Wide Eyed - Billy Lockett

Chapter Nineteen: First Last Kiss

The fireworks ceremony was later that night, and after a long day of walking around and taking in all the sights and eating God knows how much candy and food it was a nice change of pace to be able to finally just sit down and relax.

What can I say about today's adventures? I'm no good with words, as I said before, but I don't think there's enough words in the English language that fully describes my experience today. Fun, maybe? Yeah. Fun works. I had a lot of fun. More fun then I probably had my entire life put together. There was no doubt in my mind that if Nora weren't here or if I had come with someone else like Sam or Josh or anyone else for that matter, this entire trip would've had a different feel to it. Not necessarily a bad one, but not as enjoyable as it was with Nora.

"My feet feel like they're going to fall off," Nora groaned when we took a seat at a table that was somehow miraculously available.

"Could be worse. My feet are threatening to leave my body altogether. They're done," I said back to her which caused her to snort. "But you had a good time though, right? Was the foot pain worth it in the end?"

She looked at me then, the blue of her eyes twinkling behind the frames of her glasses. To me she looked ready to say one thing but instead she said something different instead. "Absolutely. I wouldn't have missed this opportunity for the world....especially when I was given the chance to experience it with you."

There was a brief moment of silence between us that was thankfully broken by a woman's voice on a loudspeaker. Everyone began to clap and cheer so we joined in too.

"Hello witches and wizards! How's everyone doing tonight?" She was answered by a loud chorus of cheers. "That's amazing! We're so glad that you all could join us here at the Harry Potter Universal Studio for New Years Eve! We promise you a fantastic show tonight so you don't want to miss a thing!"

We cheered again. When I turned to look at Nora, she looked absolutely ecstatic for the fireworks show, shifting in her seat and glancing up at the skies for any sign of a show.

"You'd know if there were fireworks in the sky, right. They just....." I raised my hands to make little explosions with my fingers while whispering "pew".

"I know. I'm just so excited. I mean....we're here. For New Years. It doesn't get any better than this, right?" She tucked her hands under her chin and sighed happily. "I never thought I'd be this happy. Not in a million years. It wasn't until you came along did I ever have a real reason to be happy."

When I opened my mouth to speak I found that I wasn't able to form the right words. So instead I pointed to the sky. "Beautiful night for fireworks."

At this, she tilted her head upwards towards the night sky. "It is, isn't it? I doubt they'll disappoint. The wizarding world is big on fireworks-you'll see that for yourself when we watch the movies together."

There was a shout saying that they're starting soon and suddenly there was a crowd surrounding us. Nora and I became so squat together that we practically shared the same breath.

"Well then," she chuckled. "When I thought we were close friends I didn't think it was going to be in such a literal sense."

I snorted. "You're funny. And you're also digging into my ribs-"

"Oh!" She adjusted her arm so that her elbow wasn't jutted into my ribcage anymore. "I didn't even realize! I'm sorry. We're so pressed together-"

"Dude. Relax. It's fine." I breathed out a long breath. "So I meant to tell you that Sam called me earlier....."

Nora smiled. "Did he? How's his holiday going?"

"Good as far as I know. He just wanted to know if I burst into flames yet from the sunshine."

She giggled. "You're not a vampire, Laney."

"Tell him that." I adjusted myself so that I was now fully facing her. "I wanna ask you something. It's been on my mind for a while...."

She nodded. "I'm listening."

So is everyone else around us I thought to myself. "Sam....he told me that you sneak looks at me when I'm not paying attention."

Even though it was too dark to tell, I knew that Nora was blushing. "He-he said what? Why would he say that?"

Her voice shook with nerves. I didn't want to press her any further on the matter but I had to find out if she felt the same way I did. "Well....I think that he thinks you like me."

She said nothing except to reach up and nervously play with her necklaces.

So I spoke again. "I'm not very good with opening up. You know this. I suck at using words and I'm even worse with trying to express my feelings. And he's not dumb. He's seen me sneak glances at you too."

Her eyes grew wide in surprise. "You do?"

"I do. When you're leaning over a book, I watch the way your hair slowly falls over your shoulder before you tuck it behind your ear. When you laugh at something I watch the way your eyes crinkle around the edges. You chew your necklaces when you're nervous. I have to look away when you look at me because I feel ashamed-"

"I'm pansexual."

