Designed for updates, bits of undeniable wit, unasked for wisdom and story scraps.

Currently Available Books

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Sweet Innocence (Pt I)

Curtesy of Google Images
This is a project that has been calling me lately. I can feel it, bugging at me. I'm not sure if I'm ready to finish it though.

Anywho, please let me know what you think. If you like it I have a "Part II" to post. If you hate it...well I don't think you will, so let's not go there.



Sweet Innocence
By Shannon A Hiner

He stalked his prey with deliberate steps. Adrian was sure this would be like every time before; find the enemy, kill the enemy, go home until another enemy came along. His breath showed in cold wisps of air. The days were getting warmer, but night could still freeze bones. His boots didn't make any noise as he walked. Nothing he did made noise, this is how it had always been. Adrian was a Hunter, his prey did not escape.

The forest seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. There had been a rainstorm during the day. Now the remaining drops of water caught light and reflected it everywhere. The sky far above was the deepest blue with stars glittering happily. He barely noticed any of this though, his attention was caught by the being that slipped through the shadows before him. He followed steadily, not attempting to gain ground yet. The Hunt was too enjoyable to end it quickly. Adrian smirked without any real joy. Is this what he had come to? The Hunt used to weigh heavily on his conscience, but after so many years he found delight in it. His senses were awakened by it. He felt alive when he was on the Hunt.

His prey sped up suddenly. He frowned, it must have discovered it was being followed. Inwardly, Adrian shrugged. It was no matter. The prey never got away. He quickened his own pace, making sure his foot falls remained silent. For minutes that seemed to prolong to hours he followed at the same rate. His prey was starting to tire though, and Adrian was gaining ground finally. Only ten paces ahead the prey suddenly stumbled, falling to a painful cracking sound. Adrian slowed to a near stop. In front of him the trees came to an abrupt halt and gave view to an icy expanse. Noting the chunk missing, and the water flowing under it, he knew it was a river. It looked to be a very dangerous river. Adrian had no fear of the frigid water, or of the lack of oxygen underneath. His only concern was the prey.

Muttering a curse, he stayed by the side of the river. The prey never got away. By now the prey was as good as dead, but you never know. Adrian was cautious when it came to the prey, they could not get away alive. If they did...he shuddered. He didn't really feel like chancing it, might as well find the body to be sure. Grumbling, he took off his long jacket and then his boots, tossing them a little ways from the riverbank. Without a second thought, he jumped through the hole already created in the ice.

Under the ice, the water was much colder than he had expected. His black hair soaked through and trailed behind him. He ignored the chill that attempted to seep through him, warmth could be found as soon as he had his prey. If only he could find the fool. He searched with his eyes, finding it hard to see through the murky water. He could feel the river pulling him downstream under the ice. He mentally swore and went with the pull. Soon enough, he saw the body of his prey floating along. The being had lost consciousness already. Adrian rolled his eyes, he could feel the being's heartbeat. It could still live. He must kill it.

He wrapped an arm around the being and then slammed his fist into the ice above. Anyone but a Hunter would not have done any damage, but his fist went through and he made the hole larger. Once it was big enough he pushed the prey through and tossed him to the riverbank. The river was trying to carry Adrian away from his hole in the ice. He swore once again in his head and reached for the hole. His hands clutched the sides as he shoved himself through. Once he was on the ice, he walked to the riverbank and examined his surroundings. He was about half a mile down from where they had entered the river. Grunting derisively, he turned to examine his prey.

Being thrown out of the water had awoken the being. Adrian noted with disgust that it was human. Like the others. Why was everyone on this god-forsaken planet, human? The scrawny human had dragged itself to its feet. It was shivering. Adrian could tell it was getting on in years, it was just about to enter 'old age'. It's long pepper gray hair was drawn back into what had been a neat tail. Adrian was nearly sure it was male, many times he had difficulties telling the difference in humans.

Remembering his duty, Adrian approached the being steadily. The human took note of this immediately and looked up. Instead of fear, it's eyes held a knowing that was beyond the mere years of mortals. It shook its head and held out a hand to ward off Adrian. He was caught off guard by the mortal's eyes, one was deep blue and the other was bright green. He had, of course, heard of such a combination...but it was highly rare among pure mortals.

"Of course, Sonny," the human spoke to him with a wry smile, "But I am not pure mortal."

Adrian's eyes narrowed, but he chose not to speak. The prey must be dealt with, no matter what being he was.

"No, Sonny, I'm afraid not. I would normally kill your kind on sight, but it seems I have a debt to you now. Though your reasons are dark, you just saved my life."

"Only so I could kill you." Adrian's voice was low and came out as more of a dangerous purr.

The prey shrugged, "As I said, dark reasoning...You still did it. Therefore," the human smiled, it was most alarming, "I shall have to return the favor."

Adrian's eyes narrowed harshly, "It is not my life that is in danger-mortal."

"You still have light in you, Sonny. You may think you are all darkness, but your remaining light shines forth clean and pure. It will be swallowed soon, I can save that."

"I am in no need of light." Adrian stepped forward to end the Hunt, he no longer was receiving joy from this. He was nearly upon the human when a brilliant light blinded him.

He heard the human's voice, "Remember Adrianus, this is for your own good." In the next second there was a whisper in his mind that would be forgotten in the struggle,
Go north.

Adrian couldn't see anything and suddenly a dizzying power sent him hurtling backwards through the air. He hit a tree trunk and suddenly pain filled his entire body. His organs were boiling and his bones were breaking. Everything went black.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Scrap! Emotion practice...

