Deep Cherry Red

I never thought I would see her again, but here she is, and she is exquisite. I cannot take my eyes away from her; her beauty captivates me. Her eyes are the lightest shade of brown, and right now, it is piercing straight into my soul. With her mere presence, she is imprinting herself in what will be a beautiful memory.

All I wish is to reach out and touch her; I want to run my finger over those soft lips. To think I had them so close to my neck, and I did not even feel them. What I did feel was that tiny body that was melting into mine. Here is this girl; she has taken away all my senses. I know that feeling something for her should be so wrong, but right now, wrong surely feels so good.

"Soooo..." I am pushing my hands into my pockets. Playing with my foot in little circles as I look down to the floor. I feel like such a schoolboy; every bone in my body has gone shy, I can barely look her in the eyes. I can hardly remember when last a woman had made me felt so. I know I should not be doing this, but this feeling, it is this feeling that makes me say yes, "Soooo I was wondering..."

"Yes?" she asks.

"I was wondering," I stumble on my words, not knowing what to say, "I was wondering if you would perhaps have a drink with me?"

"I am sorry I don't..."

I interrupt her, "If you don't drink, then we can have coffee?"

"I am afraid I don't..."

I interrupt her once more, "You really don't have to stay long, just for a short while. Maybe an hour, even half an hour, would be great. I just..."

I see her smile, but her eyes are filled with disappointment. What have I done wrong? Is it something I perhaps said? She steps a slight bit forward and gently reaches out to touch my hand. A million sensations shock me to my core. Even though she is cold to the touch, her hands are as soft as feathers.

She takes my ring and twists it around my finger. "What I am trying to say is, I don't get involved with married men."

"Oh, yes," I look at her. "I am engaged but not married yet. I do understand your hesitation to join me, though. But somehow, after tonight, I might not be so much engaged anymore."

Her eyes seem sincere as she looks at me with concern. She still has not let go of my hand; I feel her as she gently squeezes my palm. She sees me smile at the comfort of her touch and slowly lets us go. Her fingers drag softly down my forearm, leaving tingles on my skin. I must fight every ounce of me not to grab hold of her hand again.

"Oh no," she says as she looks me in the eyes. "I am truly sorry to hear that."

She stops for a second, and I can see by her furrowed brows that she is thinking. Even with the seriousness on her face, her beauty remains beyond compare. It does not take her long to say what is on her mind. "If I might be so bold to ask what happened?"

I chuckle and reply, "It is actually the funniest story, you know."

"Well, I am always up for a good story," she replies.

"Well," I hesitate for a moment. "She kind of caught me with a lipstick stain on my collar."

"Oh," she says, looking somewhat disappointed. "So you really are the cheating kind."

"I am not the cheating kind," I explain. "Believe me, if I were, I would most certainly love to cheat on my fiance with the girl that left it there."

I manage to hook my fingers into hers, she looks at me shyly, but she does not let go. The desire to feel her skin touch mine in any way is the only thought that plays through my mind.

She lets go of my hand again and swallows deeply before she speaks, "Excuse me for sounding a slight bit confused. But if you weren't cheating, then how did it get there? I mean, is that not how it is supposed to work? It is not really that it can appear there by itself, now can it?"

"Well, let me ask you this. What lipstick do you normally wear?"

"Me?" she asks. "Why?"

"Kindly humor me for a second."

"Well, that truly depends," she presses her finger to her lips as to think. "If I had to choose my best, it would definitely be a deep cherry red."

"Well, it just happens to be a deep cherry red" A slight mischievous smile crosses my lips. The kind of smile that gets a man into a world of trouble. There is so much of me that I desire to lose myself in that trouble.

But she is not aware of what really happened. Maybe I could tease her for just a second, just to see that beautiful rose blush on her face. I lower my voice to almost a whisper, "The kind of deep cherry red I can only imagine would look perfect on...your...lips".

"Mmm, my lips. Are you staring at my lips, handsome stranger?"

"Handsome, you say?"

"I could always say hot," she laughs, "But then you would sound like something you eat."

"You say, eat? Now that is something I have never been referred to before. Talking about refer, what can I perhaps refer to you as then?"

"Well, there are a few; what about maybe just Tasnim."

"Tasnim...the name is just as beautiful as the bearer."

"And what might you be the bearer of?" she asks.

"Carson" In a playful manner, I reach my hand out to shake hers. Well, perhaps not completely to be polite but more so to feel her soft touch again. As she embraces my hand, I can feel that warmth return that I was lacking so. The butterflies flutter about in my stomach, and for that brief moment, I feel alive again...then I step closer, "So that lipstick you wear, that deep cherry red color. Tell me more about that?"

"Oh that, well, it is quite a popular color," she explains. "Not many are brave to wear a color so bold."

"It does sound like quite a seductive color," I admit. "But I do notice that you are not wearing any tonight."

"Now that you mention it," she looks at me, surprised. "I did notice as I left home tonight. It must have rubbed off somewhere. Quite strange that it did, but must have been something".

"Maybe perhaps on someone's shirt?" I ask.

"Nah, could not possibly be. I have not been near a man tonight".

I move a slight step closer. She wants to move away, but she seems not to either. She notices the amusement in my eyes as I smile. I find my hand wandering to her lips, and I do what I have been craving to do so all night long...I touch them...I touch her lips. I run my thumb across them and can feel it slightly tremble. I softly whisper to her, "Are you sure?"

"Well...there was you," she says. "I did get a bit, what would they say, a bit too cozy with you."

"Cozy enough to perhaps maybe leave a lipstick stain?"

"Uhm" She closes her eyes for a brief second. I watch her as she nips at her bottom lip; there is a small smile starting to play around the corners of her mouth. She slowly flutters her eyes open and looks at me from under her dark eyelashes.

"Oops."

"Yes...oops."

She slowly reaches over and touches my neck where her lips were not so long ago earlier. Rubbing my collar with her thumb, she tucks her fingers into my shirt. The closeness of her skin so tight against my neck sends my body to shiver.

"I took it off; it was wet." I softly whisper in her ear, which is now only inches away from my face. She is so close, so close that if I turn my head, I could so easily just kiss her. The lily and vanilla that she wears so well smell even stronger. I can hear her gasps as my warm breath reaches her skin. The heat between our bodies is undeniable.

She lets go of my collar and steps a bit away, "I am so so sorry. I seriously messed things up for you, didn't I? I should seriously look where I am walking. I can be such an airhead sometimes".

"Please do not apologize. I like that you are an.....airhead".

"Hahaha," she laughs. "It only sounds better when I say it."

"Then I will call you Tasnim then."

"So, what now?" she asks.

"Will you have that drink with me then?"