Robin at witlessdatingafterfifty shared this lovely post today, with the prompt of “Are there any similar paths you have taken or places you have chosen to be cuddling up to your loved one? Any memories of dangerous situations which may be written without much embarrassment, to share?”
Since Robin wrote about a steamy summer night, she roused these memories from my brain, and I thank her for inspiring me to write them.
Long ago, when we were kids, The Mister’s big blue house was where I spent much time with his sister, now my sister-in-law, Drew. When we were kids, The Big Blue House wasn’t air-conditioned. It was built in the late 1800’s and it would be the late 1900’s before air-conditioning would be added.
Now, Drew loves the heat, (I dunno, I love her despite her obvious flaws) so she never struggled to sleep in her attic bedroom, which could have been heated by Hell itself for the stagnant inferno that it was. Like me, The Mister did not love heat, and many a summer night, we sneaked down to the living room and lay under the fan. We’d fall asleep there, secretly, until we heard FIL’s alarm and then I’d creep upstairs to Drew’s room, walking on the edges of the steps, the way The Mister taught me. The Mister would go to the bathroom, and my now in-laws were none the wiser.
We often wonder if they ever suspected anything, but they never seemed to.
Now, we did not, as teenagers, fool around. We just didn’t. We loved one another dearly, and were good friends, but we didn’t do anything. We wanted to at times. On my end, I’d never make the first move, and on his end, well, he is three years older than me, and even as a kid, he was made with honor and integrity.
Years passed, things changed, we came and went. We still slept on the floor a lot. Truth be known, we spent a lot of nights in beds together, too. The timing was always off. We always seemed to be involved with other people, or we were worried that we’d ruin our friendship. It was sort of our thing to stay up talking in the dark, cuddling, and even stroking one another, but he didn’t kiss me until we were adults.
September 1997
I was 23, so he would have been 27.
We still took the floor in the living room, because it was still at least ten degrees cooler than the attic.
FIL said something about appropriate behavior, but The Mister laughed and said stuff about how we’d slept together a hundred times. Parenting adults is hard.
I had been kissed plenty well and good. I was no stranger to sparks, weak knees, tingly feelings, butterflies — all that good stuff.
But I am here to tell you, that when he kissed me, I nearly burst from the inability to describe how it felt. We almost set fire to the house. If we had set fire to the house, we probably wouldn’t have stopped.
At some point, we had to stop, because intensity. Neither of us wanted to be discovered going at it. Sexing in the floor of The Big Blue House was not appropriate behavior.
The events after this remain blurry to me. He’s better with the details. I did a walk-a-thon, there was a pig roast, I think I had a date? He left roses for me at The Big Blue House.
I was me, lacking romantic notions, thinking it was good we got that out of our systems. I didn’t want to make a big deal of it.
Letters continued to be written.
Months later, around Christmas, my girlfriends accused me of being in love with him. I continued to live in denial for a really long time.
I should be clear.
I had no intention of getting involved with this gorgeous man, my friend I loved, whose body I knew intimately. I was a commitment-phobe. I was an expert at withholding. I gold-medaled in withholding. I came close a few times, but inevitably, I freaked-out and found a way to ruin any promising relationship.
Letters continued to be written.
It was obvious to everyone that we were inevitable. How long can a person be your person without your own realization of it?
It would be another year before I realized I wanted nothing more than I wanted him, and almost another year before we married. I still don’t know how this happened to me.
And that kiss on the floor…it lingers still.
I wrote about kissing two days in a row, are you completely repulsed? Have you ever read anything more disgusting? Have you ever caught fire from a kiss?
joeyfullystated 
Actually thats pretty awesome you can remember in vivid detail. Congrats on making it this far!
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Thank you 🙂
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That must I’ve been some kiss. I don’t mind two days in a row, but if you share any additional details, I’m just gonna press ‘like’ and be on my way. Between you and Sammy and Maggie, I’m not sure who is going to get to me 🙂
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Noted.
