Monday, January 2, 2012

3rd Annual No Kiss Blogfest!!

Alright, so for the past three years the lovely Frankie, has hosted the No-Kiss or Almost-Kiss blogfest. Where writers get to post a scene where their characters share an almost kiss. I've participated in the past two, and seeing as it is tradition had to participate in the third. Below is my meager contrabution. I advise however that you head over to the reliable Mr. Linky and read all the posts that were composed especially for today, or sign up yourself it is never to late.

I hope everyone's New Year has gotten off to a nice start, enjoy the lack of kissing!!

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Caleb glanced at the propped door, to anyone else it would have looked closed but he could see the thin piece of tape protruding over the lock, holding it down just enough so someone could get in and out of the room with ease. He glanced at the plaque next to the door: Roof Access Employee’s Only.
A small smile tugged at his lips, she had said she’d wanted to watch the fireworks tonight and what better place than to watch them from the roof. His eyes darted up and down the hallway, he didn’t see anyone so he slipped open the door and headed up the rickety stairs, pausing at the top fixated with awe.
He could see her through the tiny sliver of window, his hand hovering over the doorknob to the rooftop. She was perched on the ledge, one leg folded up against her stomach the other bouncing back and forth against the brick of the building. The sky was molting, shedding its crimson glow for the deep blue shimmer of night. All he could think about was how beautiful she looked against the tapestry of the night. The light was refracting through her hair just so, giving her auburn curls an unearthly glow. He watched her for the longest moment, her shoulders shook ever so slightly and even from a distance he could see her hand trembling as she ran it through her hair. He loved that nervous habit.
He had never seen her like this, open and unguarded, he’d come to the roof expecting to find Teagan the girl who never let anything get to her, and instead he’d stumbled upon a creature he had never seen before, a vulnerable, trembling, girl who appeared to wear her heart on her sleeve. For a moment he was tempted to leave, to let her be alone, but he couldn’t.
Her head snapped up at the sound of the door opening, she wiped her hand under her eyes removing the last trails of tears from her cheeks. Any moment she expected to hear someone hollering at her to get down, that she wasn’t supposed to be up here. She braced herself listening as the footsteps got closer and closer. She did not expect a warm jacket to be draped around her shoulders.
“You know, coming up here in a tank top and shorts will get you sick.” Caleb said, collapsing down next to her dangling both his legs off the ledge. She was tempted to remove his jacket from her shoulders and cast it down over the ledge, but she had been slightly cold. She didn’t respond, watching him from the corner of her eye, when he looked away she tugged the jacket closer, pulling in the warmth and his smoky, earthy scent.
“How’d you find me?”
“Well, I saw the tape on the lock—cute trick by the way, what’d you do swipe a key off the cleaning lady when she wasn’t looking open the door, rig it, and put the key back, with her none the wiser?”
“Something like that,” the corners of Teagan’s mouth turned up in a smile, her thoughts drifting to her brother and how he’d taught her to pickpocket.
“Why up here?”
“It’s quiet up here, nice. And the fireworks are going to start soon, its best to watch fireworks from rooftops.” She shivered as a quick burst of wind brushed by them. Caleb inched slightly closer, so their hips were just touching.
“You cold?”
“A little, nothing I can’t handle though.” She forced a smile.
“Teagan are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”
“I’m fine, really just needed some air.”
“Teagan,” his velvet voice wrapped itself around her, just the sound of her name made her stomach do back flips in her chest. He reached out for her, one hand resting on her damp cheek turning her emerald gaze upon him, the other falling gently on top of her upturned palm entwining his fingers through hers. Immediately her pulse skyrocketed, he was close too close. But she wanted him close, wanted to pull him to her and become wrapped in his smell, have her hands in that brown hair, lips pressed against his.
Caleb leaned in, his lips pursing as though pausing over a word before opening just slightly as he leaned in, eyes closed. Teagan could almost feel his lips against hers they were millimeters apart all she had to do was lean in. lean in and let his soft lips crash against hers, let them pull her out of her own way and remind her what it was like to feel something again, to have passion running through her veins.
She wanted to become lost in him. To forget everything and everyone and for once just do what she wanted, what she felt was right. His thumb stroked the side of her cheek, waiting patiently for her to sink into him. She tilted her head, her lips parting, and for a moment everything felt right. But being with Caleb would never be right.
He didn’t know. He didn’t know that the boy he blamed for his sister’s death was her brother. That she had lost not only her best friend to a horrid act of violence but her twin as well, that each day they traveled together she was searching for a way to clear her brother’s name, to prove that he had died a hero, not a murderer.
No one would listen. No one would understand. Especially not Caleb.
She yanked herself away, tumbling backwards onto the hard rooftop.

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I'm apologizing now for any typos or errors in general I literally just pumped this out and haven't gotten to proofread it yet. I hope everyone is enjoying the kiss-less day so far and I cannot wait to read all the entries! Have fun!

11 comments:

Amalia Dillin said...

Ohh. That added tension and conflict of Mike thinking her brother killed his sister is an interesting twist!

Frankie Diane Mallis said...

Oooh lots of tension and intrigue...I really liked it. Thank you so much for posting!

Larissa said...

Aw! Great tension!

Loralie Hall said...

Oh wow. I love the big reveal at the end, and all the tension leading up to it. So engrossing.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

I really liked the way you set the scene on the roof, and you sure gave her an impossible situation. Well done.

Anonymous said...

I wonder how her and Mike came to be traveling together. Such a tough situation. I hope she proves her brother's innocence and finds out that Mike is more understanding than she gives him credit for.

Anonymous said...

Murder makes romance a bit hard, especially if these are teenagers.

Poor girl.

Then again she might take the icepick option (20 pts if you get the reference).

I did like the whole fireworks on the rooftop bit. A nice contrasts to the characters emotional turmoil.

1000th.monkey said...

Very interesting. I did find the switch in perspective to be quite jarring, though.

Anonymous said...

I didn't expect that at the end. I don't blame her for pulling away, although I wish the kiss happened.

WritingNut said...

Ooh.. great tension and a surprise ending! Awesome job :)

Unknown said...

Ooh! I want to know what happens next. :)

So sad I missed the No-Kiss Blogfest this year. I always love it so.