He wiped the blood from her lips, smearing her cheek as it mixed with her tears. He hoped she could see him through her swollen eyes. She pressed against him willingly, finally believing he wasn't going to kill her.

 He should have put the knife away sooner.