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I think that was a lovely story and I thank you for sharing it! Sometimes the timing has to be just right…
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Thank you, I’m glad you liked it 🙂
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WOW!!! My computer is falling through the floor that has completely burned out from the HEAT emanating from said computer. What a kiss!!!! Put THAT in a romance novel, J!
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Haha, oh Luanne! Haha!
Thanks!
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This is a wonderful story! Sparks are fantastic, too. Glad you didn’t set the house on fire! 🙂
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Thank you, I’m glad you liked it 🙂
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What a wonderful post. Even I can remember what Love was. You have done Love Proud. Stay the course.
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I never kiss and tell!
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Wow, that’s so ladylike 😛
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You should consider becoming a romance novel writer ’cause you sucked me in the way a good novel does. I think it’s awesome that that kiss was so exciting, and that you didn’t rush and even hesitated getting involved. I was always in such a rush. I had a few exciting kisses, and as soon as I met my husband I acted like we should be married although we were early on in college. He always said to me, calm down, but I couldn’t for many reasons, the primary being how in love with him I was, but other more selfish reasons too like getting away from my controlling father. Hubby made me wait, and I begrudged every hour, but I am glad it turned out like it did, and I wish I had appreciated that time in my life more. Youth is wasted on the young (an original quote by me!)
Fondly,
Elizabeth
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Thank you, Fondly Elizabeth, I am currently writing a romance novel 🙂
I do think youth is wasted on the young, absolutely!
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Loved the story!
Mine isn’t as exciting, since I turned away from my husband the first two times he tried to kiss me.
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LOL I see you both won in the long run 😉
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Now this is a love story!! 🙂
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Thanks!
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That was a beautiful story – it sounds like something from a novel or a film! You’re both so lucky to have such a beautiful story to look back on , and I’m glad the Mister managed to get you over your withholding talents! 😉
I have to echo cardamon’s comments on writing a romance novel — exciting that you’re working on one now! Is it inspired by your story or completely different?
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Thank you, I’m glad you liked it.
No, it’s not about us, not at all.
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So sweet, Joey. There’s nothing I like more than a ‘well and true’ romance. Just lover-ly in every way 💖
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Thanks, Sammy! 😀
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I loved this story and this post. I knew you’d mentioned before just how many years it took for the Mister to kiss you, and now this explains it 🙂 I had a kiss that set me on fire last year. Adam and I had just met recently and while the first few kisses were sparky, this one was fire. We were sitting in his truck by the ballpark like teenagers. We also had to stop because of the intensity, but this kiss ruined our plans to take things slower, that chemistry was just undeniable.
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You know how I feel about chemistry! 🙂
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I sure do!
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This is a remarkably wonderful story, Joey. Life took you and the Mister exactly where you should be, slowly and surely and WHAM! Now that’s a solid foundation, my friend.
My dear wife Karen and I kissed for the first time in New Jersey, where we went as friends to both lend support to a third friend of ours who was there to donate a kidney to her uncle. The night before the operation we all went out to dinner, went back to her uncle’s house and … our lives were changed that night 12 years ago. It took a little time for the relationship to really start. Two weeks. We started to look for the Little Bitty together just a half year afterward.
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Thank you for sharing your story, Mark! Blink of an eye, twelve years, two weeks, whatever — it happens 😀
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I came late to the romantic steamy post you wrote, Joey. I was at my girlfriend’s house helping her to frame a picture I did for her nephew’s baby room. I was busy and I nearly missed this wonderful story. But, of course, I BELIEVED IN YOU! You mentioned you were inspired on my post. I absolutlely love that you fell in love with your good friend, Drew’s older brother. You waited years to discover he was a mighty fine (wow….HOT!) kisser! I loved how you wrote this and built to the end.
You “did me proud” and beat my boring night on the balcony!! ha ha! So happy you also gave me credit. Thank you very much and I am honored to have been featured on your blog, Joey. Have a wonderful life and weekend, with the Mister. Now, I know… why your smile keeps on going…. hee hee!
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I love this story Joey! A whole bunch. 🙂
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