The Kiss

indignant, but slapped her friend’s shoulder playfully. “It may not be that good.”
    “Oh, it will all be perfect. Greg is your Mr. Right.”
    It would all be perfect. That was the perfect time for her to give up her virginity and her Greg was the perfect guy to take it.
    Eliza had been thinking about that night for a week, planning every last little detail of how she wanted her seventeenth birthday to be celebrated. She and Greg would dine at her favorite restaurant then drive back to his place for a nightcap. She’d much prefer it if they could go to her house, but there was no way she’d convince her Mom about that—not that she’d try. When they’d get to Greg’s place, they’d put on some soft music and light candles and then…that was as far as she’d gotten.
    She’d made sure to drop hints about her birthday plans to her boyfriend but hadn’t mentioned the nightcap. She wanted that and what would follow to feel spontaneous.
    ***
    Eliza and Greg had a wonderful time at the restaurant, even though he seemed to be trying to get through the four exquisite courses they were served as fast as possible. Once they were done with dessert, he looked at her with those soulful eyes and asked if she wanted to go somewhere for a drink. It was the perfect opening for her to suggest his place.
    The moment they came through the door, he asked what she’d like to drink. He got her the diet soda she asked for while she made herself comfortable on the couch. Their hands touched when he gave her the glass, and his fingertips lingered on her knuckles.
    Nervously, she took a sip from her drink before handing it back to him. “Not really thirsty.”
    He sat next to her, left the glass on the coffee-table, and smiled. In the next instant, his lips were covering hers, and he was shoving his tongue into her mouth. Eliza tried to respond to the kiss, but it seemed to hold no rhythm she could follow, so she just let her jaw go slack for him to kiss her as he felt like.
    He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her onto his lap. Not withdrawing from the kiss, he began rubbing her breasts hungrily over her top. She could feel him harden beneath her bottom, and that somehow gave her the courage to do what she did next. She pulled back, looked him in the eye, and licked her lips as sultrily as she could. “I want you,” she said.
    “Are you sure?” Despite his question, his fingers were already busy unbuttoning her top. He looked so vulnerable that she couldn’t change her mind.
    She nodded.
    She expected him to touch her when she was finally completely naked in front of him—expected him to let her see him. However, he laid her on the bed and turned off the lights before losing his own clothes. Then he slipped in next to her and pulled the sheets over them.
    She’d never contemplated the act of sex before. She knew the basics, of course, and had even seen pictures in the magazine Krista had found under Bill’s mattress—she’d laughed heartily at how her friend’s nose had wrinkled more with every image. Still, Eliza had never thought of actually doing it. She just imagined it would be something like what she’d read about in her mother’s romance novels. A merging of souls and bodies, something that would let her reach unprecedented ecstasy.
    Reality wasn’t anything close to what she’d read about. The act itself wasn’t horrible , per se—not like she had any experience to compare it to—but it felt…weird. Greg didn’t pressure her into anything; she was a willing participant. Yet she felt like everything was mechanical, awkward.
    He kissed her and immediately covered her body with his, guiding his shaft between her legs. “This may hurt a bit,” he said, nuzzling her cheek.
    When she said, “ I love you ,” he pushed into her in one hard thrust.
    The pain wasn’t splitting but it was there, and she was afraid it would only get worse if he moved right then.
    He didn’t, instead peppering her face with kisses. “Did I hurt you?”
    She shook her head, and he apologized for not taking things slower, saying that was the best way to not prolong the pain.
    When he started pumping his hips, she realized the pain had lessened but, if there was any ecstasy to be reached, it obviously needed more than the three minutes it took for him to grunt, shudder, and come inside her.
    He rolled off her, and she heard the sound of a drawer being opened. A moment later, his palm touched her lips.
    “Here,