The air in my lungs nearly left me. "I'm sorry. Did you just say-"

"I'm pansexual? Yes. This is really the first time I've ever said that out loud to anyone. Not even my parents know," she said this while the necklaces were still dangling from her mouth. "I don't have a preference. I just love everyone. And I would really appreciate if you didn't tell anyone this. I'm not ready to come out yet."

I nodded in total understanding. "I won't say a word. It's not my place anyway."

She smiled softly at this just as the first firework shot up into the air, lighting up the sky with a bright red. Immediately, everyone began to cheer and clap, phones whipping out to record. I didn't bother taking out mine. I wanted to enjoy the show instead.

Nora had the biggest smile on her face as she watched the sky above us. It was bright enough up there for me to see all the features of her face; the broad smile on her mouth, the eye crinkles that I love so much, the twinkle in her blue eyes as they were reflected behind her thick glasses. Everything about her was perfect and beautiful that I didn't want to pay attention to the show above me.

Why would I when I had my own little firework right next to me?

It was when I turned my attention back to the show when I felt a pair of hands grip my shirt and pivot me. I found myself facing Nora then, unsure of why she was gripping me so hard.

"What's wrong?" I asked, but my voice was drowned out by the loud crack of a firework.

I watched her lips move as she spoke. "Sam's right," was all she said. Right about what?

Then she leaned in to kiss me.

This might come as a surprise but I've never been kissed before. Not once. So Nora being my first felt like a gift from the Gods themselves. They probably smiled down on me right now as her mouth moved against mine and mine moved against hers and nodded in approval.

She was so soft. I mean, everything about her is soft not so much in a physical sense but in a metaphorical one instead. It was only fair that her lips match everything else about her; gentle and kind. There was none of this aggressiveness or hunger that I expected most first kisses to have even if our noses did bang together and we practically butted heads like goats.

Her hands....well her hands loosened on my shirt and lowered so that they were now on my hips. They gave me a gentle squeeze as well as the courage to reach up and cup her neck with my own, brushing her cheek with my thumbs. Her face was really warm. I wonder if my own felt the same way.

We pulled away when the crowd began to cheer. It was actually 2018 now. I just spent a year kissing the girl I really liked and it left me breathless for air as we separated.

"Wow," she chuckled. "That was...."

I held her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Usually I'm the one that can't find the words to say."

We both laughed softly as the crowd slowly dispersed. The show was over and everyone was getting ready to leave. I kind of didn't want to but it was past midnight and I was beginning to feel exhausted. There was no doubt Nora felt the same way.

"So....shall we head back to your Nana's and call it a night?" Nora asked in a soft voice.

I nodded. "We could.....or we could go to the beach and act like wild animals."

A wicked grin spread across her face. "That does sound like fun. But what will your grandparents say?"

We were at the entrance to the resort when I answered her. "My Nana did say we can do whatever we want on our trip, did she not?"

Nora laughed boisterously as we raced each other on the sidewalk towards a cab as I hailed it. "I think you might be twisting her words around, Laney Rubia!"

I turned to look over my shoulder at her. "Am I really though, Nora Lovegood? Am I really?"

We yelled and made as much noise as we could when we reached the beach, our hair and clothes whipping in the ocean wind. The bags that carried our stuff were still in our hands as we streaked (not in that context) across the beach as fast as we could. We didn't dare put them down in case they got stolen or lost.

"I can't run anymore! I need a breather!" Nora dropped to the sand like deadweight so fast that I tripped over her legs and landed flat on my face. She then began to laugh so hard that her face turned purple.

"Sure. Laugh it up but your time will come!" I told her despite the fact I was laughing too as I spit sand out from my mouth.

"I'm so sorry! The way you landed was just like watching a cartoon!" She let out a deep breath and laid on her back in the sand, looking up at the night sky. "I can't believe today even happened. It all feels like a dream."

I laid down beside her and kicked off my shoes. "Well, believe it. We got wands to prove it. And robes. And-"

"Okay, okay. I believe you. I only meant that it just feels surreal. Stuff like this doesn't happen to people like me...."

I turned my head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She shrugged. "I'm not exactly what you'd call a lucky person. I have to fight just to make myself visible and even then it's not enough sometimes. Eventually, I just fade into the background again and I'm forgotten."

