Rook walks Arielle home (Friday, late afternoon)

[Cres]

[[cont. from the Don Valley]]

Rook had not dared to take Arielle's hand as he had walked her to her home. He thought his hands were too sweaty, and then again he couldn't tell what the girl would think, and he wasn't that brave anyway. He kept his hands in his pockets as they chatted some more about the short story, but when Arielle's home started to close in on them, Rook licked his lips and kicked a stone, getting a little nervous. He had never walked a girl home before.

"Uh, so, isn't this about where you live?" he asked, thinking they were pretty close to the address she'd mentioned. He kept his eyes firmly directed to the ground.

[Sharise]

Areille sighed. "Yes." She looked at Rook and then to her house, which they had actually stopped in front of. "Such a shame the evening's over."

Reaching out, she gently lifted Rooker's chin so that he was looking at her. "Aren't you going to walk me to the door?" She grinned and motioned towards the door.

[Cres]

Rook had to raise his eyes into the girl when she lifted his chin. He blushed a little at her question. He was sad to see the end of the evening as well, though he was beginning to think his heart couldn't take any more of this excitement.

"Oh," he looked over to the door. "But..." he lowered his voice a little, "won't your parents... well, I mean, uh..." He realised he didn't really have any excuse, and that he didn't really want to have, either. He smiled a bit uncertainly. "Uh, sure. Of course, I mean... yeah."

He took her arm and started to walk her toward the door, deep inside stiff with the terror of the thought that Arielle's parents might come open the door if they spotted their daughter coming home with a boy. What would he say? What would he do? Would her parents think badly of a boyfriend who fainted on their doorstep?

[Sharise]

Arielle smiled up at Rook when they stopped at her front door. She knew no one would come bother them. Her family understood the importance of privacy.

"So..." She looked down all coy like, trying to lure Rook in for a kiss.

[Cres]

Rook didn't really know what to do, and he found his hands were still sweaty. What should he do? He gulped and stepped a little closer, then hesitantly moved his arms forward as though to put them around her, then he lost courage and put them behind his back instead. He looked down. Should he try and kiss her? But what if she'd slap him? Or something? Rook was feeling faint in the head.

"Umm," he said, probably for the hundreth time that day. "So I'll... uh, can I, um, call you?"

[Sharise]

Arielle watched anxiously as Rooker fumbled over his words and actions. She was near the breaking point, when a very welcomed question had been asked.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Arielle stepped closer to Rooker and placed a hand on the back of his head. Without a word, she pulled him in for a kiss. And not a little peck.... a real, passionate kiss. She just hoped that answered his question.

[Cres]

Rook barely had the time to take a breath when Arielle's mouth closed on his. He tensed at first like a violin string, but when the sweet warmth and softness of the girl's lips pressed against his, his body melted into pudding. Without him noticing, his arms wrapped around the girl's waist and he pulled her closer, instincts stronger than caution, and though he was obviously letting her choose the pace, he answered the kiss the best he could.

Which was rather clumsy.

[Sharise]

The boy's lack of experience didn't bother Arielle. She was just pleased that he hadn't passed out.

Feeling a little daring, she parted her lips, allowing her tongue to flick out at Rooker's lips. She wondered if he'd catch on.

[Cres]

Rook nearly collapsed when Arielle's tongue darted out. He took in a quick breath and then realised he was squeezing her with his hands, and he decided to let loose, and then he realised he really needed a breath, and he snapped his head back. He almost panted as he looked down at her, his eyes very wide behind the glasses that had become smudged into loose locks of her hair. He could hardly see anything.

"Oh, my," he managed, letting his arms go from around her, and took his glasses off. He started to dig out a napkin from his pocket, to wipe the glasses. "I.... I'm sorry... I... I can't... I can't see anything."

[Sharise]

Arielle jumped. She hadn't expected the boy to move so quickly, or... awkwardly.

"Oh..." She looked up at Rooker, unsure of what to say. It might have been hard to believe, but that was her first kiss, and it was nothing like she had imagined. Not that she would ever admit that.

[Cres]

Rook didn't really know what he was doing. He fumbled out the napkin, cleared up his glasses and then carefully set them back on. Then he smiled nervously to Arielle when he put the napkin away.

"I'm... I'm sorry," he said, terrified he might have ruined it all. "I... I've never kissed anyone before. I mean, on the lips, like. Sure, I've kissed my mom, I mean, she wants me to kiss her every morning on the cheek before I go to school, but I never kiss her on the lips, of course, and I... uh, I don't really know what I'm doing." He blushed, then took Arielle by the hands, very carefully, shyly. "I... I would promise to practice for next time but I don't think..." He realised he didn't have anything witty in mind to finish that sentence so he paused again, quite flustered.

[Sharise]

Arielle looked up at Rooker. There was a bit of hope in her eyes as she chuckled softly. "Neither have I, Rooker."

She moved close to him once again, determined not to give up. "Besides.." She leaned up, her lips inches from his. "Sometimes I don't think either." With that she kissed him again. This time she took it slow and kept her tongue to herself. She's let Rooker set the pace from now on.

[Cres]

Rook was about to say something, when Arielle kissed him again. And then he really didn't think. He kept holding her hands, now on their sides, and he closed his eyes as the girl's lips touched his. He felt like his whole world was spinning. Not only did this girl not laugh at him or get angry with him, she actually kissed him again! Had he died and gone to heaven?

He knew nothing in the world except for Arielle and how good it felt, as he answered the kiss, tentatively, moving his lips through instinct rather than anything else. He was slightly intrigued over what she had done with her tongue earlier, but he held back from trying that back. He didn't quite understand it, and was afraid to make a fool of himself again.

He did hope she'd give him another chance later.

[Sharise]

Arielle's heart beat quickly as Rooker reciprocated the kiss. He was actually pretty good when he wanted to be.

Knowing that she couldn't stay in this moment forever, Arielle waited a couple of minutes before reluctantly pulling away. Her body remained close to Rook's as she looked up at him. "I had fun tonight. You better not deprive me of another date." There was a smile on her lips as the word 'date' slipped out. That's basically what this was, she just hoped Rooker agreed.

[Cres]

Rook felt like he was standing a couple of feet above the ground by the time Arielle ended the kiss. There was a bit of a stupid smile plastered over his lips as he looked down at her, hardly even comprehending her words because of the nice fuzzy afterfeeling of the kiss.

"Mmm, what, oh!" He tried to get the smile off but ended up grinning only more. The kiss had rather loosened the nervousness a little. "Of course. I'll, uh, call you. And you know, I don't mean it like they say it in the movies. You know, someone promises to call and then really they never will, because I couldn't do that kind of thing, I think it's stupid." He was fumbling again and decided to stop before he continued too long. "So, uh, I'll call you. Oh! though I don't think I have your number."