The First Kiss

By Surya Prasanna Bharani Sannidhanam

“Ok, here is a question. What If I tell you I like you?”, Nina asked, feeling the little buzz pinnacle in her head as the alcohol finally hit her.

“Like me matlab? To what extent?” Arjun asked. He was drunk too. More drunk than her, Arjun had claimed.

“To the extent that I want to date you, maybe”, Nina said, turning her head to look up at him. The sitting position they were in was intimate and cozy. They were sitting next to each other, very close (for her at least), their backs to the wall, their legs touching, her right-hand looping around his left, while it rested on her thigh, and their fingers intertwined a little. It was around 8 30 in the night. It was calm and dark around, far away from the city buzz and glimmering lights, the only light falling from the crescent moon in the sky. They were sitting in her favorite spot, a corner on the terrace; They wouldn’t be the first ones to be noticed if anyone walked in, but will definitely be the first ones to know if someone did. Perfect setting. She turned to look at his face.

“I knew that”, he said calmly looking at her,” I knew you liked me for some time”, and continued to reply to the “when” and “how” expressions on Nina’s face. The happy buzz was setting in on them, settling her inhibitions momentarily (which were as high as the China-wall) and letting her emotions slowly take over. They had talked about a lot of things that evening, a mutual sharing of previous experiences which created a conducive setting for her to gradually unwind. Nina had told him she loved conversations and working issues out together and was relieved to have Arjun agree with her.

She glanced at the terrace entrance door once again. This was a risky rendezvous and for a first-timer, there is nothing such as too much paranoia or being too careful. She couldn’t let her guard down completely. She squinted and focused a little to watch out for approaching footsteps or any other noises. Nothing. All Clear. So Far So Good, she thought.

“Well you were a hard nut to crack, however, since you never really showed any signs that you fancied me”, he said, snapping Nina out of her thoughts.

She had relaxed into his arm unconsciously, resting her head on Arjun’s shoulder. Nina lifted her head to look at him from the side, her chin resting on his shoulder, very very close to face. Through the darkness they were in, the only illumination was from the homes far away behind him. Her eyes quickly adjusted to capture his face. She took a moment to study him- the contours of his face, the slight beard bordering his squarish jawline outlining his cheek, the stubble that met his goatee beard near the chin; his ruffled dense hair that she wanted to run her fingers in, sharp pointy nose and his moving lips. She reached out, held his face, and gave him a peck on his cheek- a small peck, a not-so-casual one though. She couldn’t quite catch his reaction, as he just continued to talk as if nothing happened, and just like that, very casually, held her face and kissed her back on her cheek, as if that was a routine gesture he does when he speaks. It was a soft kiss, on her chubby cheek, nice and warm. She felt a slight tingle. That was Nina’s first kiss from a guy, let alone a guy she likes. Well, everything about this night is going to be your first, I guess. She was proud of how far she had gotten. *pats herself on the back*.

Nina had no plan in her mind, she decided to fly with the wind; her alcohol-filled system was clearly in unison with her. She took the moment to tell Arjun why she liked him. What eased her up the most was his warm and secure touch. It’s a girl thing, she said. In addition, for someone who overthinks compulsively and drowns in waves of insecurities frequently, a sense of security meant a big deal. Arjun has a very agreeable and comforting demeanor.

“ and…”, As she spoke, she noticed Arjun looking at her. He turned his face away. He looked again and turned again. And again.

“Are you like thinking if you should kiss me or not?”, she asked looking at him. Arjun gave her a coy smile, “yea, I wasn’t sure how you would react”, he chuckled.

“You should just kiss me, what are you wait..”, he leaned forward and kissed her, mid-sentence. He took in her lower lip, followed by her upper and then lower. Nina had heard a lot of controversial opinions about kissing. She had heard her friend say that Romcoms had romanticized the first kiss excessively and it was nothing more than mechanical foreplay. She had started to wonder if kissing was just too overrated and hyped. But, boy, this was going to change that.

With one hand holding her neck, Arjun snaked his other hand around Nina’s waist and pulled her closer, and deeper into the kiss, with enough force that she went crashing into his chest. It took her a moment to stabilize and adjust, before she closed her eyes, looping her hands around his neck, and sliding her fingers into his hair with quite some ease. It was surprising how naturally it came to her. She could feel the passion bubbling inside her, and she felt the need in his kiss too. He pulled her closer and she slowly slid into his lap, her hand on his cheek and her fingers balling his hair into a fist. He guided the kiss, much to her relief, taking his time on her lower lip, as he slid his hand down her neck, rubbing it slowly, going a little down to her chest, stalling, and coming back up. It was a passionate kiss, yet very delicate, as if he didn’t want to hurt her. He was dominant, yet utmost controlled, and she liked it.

He moved ahead and started kissing her neck. She could hear his muffled breaths as he necklaced kisses around her neck, and down the length of her throat. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, and she drew a sharp breath. Arjun kissed her neck, as she leaned into him, her left hand now completely around his shoulder, right hand still in his hair, pushing him more into her neck, as they breathed heavily. He was a good kisser; she has to admit that. This whole episode was getting way better than she ever imagined.

Nina bent in to kiss his neck, the sides down his ear, and stopped at the crook to give him a memory for the night. She took her sweet time to leave a mark decisively. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the darkness, the one too many romances she read, or if it was purely her attraction towards him, but she maneuvered her actions smoothly, as though she knew exactly what to do at each step. Maybe it was all of it and things were just coming to her very naturally.

They went back to their kissing, and this time, Arjun stopped, to say “surprisingly, you are a really good kisser”!!

By Surya Prasanna Bharani Sannidhanam