Strangers Like Us

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Tearing away from the quizzical brown eyes that peered into mine as their gaze soon traveled to my lips; breathing out a rumbling sound as if it were a natural response when met with that newly formed seductive grin. My bottom lip became a fixture right between my teeth, trying to keep the memories of the kiss there before logic could set it.

And when it did, I ceased all actions as my brow returned to a furrow.

None of this made sense, ESPECIALLY the glaring red flags that were screaming “stranger danger”! This woman was a stranger. An unfamiliar human who had gotten incredibly familiar with the workings of my mouth. More than anyone whom I had ever kissed before.

Fuck, me…. It was a good kiss…

Catching her glance between my racing thoughts, my frown deepened at the unbothered attitude I was met with due to my sudden silence. As if I was the one in the wrong here, and not the random woman who slapped her lips onto mine with no rhyme or reason. Her supple lips that formed along mine, kisses that reached depths that I could not previously fathom. The desperate breaths escaping into the air as one kiss slipped into the next. Possessive fingers weaving through strands of hair, urging me closer.

Deeper…

Urging for more.

I REFUSED to believe that I was the only one affected by this. By the small pulses of her pupils, I could tell that moment was equal parts euphoric and exploration for her as well.

It was her, standing there gas-lighting me with an unbothered stance that really pissed me off.

“What the hell?”

I repeated, shouting at my hormones for betraying me. My skin buzzed at the idea of sweeping her into my arms again, craving more of those sweet lips. The whole ordeal twisted my body in knots as my thoughts were pounded into submission by the big question:

Who was this woman?

“Sorry.” That infuriating shrug made an appearance again. “I saw an opportunity and I took it.”

Was she saying that I look easy?

“Umm,” unbridled anger threatened to erupt at the sound of those words. I tried my best to keep a cap on it, but my hold was shaky. “What do you mean… opportunity?”

There it fucking was again. More shoulder slumping and my question remained unanswered.

Fumbling with the withered bag strap on her shoulder, my rage was temporarily distracted. The messenger tote appeared heavy, straining as it hugged the huge lump that sat at the bottom. Between the shrugging and my rage, I soon realized that her movements might have been a way of weight distribution. With that internal conclusion, there was a small part of me that wanted to reach out and relieve the understood ache but, logic kept my hands fixated at my sides. As soon as she noticed my curiosity on the bag, she abruptly closed the flap.

“Nothing, I—” her fingers reached to rub the back of her neck, searching for words. “—Just sorry for what I did. I mean, it is not normal to randomly kiss strangers.”

Yeah, no shit Sherlock. Fairly sure that it is common sense to keep one’s lips to them self.

The urging fire— stoking embers within my core as I reflected on that kiss— caused my cheeks to redden with passion and embarrassment. There was no logical explanation for the craving I felt when my eyes fell on this woman’s lips again, threatening to find myself falling back into their seductive embrace.

So, I decided to distract myself with corny humor.

“You know, airport security will ABSOLUTELY ambush you if you are caught with any funny business in that heavy bag of yours.”

As if time grew to a screeching halt, I saw a mixture of horror wash over her face, searching my eyes to see if I was joking or not. That small notion gave me pause, a blink and you’d miss it moment that was soon replaced with merriment when she found the answer. She laughed and the butterflies that erupted in my stomach made internal notes for me to make her laugh again.

“Oh, I’m stupid,” she smiled, extending her hand. “But you can call me Kay.”

Our fingers intertwined within that handshake, and it felt like an eternity with her palm in mine rather than a mundane activity.

“I’m Grecia,” my plain smile spoke, so sure my cheeks were set ablaze upon noticing that she was still holding my hand.

And I sure as shit wasn’t planning on pulling it away.

“That’s a beautiful name. So, what are you here for?”

I had almost forgotten the reasoning for my flight. Hell, still disoriented from the kiss, I barely remembered I was at the airport in the first place. Slipping my hand away—against my earlier desires— my fingertips caressed the boarding pass that was nestled in my other hand. “Germany”, the ticket blared but, what it should have said was “your new life”. New place, new country, unfamiliar territory and the reasoning behind it all:

“I… umm… am visiting an old friend in Germany…”

Yeah, old friend…. Aka, the ex who I’ve been off and on again with and somehow convinced me to consider moving countries?

RIIIIIGHT, and the reason for that was… I had a midlife crisis and thought I’d be alone forever.

Can you even get a midlife crisis at 35?

Adjusting the collar that began irritating my neck, I could tell that the redness along my skin was growing. My words hit the air, weighing it down like a cinder block.

“I’m thinking about moving there to… umm be with him.”

I have no idea why I felt the need to explain myself to her…

The shift was instantaneous, and silence never grew so quickly. Taking an awkward step back, Kay’s fingers distractedly fumbled around the leather strap of the bag; no longer looking at me. My gaze shifted also, trying to catch anything but the disappointment on Kay’s face. What I noticed instead, left me speechless.

Bills. Stacks and stacks of fresh, crisp, green bills. A bag engulfed with dead presidents; smiling at the accumulation of their brothers. When her gaze followed mine, horror plagued her face as Kay quickly shut the bag.

At that moment, it all made sense. The way her eyes darted around, lighting up when they found an exit. The hidden urgency I felt in the kiss, masked by the intriguing build of passion while it lingered on.

So, what should I do?

The answer was obvious. Find a security guard and turn this girl in. It was none of my business what happened to her, nor did I want to be involved in something that was clearly illegal. I had no business with Kay, even if my body language screamed the opposing nature. I needed to get onto this plane, forget this encounter, and go about my life as I planned it to be.

But I made no steps towards my gate, or in search of an officer. Frozen in place, my fingers wrapped around my passport, clinging onto this supposed desired future.

My eyes had scanned that picture countless times, in the weeks it took for me to update it. Prim, pristine, neatly coiffed with not a hair out of place. The flashing camera stilled an image that I hardly recognized. Creating a sense of permanence in this new role that I felt was necessary to take. This idealized version stole my look, my dreams, the goals I once craved to pursue, burying them into a meaningless pile of memories I would, undoubtedly, gaze upon with malice and regret. This vision was the “me” that I needed to become for this relationship to thrive.

Glancing up at the nervously shifting body before me, caused a small tingle of delight to burn throughout my frazzled thoughts. It made no sense but, the moment that I came into Kay’s presence, it unlocked a part of me that I hadn’t visited in what felt like forever.

“I already know.”

“Huh?” The deep rumble of a surprised sound caused my heart to quicken and a delighted buzz to emit in various parts of me.

“Your little secret,” I pointed at the bag. “I already know.”

Blinking rapidly, she stood there and glanced over at me. I am sure she was trying to figure out if I lost my mind and to be fair, it wasn’t in the realm of impossibilities.

“So, if you know, why haven’t you raced off to tell someone? Why bother conversing with a common thief?”

Lifting my shoulders into a brief shrug, that nonverbal answer caused a small smile to appear on her lips. My eyes fell to them, stepping forward to close the distance between us.

“Plus, I think with me kissing you, I may have committed myself as an accomplice.”

I was rewarded with a sultry smirk, arms sliding around my waist as she tugged me closer. A delighted giggle broke from me, as my eyes reconnected with hers and my lips suddenly followed suit. The kiss was brief as we were suddenly interrupted by a rushing crowd, pushing down the halls, more than likely trying to find their gates. Interlocking our fingers, pulling Kay away from the masses, laughter our guide as we traversed on our own adventure, unsure of what the would come our way.

Oh well, I welcomed the adventure and the chance to rediscover myself.

Rome wasn’t built in a day.