***
Their small talk continued throughout the evening, and the more Luka listened to Abby, the more impressed he became with her obvious intelligence and unique sense of humor. They got each other's jokes, like they were in perfect sync. Luka felt like he could say anything to Abby and she wouldn't look at him as if he was crazy or something. Every story and every anecdote she told him about her family and friends, he placed in his memory like a special treasure, hoping he would remember them always. He didn't want to forget anything this girl had confided to him.
Now while Luka had gone out with his fair share of girls in high school, he had never had any real girl friends. Girls who he could just talk to about anything. And although he had met Abby only an hour before, he felt that he had found a real girl friend.
Not that he wanted her just to be a friend. He couldn't deny to himself how attractive he found this girl. Her soft brown hair was now resting on his shoulder. In the course of their conversation, they had snuggled up to each other rather unconsciously. Or maybe it was consciously.
The night air was getting a little cold and Abby had graciously offered to share her towel with him. But since the towel was a little small, they rested it on their legs and were now sitting shoulder to shoulder. Abby snuck a quick glance at her new friend. He was staring at her, but it looked like he wasn't exactly listening to what she was saying.
"I'm sorry," Abby said, embarrassed.
Luka was startled out of his daydreams.
"What?"
"I've been babbling for way too long, I'm sure you're not that interested in-"
"No," Luka said quickly. "I'm sorry, it's just." He laughed and looked down, embarrassed.
Abby hesitantly reached up to touch his cheek so he would face her. "What?"
Luka caught his breath. Her face was so close to his right now. Her eyes were searching his, like she knew if she tried hard enough, she could read his thoughts. A strand of brown hair had fallen over one of her brown eyes. Luka used his hand to
lightly brush the strand back into the rest of her hair. His fingers then trailed along her jaw and then rested on her lips.
Abby's heartbeat was so loud she was half scared that he could hear it. Please God, she prayed to herself, please let him kiss me. This would be her first real kiss. She didn't count that sloppy peck she got from Henry Thomas last summer as a real kiss because he and the experience were just too gross to even think about. She wanted this kiss, her first real kiss, to be perfect.
Luka was trembling when he leaned forward, his hazel eyes transfixed on hers to make sure she was allowing it. Abby returned his gaze, unflinching. He tilted his head to his right as she tilted her own to avoid the nose jam.
Abby's eyes slowly closed, Missy had told her to never keep her eyes open for this. His lips grazed hers hesitantly, testing the unfamiliar territory with caution. Their lips meet. Tenderly they tingle lightly. Abby's mind went blank, and her heart stopped beating.
Lukas’s eyes flutter shut, he then ran a hand through her hair as he opened his mouth slightly. His tongue gently eased into her mouth. They continued kissing passionately until they both pulled away, breathless. They both just stared at each other.
Luka smiled at her and leaned forward again for more. He tilted his head to the left to kiss her again from another angle. Finding that he could kiss her more comfortably with their heads tilted to the right, he switched again, allowing the sweet kisses to become longer and deeper.
They eventually stopped to catch their breaths. Abby leaned her forehead against Lukas’s to rest for a second. Luka smiled at her complete trust in him. He reached up and kissed her on her warm forehead and caressed her cheek. Abby felt like she was in heaven. Her "first kiss" was more than she had ever dreamed of. She felt his fingers trail into her hair and she happily nuzzled her head into his shoulder so he could have better access. They cuddled like that for a while. Luka looked up to the sky and smiled. He thanked the Lord who he had thought he didn't believe in anymore. Someone up there must like him. The girl felt so perfect nestled in his arms that he never wanted to move, ever. Now he finally understood what was so special about this place, it wasn’t the magnificent beach or the beautiful sunset. No, this place would be nothing, without Abby!
***