I fell headlong into that hole of emotions

“Well,” Stephen said as we walked out of the alley, our hands linked together. “They will never forget us.”

I giggled, my face still flushed from the exertion. “Maybe they will hire us out. I think we made a good impression.”

He drew me closer, until our arms brushed each other as we walked back to my building. “I think we make a good team Becky.”

“Me too,” I murmured. Never would I have done the things tonight we had done in public, but Stephen had this way about him that made me want to join in. It wasn’t just mindless silliness we had gotten into, but a genuine good time. 

“Well,” Stephen said turning me toward him. “Here we are.”

I looked up at the building, surprised and a bit disappointed that we are already here. “I-I really enjoyed myself tonight.”

“Even if the original was a bust?” he inquired. 

I nodded. “Even so.”

He reached up and brushed a strand of hair away from my face, stealing my breath as he did so. “I will look at the schedule. I still want to take you dancing.”

“Okay,” I said breathlessly, looking into his eyes. A night in his arms surely had to be something special. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Good,” he said, his hand drifting down my cheek. I closed my eyes against the softness of his touch, my entire body shivering from the inside out. Oh, how easy it would be to invite him up to my apartment, to bask in his soft touch all night long. But I knew regret would be between us in the morning, that we rushed something special and I didn’t want that to happen. 

I was determined to take this slow, even if it killed me. 

“May I kiss you Becky?” he asked softly, his eyes searching mine. 

My breath halted at his tender expression, his simple question. Oh my god, was he really asking me? I had never had a guy ask me if they could kiss me. “I.”

“Too soon,” he said, stepping back. “I understand.”

“N-no,” I answered, closing the gap between us. “It’s not too soon.”

His expression changed, and his hands slid up my arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake. I shivered under his touch and closed my eyes in anticipation, my lips parted softly. I wanted him to kiss me. His lips were soft on mine, so light that I could barely feel them. 

But my body reacted anyway, the flush spreading from the roots of my hair to my toes. I felt wonderful— I felt alive.

When Stephen deepened the kiss, I fell headlong into that hole of emotions, allowing myself to be carried away by his kiss.

Excerpt from Monsters in my Closet
By Margaret A. Daly

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