Novel & Cerita The Day I Kissed An Older Man

I moved closer to him and tilted my face to the other side so I could suck the other corner of his mouth. Although his scruff rubbed against my skin and set it aflame, the kiss was an intoxicating spell. And with each lick, the memories I had in the captivity of the old man I was sold to began to fade away. Only the memories of this kiss remained, becoming stronger and stronger, overlapping any other happy memory I had in my life so far.

It was only that night, when I accidentally overheard his conversation with his friends, that I was abruptly awakened to reality. I finally realized that, to Gilbert, this wedding was nothing more than a performance he was putting on for my sake. At that moment, he suddenly leaned in close, just like he always did, to kiss my forehead. However, as he approached, I caught a whiff of a familiar freesia scent. That was Cheryl Manning's usual perfume. The image of Gilbert kissing Cheryl under the night sky earlier flashed through my mind. Instinctively, I turned away from the kiss. Gilbert froze for a second and asked, "What's wrong?"

I meant every word. Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed her chest. She pulled back and slapped me, tears welling up in her eyes. "Don’t do this to me. I’m scared I might fall in love with you. "You’ve been on my mind since I last saw you. But why? Why would I fall for my son’s friend?" Hearing this, I felt my resolve strengthen. I held her tightly. "Is it because of the age difference?" Seeing Claire nod, I pressed, "Does that really matter? If we care about each other, why should age get in the way?"

The memory burning. “I wish you'd just died that day when you were ten. I wish they never revived you.” And then there was what Daniela had said when she agreed to go out with him. "Adrian, you passed my test. Now I believe you're really over that deaf girl. You and me. A date." Every single sentence felt like a needle piercing straight through his chest, and the pain was bone-deep. Adrian's vision went dark, and his mind suddenly jumped to that day at the mall.

A sign in the window read ALTERATIONS DONE WELL, the paint faded unevenly, like the sign had outlasted several owners before landing with whoever ran the place now. I stood outside longer than I meant to. Through the glass, an old man sat bent over a sewing machine, grey haired, broad shouldered despite his age, working with the particular economy of someone who'd done the same motion more times than he could count. I didn't go in that day. I walked past twice more over the following days before I let myself actually open the door.

“Umh…” The man opened his arms as if telling me to hug him immediately. I walked over hesitantly and hugged the old man. That old man was a grandfather I had never met before, and this really made me feel so nervous. The man stroked my hair so gently. He kissed the top of my head and stroked it fondly. “You used to be so small and petite, now you’re a pretty and sweet girl like your mother,” she muttered. “Erm… what happened to your cheeks, Katherina?”

But the second our eyes met, everything came rushing back, and my throat suddenly dried as a lump formed in it. I remembered his large, warm hand sliding over my bare back, dipping down just barely under the low back of my dress. I remembered the way my heart fluttered when he whispered how beautiful I was in my ear and the shiver that went down my spine as his warm breath brushed against my neck. I remembered his lips running up my neck as he whispered that we shouldn’t do this, before I… I kissed him. I kissed HIM. Oh, God. “I would never call you old, Spitfire. I value my life more than that.” He said, and I blinked several times to refocus my sight before leaning away from him.

Did he have to be so damn sarcastic? “I don’t go kissing everyone, okay? It was the first time I tried a thank you kiss, but I guess you’re too old for me to connect to.” I knew I was yelling, but I wanted to drill it into his head. I didn’t desire him. He laughed instead of getting annoyed with me. “Old and experienced enough to please you better? You’ll see.” With that, he opened the door and locked it after him, leaving me gaping with flushed cheeks. What did he mean?

He laughed, “He’s 20? Oh no Poppy! He knows nothing about how to treat a woman! “What do you mean?” I asked, confused. “Well, like how to kiss....young guys have no idea,” he said. “I don’t know, I liked the way he kissed me," I said. “Have you kissed many men? Or only boys?” he asked. “Umm...no, just boys,” I said shyly. I noticed he was now gently rubbing my bare shoulder while we were talking. I guessed the drinks had me feeling a little uninhibited, as the touch of his fingertips made me feel kind of good. I felt flattered that an older, very attractive man was giving me this kind of attention.

All the men that had been invited as guests were middle aged, and each one of them had a woman possessively beside them. After a while, she took in a deep breath and expelled it, moving out of the bathroom. She started the slow walk back towards Mirabel and her boyfriend when someone suddenly moved in front of her. She recoiled and started to scream, but the sound died in her throat when she looked up at the face. It was the guy she had kissed in her college cafeteria few weeks back. Her assaultee, if that was a word.