When You Kiss A Stranger

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When you kiss a stranger, it will be completely unexpected. Or, because you’d been exchanging flirty little glances all evening, you will know exactly when it will happen, and how. When you kiss a stranger, he will make the first move, and you won’t even be sure you wanted him to until his lips have met yours. Or, you will be the one to lean forward and rest your hands on his shoulders, or touch his chin, or grab his hair; your boldness will amaze and excite the both of you. When you kiss a stranger, he will ask for your permission to do so, and you will say yes and smile. Or, he will sneak up on you and catch you unaware, and you’ll contemplate pushing him away but eventually decide not to. When you kiss a stranger, it will be different—the novelty will send shockwaves up and down your spine. Or, you will taste a bizarre familiarity on your tongue, as if you had done this before.

When you kiss a stranger, you will be inebriated, and you will wake up the next day not remembering a thing and blaming it all on the alcohol. Or, you will be surprisingly sober, and your heart would have recorded every choice you had made the previous night. When you kiss a stranger, his hands will feel wonderfully warm on your neck, on your back, on your waist. Or, his hands will find yours and your fingers will intertwine, and you’d remember your first boyfriend, or that disastrous movie date you had with that guy with the frozen palms. When you kiss a stranger, you will open your eyes just a little bit to peek at his face, this beautiful odd face that is not yet a part of your life. Or, you will keep your eyes tightly shut against the distraction of imagining a future with him.

When you kiss a stranger, it will be by the dying light of a bonfire in the middle of the woods. Or, it will be at a party at someone’s house’s basement, with fluorescent dance pop sweetness radiating from everyone’s skin. When you kiss a stranger, you will be alone, and it will make you feel safe. Or, you will be surrounded by other people, and it will make you feel brave. When you kiss a stranger, you will call your best friend, and tell her every single detail, and giggle like a high school girl. Or, you will keep it a secret, clutched close to your chest, because you’re way too old for this.

When you kiss a stranger, he will ask for your number and buy you dinner. Or, he will forget your name. When you kiss a stranger, it will lead to so much more; it will be the start of something shiny and new. Or, you will never see each other again. When you kiss a stranger, you will end up falling deeply in love. Or, it will be just that—a kiss from a stranger, and that will be enough.

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image – Christine Roth