I rolled over so that I was right on top of her, earning myself a grunt from her as I squat her chest and stomach. "Hey. Don't say stuff like that because it's not true."

"But-"

"No but's! The only butt here is yours when I kick it for being dumb. You are not forgotten, Nora Lovegood. If you were forgotten I would've left you behind at the resort. Or even worse back home." She rolled her eyes at this so I squished her face between my hands. "Listen to me. You need to stop thinking so lowly of yourself like this. It's depressing as hell."

She sighed between my hands. "Sorry. You'd think of yourself this way too if-"

"I know. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I get it. But just know that you're wrong. You're so much more and you underestimate yourself, Nora. Trust me."

She cocked her head. "How?"

"How? Well, trust works like this-"

"No. Like....how am I so much more?"

I rolled off of her and back into the sand. "You just are. I slowly learned this as we started becoming friends. Josh was the one who told me to give you a chance when we were first paired up for English months ago and I'm glad I listened to him."

Nora sat upon her side. "So....I should be kissing Josh then instead of you?"

"He's married with a kid, you turd!" I laughed as she made a face. "Do you fantasize about my brother, Nora?"

"Absolutely not!" She gagged as I wiggled my eyebrows. "That's a hard no. A no the size of Texas. I mean he's cute and he's got nice arms but he's not-just no, okay!"

I began to wheeze but was cut of when the tide washed over my legs. Screaming, we both jumped to our feet, grabbing our bags and raced away from the water. I could see my shoes floating away out into the ocean but didn't bother to go get them.

"Uh, Laney? Your shoes-"

"I know. Leave them be. Some merperson who longs to walk amongst the two legged will find more use for them than me," I told her in a dramatic tone. "I'm joking. They were old anyway. Falling apart and shit."

She nods. "Alright then. As long as you don't lose any sleep over them."

My grandparent's house was pitch black when we finally returned for the night. Their bedroom door was open just a crack as we tiptoed past so we had to be extra careful not to bump into each other or anything in the hallway. I had to cover Nora's mouth as she giggled when my grandfather snored.

"Be quiet. Nana has ears like a fox," I hissed under my breath.

Once we were in the guest room, I gently shut the door and collapsed into the cot. "I think I can sleep for the next hundred years."

Nora already had her pajamas on when she whispered back. "I don't ever want to go to sleep. I might wake up and this will all be a dream."

Sighing, I slipped out of my waterlogged clothes so that I was just in my bra and underwear. Nora's eyes widened and she looked away. "Move over. I'm sleeping in the bed with you tonight."

"Wh-why?" She sputtered. "The cot is right there."

"I know the cot is right there. But I'm cold and both of our bodies will help keep the heat in much better than if I was sleeping alone. Now move over."

She finally did as she was told. To my surprise, her bed was already nice and warm as I crawled in under the blankets beside her. She flinched when my bare feet touched her leg.

"Jeez Louise, Laney! Your feet are freezing!"

"What do you expect? The ocean was cold. It's the Atlantic. It's not exactly the warm Pacific that we're familiar with back home. Now shut up. You're warm."

She sighed as I cuddled into her. "I don't see how me shutting up has anything to do with me being warm-"

"Nora. Just go to sleep."

This time she finally gave in and cuddled back into me, her entire body enveloping me with warmth. "Fine. Goodnight Laney. And thank you....for everything."

I was back on to her so she couldn't see the smile that had spread across my face as she breathed onto my neck and held me closer to her. "You're welcome, Nora. Goodnight."
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AT LAST! MY BABIES HAVE KISSED!

I LOVED writing this chapter. I'm not sure what it was like for you guys but to me it was like a sigh of relief and a moment of "finally". So I'm very happy with the way this chapter turned out and I hope you readers do too.

I finished reading Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda not long ago and my god what a beautiful story. Though I've never heard of it until Love Simon came into the spotlight, PWTP is a lot like it in a lot of ways. It's based on budding romance and friendships and I'm so glad that I read Simon Vs. It's  beautiful story and I highly recommend it. I haven't seen the movie yet but I'm definitely going to check it out once I can.

What was your first kiss like? If you've had one that is. Or are you like me and going to be forever alone? Let me know in the comments! Leave a vote as well because both are always greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading!