A kiss to remember - 1

She felt his warm breath on her shoulders. His grip was so firm that she couldn't wriggle out of it, no matter how hard she tried to. So she caved in and stood still in his arms. As time passed, his heavy breaths slowed down and so did his thumping heart, which she could feel and hear pretty loud and clear. Slowly he loosened his grip for he realized how tightly he was holding her.

He released his left arm which was gripping her hands tightly and saw his finger marks on her pale white skin. He immediately got irritated with himself and turned her around slowly and asked,

"Does it hurt?"

"No", she said and hung her head low.

"Why did you flirt with Trent, Katherine?".

She looked down and mumbled.

"To make you jealous".

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"Because the entire Valentine's day week went by and you were not even interested in celebrating it with me and even mocked the whole concept of it".

He took a step back and sat back on the bed.

"You thought I didn't like you because I didn't celebrate Valentine's week with you? God, Katherine. How could you act so dumb? Did I need Valentine's week to prove to you that I liked you? Didn't I take you as my date to the fresher's party? Didn't I spend every single free time of my life with you? You dictated my entire life, Katherine. Was it not clear enough?"

"Then why did you stay quiet and blushed when Tammy had asked you that question in the truth and dare game that day?"

"What question?", Shawn asked, all surprised.

"He asked you if you had kissed someone in the college and you just blushed and stayed silent and switched to dare. And you expected me to be ok with that? You told all your time was mine then why did you go and kiss someone else when all I ever dreamt was to get a kiss from you. Did you even know how it felt? Did you even know how much that hurt?"

"I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. Just the thought of you kissing someone else ....."

"I was desperate to get your attention. So much so that I went and started dating a senior and you know how that road went downhill all the way".

Her eyes were stinging with tears for all the old and bitter memories had surfaced back. She looked at him with resentment filled in her eyes, but he didn't say a word and kept staring at the floor.

Feeling all dejected, she said,

"I am leaving now Shawn. Please do not try to stop me. You are a constant reminder of my past which I don't even want to remember, so it would be better if we ..."

"Don't you want to know who she was?"

"What?"

"Don't you want to know who was the girl whom I kissed in college?"

"Why you want to tell it now? I asked you so many times back then, but you didn't tell".

"Do you want to know Katherine or not?"

She stared at his face for a while and then she spoke with resolve,

"No. It doesn't matter".

"It does !!!"

His voice echoed in the room as he got up.

"It does because that was a kiss that I would remember till I die because that was my first kiss with you".

"When did we ...", she stood there all shocked for she couldn't recollect anything like that happening.

"I never discussed it, because it happened the night your mom had passed away...."

He said and went down the memory lane.

"It was drizzling outside that night and you were extremely tired crying out the whole time. I had you in my arms and I was trying to caress you to put you to sleep and you closed your eyes and slept off in some time. Minutes passed, and then hours but I still had you in my arms for I was afraid to leave you and go, afraid that what would you do if you wake up alone. So I stayed.

Suddenly you woke up and I guess you saw a bad dream. There was panic in your eyes and you held the collar of my shirt tight and said,

"Please don't ever leave me".

"I don't know what happened to me Katherine, I just felt so protective of you and I bent down to kiss your forehead and somehow I don't know why I moved down and kissed your lips. You kissed me back softly and then before I knew you went back to sleep. I know it was not much of a kiss but that was my everything. I still remember that touch and the taste of your lips. That's the closest I ever found you, only to lose you later".

She looked in his eyes and saw the pain of separation that he had been carrying for the last eight years. The yearning inside her heart for him suddenly rose in a single moment.

She looked at him and said,

"How is that fair then? You got to remember the kiss but what about me?"

A smile spread on his face and he came forward and locked her fingers with his own and said,

"Miss. Katherine Walker, don't you forget it this time".

Saying that he pulled her inside the washroom and switched on the shower at a lower setting.

"It was raining outside like this".

Then he switched off all the lights inside and said,

"It was dark in the night like this I could clearly see you".

And then he pulled her close inside the shower cubicle and said,

"You were so close to me in my arms like this".

He made her lean on his one arm while the other rested on the wall. Her heart was already racing with anticipation and she slowly raised her arms and held onto the collar of his shirt.

"And I held onto your shirt like this?", she asked.

"Yes you did", he said bend down to slowly kiss her forehead.