AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And there was the kiss in Sue Ann’s basement with Conrad, a friend from school when they were playing spin the bottle.But she didn’t count that either.It was messy and wet and the only thing that made her feel was disgust.
But she wasn’t thinking of the neighbor boy or the sloppy kiss in Sue Ann’s basement at that moment.Not with Adam standing so close she could feel his breath on her lips, the slightest trace of chocolate in the air, his palm heating her skin.Ever so slowly, as if she were a fawn that would be scared away if he moved too quickly, he stroked her cheek until she closed her eyes, a small sigh slipping from her lips.
And then his lips were on hers.So soft, she could hardly feel them at first.A flutter.Barely a touch.And then more as his mouth pressed onto hers.She’d been afraid that she wouldn’t know what to do, but she needn’t have worried.Her mouth moved, just a little, in response to him.It wasn’t too much.But it was perfect and just enough to send her heart soaring.
When the kiss was over, all too quickly, he pulled away, and her eyes fluttered open.Adam’s lips were curled up in a sweet smile, as if kissing her had been the sweetest surprise.It certainly had been for her.She was already anticipating the next one.
He took her hand with a shy smile and together they walked down the beach toward Main Street.
She didn’t know exactly how yet, but she knew this summer was going to change her life.Forever.
ChapterFour
Present
“You toldyour girls that story, too?”Elise took a sip of the chamomile tea Maureen had brought her.“That’s very brave of you.”
Maureen laughed.“Some might say it wasn’t a great decision.But I think it was time to tell them something about Adam after so much time had passed.”
Elise nodded.“Probably true.”She held her mug with shaking hands and inhaled deeply.“There’s just something so soothing about chamomile tea, don’t you think?”
Maureen nodded and settled into the chair across from her.She’d barely taken her first sip when Elise picked up the thread of their conversation.
“He was your first love.”
It wasn’t a question, but Maureen nodded without hesitation.“I fell hard and fast after that.”
“All it took was one kiss?”
Maureen laughed.She’d like to say that it took more than that, but it hadn’t.Not really.Certainly, there was a lot more to their relationship than the sweet kisses that, over time, became a lot more urgent and insistent.But she’d known then, just as she still knew now, that it had been that first perfect kiss that had sealed her fate.
“I know it sounds silly,” she told Elise.“Especially now that I’m older and wiser about these things.”She chuckled a little to herself.“Or at least I’d like to think I am.The moment I saw him at the dance, I knew there was something special about him.But when we kissed, it was as if everything became crystal clear, and I just knew.”
“Knew he was the one?”
Maureen hesitated but finally nodded.“Just like that.I knew I loved him.”She looked up at Elise.“Do you think that’s silly or naive?”
“Not at all.”Elise’s voice was soft, her eyes glassy.“I felt the same way after that very first kiss with Alex.”
Maureen sipped at her tea.“You mentioned that the beginning of your story was full of hope.”She knew she was taking a chance asking Elise more questions, and she didn’t want to be too pushy or forward, but at the same time, it felt like they were past that part of their new friendship.And something told Maureen that Elise wanted to talk just as much as she did.
“Itwasfull of hope,” she said after a moment.“Just like you described it to be with Adam.That’s how I felt with Alex.Like we could take on the world.As long as we were together, everything would be fine.”
Something in her tone told Maureen that it wasn’t fine at all.“And then?”
“And then reality intruded.”Elise curled her lips together so they almost disappeared.She lifted her tea to her mouth and blew carefully over the hot surface before taking a tentative sip.It was only then that she spoke again.“Alex’s father was never going to accept our relationship.Even if he did like me and think of me as a quality employee at his favorite inn.That’s all I’d ever be, working class.While Alex was the heir to the family business and that came withexpectations.”
“Did Alex tell him about the two of you?”
Elise shook her head.“It was never an option.We knew that.The world was…well, it was different back then.Even after I was promoted to front desk manager, which was simply unheard of for a woman back then, that was as much as I could ever hope for.”
Her eyes took on the now familiar faraway look as she spoke.
“So you just kept sneaking around?”It sounded awful to Maureen to have to hide true love like that for years on end.But maybe having love, even in secret, was better than not having it at all.
“We did.For years, when Alex would visit the inn, we could be together.And as a senior employee, I could find all kinds of reasons that I might need to go down the mountain to town and volunteer to be the one to run any errands that required a trip.But after a while, I had to call an end to it.”
“Oh no.”Maureen leaned forward.“Why?”
