The Stranger's Kiss

“Daniella, move faster if you want to come with me! I can’t be late,” Aunt Riza shouted impatiently from downstairs. Her 13-year-old niece was still struggling with her jeans in the bedroom at the second floor; she was wondering if the fabric has shrunk or if she has grown bigger. She seemed to stand an inch taller every year and a couple of pounds heavier after every holiday; Christmas was just a month ago. Daniella Severino, fondly called Ella by her family members and friends, grew up with people who adored her and showered her with love. She was born good-looking and smart. At thirteen, she was already a stunner. Her fair complexion, soft and smooth skin, round deep-set brown eyes hooded with thick lashes, perfect eye brows, supple red lips, magnificently shaped nose, long legs, and a body that would definitely grow shapely and well-proportioned make her stand out in a crowd. Her ability to read sentences before she went to pre-school, and her innocent but articulate remarks manifest her impressive level of intelligence and wit. She is good tempered and has a happy disposition. She could be considered perfect except for the fact that it was forbidden for everyone around her to speak about her biological father. Her mother never got married; she does not even have a stepfather. But she calls her mom’s eldest sister and brother-in-law, Mommy and Daddy. When she was only five years old, she heard Mommy tell Lola, her grandmother, that all ties with the man who got her Mama pregnant must be cut off to protect her and her Mama. At an early age, she began to understand that ties with her biological father would simply ruin her Mama’s reputation. Ella needed to interview people at the museum for her school assignment. So, she really had to go with her aunt. After a few more minutes, she came running downstairs in a simple white blouse and red mini-skirt. She did not manage to wear the pants. “Too short,” her Aunt remarked, “but never mind; we have to go.” Ella put on her sling bag, bid Mama and Grandma goodbye, and ran after Aunt Riza who has already started the car. Travelling from the house to the city’s Museum of Contemporary Arts would take less than ten minutes without heavy traffic, but it took them almost half an hour to get there. The museum was still empty except for the guards and a few office staff. Anyone can see the situation inside through the glass walls. Aunt Riza introduced her to the staff and the guards, and told her that she could go around while she waits for the people that she would be interviewing. Her aunt’s office was at the third level, but she was still at the ground floor when a good-looking young man and a beautiful young girl were ushered in by a group of uniformed men and a casually dressed personnel from the Tourism office. They directly went up to the second floor after informing the staff at the reception. A few minutes later, Ella felt like she needed the rest room. According to her aunt, she could go to the third level if she wanted more privacy. As she reached the second level, she saw the government official and the young man paying attention to the young girl while they were discussing a painting. The uniformed men were watching from the side lines. Ella could not stop herself from staring at the guests, and as the young man turned towards the stairway where she has stopped to admire the beautiful scenery, their eyes met. There was a considerable distance between them, but her heart still skipped a beat before it started to beat faster. He was definitely handsome. More handsome than her crush at school. Over ten times more handsome. She saw the corners of his lips move upwards as they continued to stare at each other, and she smiled back. But she had to look away to see where she was going as she headed for the third floor. The young man thought he saw an angel when he noticed the girl watching them. She was so beautiful. She seemed to be glowing from afar. He felt a little disappointed to see her go; he couldn’t just let her go. “Excuse me,” he said to everyone as he decided to follow her. He gestured to the bodyguards to stay behind and to watch his younger sister closely as he hurriedly headed towards the direction where the girl has disappeared. As he reached the third level, he was just in time to see her heading for the rest room. He stopped to look around and tried to consider paying attention to one of the paintings while he waited for her. His face brightened as he saw her fixing something inside her sling bag while she walked out of the room. He took advantage of that and walked towards her. She almost fell as she bumped unto him, but he held her waist to keep her steady. As she looked up to see the person in front of her, she could not help but gasp as she saw his handsome face and met his enchanting eyes staring back at her. She was mesmerized. She could hear her heart beating as they stared at each other. She could feel his heart beating fast, too, as he put his arms around her to move her closer to him. “Thank…,” she started, but she did not manage to finish what she was about to say as she felt his soft lips on her own. Her mind went blank as they stayed in that position for almost five seconds. She was dumbfounded. She only came back to her senses when she felt his tongue almost entering her mouth. “Hey!” She pushed him away forcefully as she moved back to free herself from his embrace, and suddenly put her hands over her mouth before she put them on her face. She felt her temperature rising. “Why did you do that?” She asked almost whispering in disbelief. ‘Why did I allow that?’ He suddenly felt confused as well. He did not know what to say. He wanted to say that he was sorry, but he wasn’t actually sorry. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted it. He just wanted to kiss her again. “That was my first kiss. You…,” she complained silently slowly shaking her head. ‘He stole my first kiss,’ she said to herself. She suddenly felt scared as he raised his hand and tried to touch her again. “No,” she whispered regretfully as she stared at him, eyes glistening with tears threatening to fall as she hurriedly ran towards the Administration Office.