5 The Summer of My Very First Kiss

That was so unexpected I bolted in the rain. The heavy rain instantly drenched me. Justine followed me and pulled me back in the hut. He tried to dry my hair and face with a small towel he must have found in my backpack. I stopped him. He handed me the towel and I dried myself. He made me wear a long-sleeved plaid polo which he took off earlier. I gave him back the towel so he could also dry himself. But he went back to drying my hair. He separated by strands of wet hair gently while drying. I just sat immobile letting him do my hair.

"Why do you always have to be wet when I am around? Are you starting a collection of my polos?" he teased.

This time I can't hold back the tears anymore. It fell without warning. Justine was helpless looking at me. He pleaded with me to stop crying and dried some of the tears with his hand. I leaned on him and cried some more. In my head, I kept hearing his voice--- Nina, I like you. Nina, I like you. I felt an inexplicable feeling of joy. 'So why am I crying?'

When I calmed down, Justine cupped my chin and lifted my face so he could look at me. "Do you by any chance like me too?" he asked. His eyes were full of anticipation and longing. I searched his eyes. Several minutes passed by. I reached up and touched his face. He leaned his face on my hand. I stared at his lips and ever so lightly brushed them with mine. I didn't know where I got the courage to do that. A jolt of electricity run through us. It was Justine's turn to be caught off-guard. For a minute, he didn't know what to do. He stiffened. I boldly looked at him with a whimsical smile on my face. I liked this feeling of being able to make him speechless. It was exhilarating. After he recovered his senses, he gathered me in his arms and embraced me tightly.

"Oh Nina, you don't know what you do to me," his voice full of restraint and frustration.

"What do I do to you?" I challenged.

Justine proceeded to show me. His lips sought mine and kissed me. It was awkward at first but it grew more confident. His kiss was gentle, teasing and deliberate. His lips were smooth, creamy and firm. He kissed me so deliciously slow. One moment it was light as a feather, another moment heavy with urgency. I responded with the only way I know how. I kissed him back. I had never done this before but it was as if my fifteen years of existence prepared me for this exact moment. My very first kiss was happening and it was everything I imagined it to be. But I have never imagined it to be with Justine so it was even more beautiful. I felt like falling into a bright bottomless pit with all the colors of the rainbow swirling on us. It was a comforting, reassuring free-fall. We kissed until we ran out of breath. And then we kissed some more. The sound of a hundred wind chimes filled the air.

We couldn't seem to get enough of each other. We kissed and nibbled on each other's lips. We would catch our breath and then we would kiss some more. Until it wasn't the sound of wind chimes that we heard anymore. A gecko made a clicking sound. It jolted Justine and I.

"What the hell was that ?" Justine jumped and asked, bewildered. He clung to me tightly. He looked so funny, I laughed.

"It's just a gecko!" I hugged him. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," I teased.

Justine laughed at his reaction too. I liked that he didn't find any excuse for his behavior like other boys would have. I liked that he didn't pretend to be macho and all. I leaned on his shoulder. The rain became a drizzle. Justine gently nudged me and stood up. He gathered my things and put them in my backpack.

"Already?" I pouted.

"I don't want Uncle Amor to worry," he said, combing my hair with his fingers and arranging my borrowed polo. He touched my lips gently. He urged me to stand up. I lazily followed him.

I looked around our Secret Garden and silently bid the hut and the trees goodbye. They were witnesses to my first kiss. We have a stronger bond even more now. I waved the garden goodbye. Holding hands, we walked back towards the White House. Before we reached the clearing, Justine stopped walking and faced me.

"You're my girlfriend now," he declared. I giggled. "Nina, you have to stop giggling like that!"

"Like what?" I asked, confused.

"Just please stop giggling. Except when you're with me!"

"Okay, okay!" I agreed and giggled again. He held his hands up, rolling his eyes.

He told me he'd tell everyone that I was his girlfriend. He'd tell his Grandpa Anton and Alexis. He asked me to tell my father too.

"Can we keep it a secret? At least for a little while?"

"Why? I want the world to know."

"I am your world, I know!"I demanded. He laughed at my silliness but didn't argue.

We passed by our friends on our way back. Some waved at us, some said hello. Everyone looked at us curiously. I blushed a little thinking they might have guessed that we've kissed already. Justine looked at me with a knowing smile. We did make a handsome pair though. Justine was tall, tan and good-looking. His fashion sense leaned more on the edgy side. He often layered his long-sleeve polo with an undershirt. He wore Japanese brand sneakers. His hair was always uncombed but not dirty. I often caught myself wanting to comb it with my fingers. I wasn't bad looking myself. I was a blue-jeans-white-shirt kind of girl. A tomboy, actually. My shoulder length hair framed my small round face. I was blessed with good skin. I won't call myself sexy but my body was lean from all the hiking and running I do. People say I light up the room when I smile. So, yeah, Justine and I looked good together.

"Boyfriend," Justine interrupted my train of thoughts as if reading my mind.

"Secret boyfriend," I reminded him.