Kiss her! Kiss her! KISS HER! my mind screamed as we stood there outside her door. Hand in hand, smile to smile, eye to eye, we looked deep into each other’s heart. My joints locked and my body froze as I put every ounce of courage into kissing her, but I could not move. I was stuck, like a paused image on a television screen. The night had been great until now. I had to kiss her, I wanted to kiss her, I was going to kiss her. I took a step closer, leaned toward her and …

*
*

*

It was the first day of school and the halls were flooded with waves of students. I darted left and right, avoiding contact with other people, and made my way to my first class. There she was. Katie’s beauty surpasses the sunset. The bell rang and I quickly took a seat.

“Okay, class!” yelled the teacher. “Here are your assigned seats.” She read the list and, to my amazement, I was right next to Katie.

This could be my chance, I thought. I leaned over the desk marked with years worth of graffiti, and attempted to speak the words I’d rehearsed in my head for years. The smell of sweet flowers in spring titillated my nose. Preoccupied with her scent, I lost my balance and the desk fell over with a loud crash. All eyes peered at me and laughter escaped into the classroom. Katie giggled and smiled.

“Tom, is there a problem?” asked the teacher.

“N-no, ma’am,” I said as I put my desk back in place. The bell rang and Katie disappeared.

The fiery red bowling ball rolled over the pins and broke my sleep. The next day had arrived and I had only one thought: Katie. I did my daily morning ritual and made my way to school. Across the hall from me was the angel who made my heart frolic. I walked over with a knot in my stomach and tapped her shoulder. “Hey, Katie,” I said.

“Hey, Tom,” she answered with a little anxiousness in her tone.

“Sooo … how’s your day been?”

“Oh. Um, good.”

“So, umm. Hey, Katie?”

“Yeah?”

“I-I-I was just wondering if, you know, if you we-weren’t doing anything Friday maybe you’d, um, you’d want to, um,” I stumbled over my words.

“Tom,” she interrupted. “Are you trying to ask me out or something?”

“Well, yeah,” I responded grinning.

“Then the answer is yes,” she said as the bell played its tune.

Hurray! I thought. Walking with a strut, I followed her into the classroom. A smile was glued to my face for the rest of the day.

Friday finally came, and I made my way to her house in my ’78 Land Cruiser. Doused in Cool Water cologne, I popped a mint into my mouth and rang the doorbell. I stood for a while, listening to the voices on the other side. The door opened and there she stood, an angelic sculpture that surpassed beauty.

“Ready?” she asked as the door closed behind her.

“I’ve been ready my whole life,” I said with a half-smile. Her features tinted red and we got in my car. She sat there to the right of me and, as the moonlight hit her face, my heart sank deeper in love.

“Feel free to listen to whatever you like,” I told her, pointing to the radio. She started searching the stations as if looking for a particular song. Then she stopped and from the speakers came Celine Dion. There is no other singer that I would rather not listen to than her. To make matters more deafening, Kate starting singing off-key.

“Maybe we should just talk for a while,” I said, but she frowned. “Or maybe not.” I turned the radio back on and endured the torture. Well, I have some qualities she wouldn’t really like, so I guess I can bear it, I consoled myself.

The night crept by as we ate dinner. We dove deeper into each other’s eyes and saw all the similarities between us. It was like she was my missing half. Everything about her (except the Celine Dion issue, but I could let that slide) was perfect. She was an angel fallen from heaven. As she spilled out the words, I fell into a trance and was absorbed by her voice. Finally, dinner ended and the night at the movies began.

The movie was one of those chick flicks, but I guess it was all right. We walked outside and the night chilled our bodies. I placed my coat over her shoulders and put my arm around her waist. I smelled her golden locks that glittered with the moonlight and was reminded of the spring flowers that bloom in my garden.

We made our way back through the winding roads as we listened to music (my choice, this time). We strolled down her walkway, holding hands and smiling. I stood there, looking deep into her eyes as the lights flickered behind us.

“Well, I had a fun time,” she hinted in a small, sweet voice.

“So did I,” I said. She stood there, waiting, and I knew why. My body froze for what seemed like hours but was actually only a few seconds. My mind yelled at me and I leaned forward in an attempt to kiss her good night. Our lips danced the waltz and our hearts sang the opera. What seemed like forever came to an end and she went inside. I stood there smiling, eyes closed, and recollected the night. Thank you, Lord! I said to myself as I returned to my car with lipstick on my lips. My car started with a roar and I drove home.