“Of course not! I already told you we’re just friends. And now that you know your plans aren’t in danger, let me go and let me get back to my friends because...”
I couldn’t finish. Hermes took possession of my mouth without hesitation. He pressed his lips against mine and encouraged me to open them. As soon as his lips touched me, I felt my heart stop beating, only to start again beating so rapidly that I was sure it wasn’t healthy. I’d been kissed before, but the experience of Hermes’s kiss was unique; he wasn’t just claiming my mouth, this man was kissing me as if claiming everything. I didn’t resist, I opened my lips and he invaded my mouth, demanding to possess me. His tongue explored every corner of my mouth, leaving no space unexplored. I felt my legs would give way at any moment, and I kept my hands against the wall because I didn’t dare touch him. He removed the hand he had resting on the wall and brought it to the nape of my neck to pull me closer, if that was even possible. His taste was exquisite; I can assure you it was the taste of heaven. I could barely breathe, I felt I was about to collapse; I had never been kissed like that before. His mouth and mine seemed to have been made to kiss each other because they fit together as if they were one.
Suddenly my friend Serafina’s words came to mind and, although it was difficult, I pulled my lips away from his mouth. We looked into each other’s eyes with surprise and the distinctive gleam of arousal. I couldn’t speak; I tried to say something, but nothing came out of my mouth. He was also completely stunned and stared at me without blinking. I pushed him away and left his side as quickly as I could. My legs were shaking, and I didn’t know how to make it back to where my friends were. I made my way through the crowd, stumbling, and when I got there, I threw myself onto one of the sofas. At that moment, only Camila was there, reading something onher phone; the rest of my friends were still on the dance floor. Camila looked up and gave me a concerned look.
“Are you feeling okay, Delfi?”
“I’m just a bit dizzy, it must be that I drank too much alcohol at once because I was thirsty.”
“Do you want me to get you some water?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll just sit here for a while and it’ll pass.”
“I’ll stay with you,” she said, and moved closer to me.
“Thanks, Cami.”
And I was truly grateful that she stayed by my side because I was afraid Hermes would come back to talk about what had happened between us. I didn’t even dare look in the direction where I had left him.
Why did he kiss me?I questioned myself.
My friend was making conversation and I tried to participate, but I was still trembling and my stomach was jumping, making me nauseous. I had to get out of there as soon as possible; I didn’t want to run into him again. That man was dangerous for my emotional stability and, although it was hard to admit, for my heart. The sensible thing was to keep as far away as possible.
“Cami, I’m going to leave because I’m exhausted and my head really hurts. Apologize to the rest of the group for me,” I explained, as I couldn’t stay in the condition I was in.
“Do you want me to walk you to your car?” she asked, concerned.
“Would you?” I asked, because I didn’t want to go out alone, I wanted nothing to do with Hermes Darwich.
“Of course. Let’s go, I’ll accompany you.”
“Thank you so much, Cami.”
“Stop thanking me. Has the dizziness passed a bit? Because if not, you shouldn’t be driving.”
“I’m feeling better, thanks,” I replied, feeling horrible for lying to her.
We headed to the parking lot and I was so focused on getting out that I didn’t understand what Camila was saying to me, I think I gave her random responses. As soon as I reached my car I felt more at ease. I said goodbye to my friend and headed to my apartment. I couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss that had been wonderful, but I had to forget it. The worst part was that the more I tried, the more I remembered it. As Serafina had rightly said, I was in big trouble!
Chapter 3
"Keep in mind that great love and great achievements involve great risks"
—Dalai Lama
When I arrived, I took off my shoes and sat on the living room couch holding my head in my hands.
That should never have happened!, I reproached myself.
My phone rang with the message notification tone and I picked it up cautiously, but it was a message from Serafina.
“How are you? Cami told me you weren’t feeling well”
It bothered me to have to lie to my friends, but at that moment I didn’t have the strength to explain something I didn’t know how to explain.
“I’m better, just tired and had a bit of a headache. Sorry for leaving”
Next message from my friend:
