K is for Kiss, Kiss

““It feels a bit dangerous,” she said, with a kiss. “But I like talking to you as well.” The reference to danger acknowledged his arousal. David smiled. “The thing is, I can’t think of anything to say.”

“That’s okay. Neither can I.””

 - Loathe Your Neighbor ch. 2

I remember my first kiss. I think it was my mum kissing my forehead when she first met me, ex utero. I got lots of those kisses…you thought I was going to say something else didn’t you? My first kiss with a member of the opposite sex? Oh, that first kiss. A girl I went to school with took the opportunity of a birthday party at my place to introduce a small group of us, three guys and three girls to a game she knew. I still think 11 year old girls and boys should not only not be playing such games, but should not even know about them. Interestingly, I don’t recall being especially aroused by that game. It was weird. I was curious and frightened at the same time. My heart was threatening to rip a hole in my chest and start bouncing on the floor. Sexual? Not really. It was more experimental. Puberty, at that time, was only a theory lurking around the corner. Later, kissing girls became something much more erotically charged, and later still, was always a part of foreplay: the usually hasty race towards…well, I don’t need to spell it out for you, do I?

There are lots of different types of kiss. Light affectionate pecks. Perfunctory air kiss greetings. One cheek. Two cheeks. Longer, more deeply felt lip to cheek or forehead action. The fluffy quick butterfly kiss on the nose. The pash. The I-want-more-than-just-a-kiss liplock. Tongues., Biting. Eeewww! Too much. A deep lip kiss is considered an act of intimacy which is why, I presume, prostitutes don’t do it, or maybe it’s just a saliva phobia. A deep lip kiss indicates intent which may account for why, when you do it to someone other than your partner, it is labeled, betrayal. The offender, says, it was just a kiss, but is it ever “just a kiss”? What do you think?