The Kiss

Day 1 of StoryADaySeptember.

The Prompt: Today, write a story that features people disappearing.

Kissing Jake was a bad idea.

I knew how it would end. The same thing happened when I kissed Ben. And James. And John. And Dashiell. And Trent. And Sarah. Let’s not forget Sarah. I really thought it would be different with her.

Even knowing it would end badly, I couldn’t resist. Jake is just so… yummy. And kissing is so much fun. I’ve been staring at Jake’s lips for over a year, wondering how it would feel to touch them with mine. Wondering if he was the one, convincing myself this time everything would work out well.

So I did it. We were face to face, close enough that I could feel the drift of his breath against my cheek, making the tiny hairs on my face stand on end. I breathed him in, pulling his essence deep into me and leaned in.

My lips grazed his, all of my air escaping on a sigh. Jake pushed closer to me, taking in my air and exchanging for it his own. One moment of complete and perfect connection.

Then he disappeared.

I opened my eyes as the cool air replaced his warm lips on mine. “Shit. Every time,” I said to the boy who wasn’t there.

This made seven. Seven people I have kissed into oblivion. Not in a good way.

I plopped down on the hip-high brick wall behind me, kicking my heels against the rough surface as punishment. I was so sure that Jake was the one. The one I was meant to be with, the one I could kiss without him disappearing. I needed to find the person I was meant for soon, before I decimated the population of Ironwood.

A black mustang pulled into the parking lot, tires squealing in protest at the sharp, quick turn into a parking space. The driver’s side door opened, allowing Mark to unfold his long limbs and escape the tight interior. Damn, I didn’t need this right now. I couldn’t deal with the human I hated most after making the one I loved disappear.

His eyes landed on me, causing his lips to curl into a grin. “Kelsie. Were you waiting for me?” he called as he began swinging his legs in my direction.

I started to tell him “Hell, no,” but then saw the opportunity in front of me. No one else was here. The parking lot was empty of cars other than Mark’s. I could make him go away. Forever.

I allowed my face to relax into a welcoming, sultry smile. “Yes, actually, I was waiting for you.”

Mark’s feet paused, a quick hitch revealing that I had thrown him off. His face stayed smooth as silk. “Really?” His feet resumed their rolling rhythm as he closed the distance. He didn’t stop walking until his toes touched the brick beneath me, his legs leaning against the wall between my own.

I settled a hand on his chest, battling the urge to push him sharply away. I forced my fingers to curve into him, gripping the fabric of his faded T and pulling him toward me.

I swallowed hard, hoping he thought I was swallowing excess saliva and not the bile that was burning the back of my throat.

Mark’s eyes drifted closed as his grin became expectant. I had him.

I pulled him in close and took a steadying breath before I allowed my lips to meet his. His reaction was intense, his hands finding their way to me, one twining gently into the hair at my nape, the other sliding around my waist to nestle in the small of my back.

I felt the pull of his breath on mine and realized this was the longest kiss I had ever had. I pushed hard on his chest, forcing Mark to take a step away and open his eyes.

He was the one. Shit.