This is a character exercise I wrote for my Advanced Creative Writing class. The point was to demonstrate anger, sadness, loneliness, and tiredness without actually saying that was the problem outright. The practice was good because it helped me to explore all the way our emotions effect us.

As for the format of this exercise, it was suggested by the textbook at the time. It's a little odd, but I had a good time with it.

At least three of the characters used here are directly from the Immortal World series, can you guess who is who?

What's The Time?



The sharp clicking of her boots hitting the sidewalk was the only sound that came from her. Her fingers curled into her palms, making white knuckled fists. The tension seemed to be building just between her shoulder blades. Heat like the blue of a fire built in her temples and then dropped behind her eyes.

“Excuse me, could you give me the time?”
Swinging on the person, she surveyed the stranger with a dangerous scowl.
The person took a few steps back, clearly reading the danger he was in.
She turned back to the sidewalk then and resumed her pace. Again her heels clicked against the concrete, reminding her of her destination…and why she had to be there. Damn him.


A vise seemed to have wrapped around his heart. It must have been the only thing still holding him together. Glancing up from the sidewalk, all he saw was gray; the sky, the buildings, the road. His muscles felt heavy as he trudged forward. In his pant pockets, his hands trembled. He searched the faces on the sidewalks for signs, but had to look down again when it simply intensified the pang.
“Sorry, sir, but do you have the time?”
The stranger appeared hopeful, even encouraging.
He shook his head, more at the sight before him than at the question. He started walking again, neither caring for his destination, nor knowing it.


Emptiness. It was a hole inside that no one asked about, no one even saw it. Gnawing like a dog at a bone, the hole never faded, only grew. She sighed, watching the mist rise and curl into the air like a dragon. It dissipated into nothing, vanquished by the Knight Aire. Her small smile was shared with no one. Her shoulders caved just a bit. Ahead on the sidewalk a pair spoke and laughed together. The ache suddenly increased. One of her hands stretched out toward them, but she could not convince her feet to move any faster.
“Miss, could you please tell me what time it is?”
She turned and found herself facing a handsome stranger. He seemed weary and frustrated. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a watch.”
He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, “Nevermind.” He turned and continued down the sidewalk in the opposite direction.
She watched him go, holding back the words that would call him back.



His breathing was labored as he stopped at the corner to rest. The sidewalk was crowded today. Cutting in between the other figures had left his legs aching. An unsightly yawn took him over suddenly. He covered his mouth and indulged in it, blinking a few times at the end. Even as his heartbeat relaxed, the desire to lie down upon the sidewalk and sleep until the next day was strong. No time for that though, he had to be getting to the meeting. After a few deep breaths he was ready to start through the crowd again.
“Hey, do you have the-“
The end of the stranger’s question was unheard as he took off into the crowd. Looking back, he noticed the man’s annoyed expression. Mentally he shrugged it off, he hadn’t ignored the man on purpose.


(Bonus!)
The stranger watched the man running through the crowd. He passed the girl without a watch and nearly knocked down the man who had just shaken his head. He couldn’t see the glaring woman anymore, but he hoped she tripped this other man when he got that far. What was with people in this city? Didn’t anyone know the time? And why were they all so rude? Well, accept that girl without a watch. Why didn’t she have a cell phone to check the time?
He found himself scowling into the crowd ahead, unwilling to risk the indignity of asking the time again. Enough was enough.
Lengthening his paces he shoved past the other people on the sidewalk. Now they looked upon him as he was the rude one. He merely sneered back.

My notes: I felt like sad and lonely were too alike. It’s difficult to distinguish, I think, because lonely people are often sad. I tried to avoid inner monologue in sad, that would have told why he was sad. Angry was fun, and tired was either really easy or I did it wrong. I wrote the end because I felt bad for the guy who never got to know the time.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

One-Shot: Goodnight & Goodbye

First of all, not everyone knows what a one shot is. Therefore, compliments of Wikipedia: In the American comic book industry, the term one-shot is used to denote a pilot comic or a stand-alone story created to last as one issue.

As a writer of novels, not comic books, I have hijacked the term in order to describe a short story. A very short story. For example, a chapter at most.

This particular one-shot is my absolute most favorite I have ever written. Yes, I am very proud of it. It knocked around in my brain for quite a while before I felt the courage to try and write it correctly. I did it as a study on inner monolog, as well as exploring just how much of what is in our minds ends up on the surface.

I would rather not give any more background information, but if asked I will likely answer any questions posed.

Goodnight & Goodbye


All night.


That’s how long my eyes had been on her. Seeking her, following her, resting on her. What the hell is wrong with me? She’s my friend. We’re friends.

Just friends…

“Ahh!” I closed my eyes and turned away. Was it the Jager making my eyes burn, or her? Oh the impossibilities. How could I even hope to have her look at me the way I looked at her? Why did I do this to myself? Why did I throw her a birthday party?

Because I want her. God, I want her so bad.

I threw back the remaining contents of my red plastic cup. I couldn’t decide if I hated that cup and all it stood for, or if I still reveled in it. Fuck it, why not both? Shit. I need to stop cussing so much. Don’t ask me why…it seems like something she would say. And that’s all that really matters anyway, right?

Why couldn’t I get my mind off of her? How could she be special anyway? I could have any girl in this room. Except for her. Well, and the lesbian in the corner.

Inevitably, I turned and my gaze settled on her again. I had begun to think I had some sort of special radar. It was designed for one purpose, seek this one girl out. It didn’t matter that her eyes weren’t following me in return. Oh, who am I kidding? It mattered. Each time I found her and she wasn’t looking at me it was as if a knife was slipped between my ribs and then twisted.

So why look at her? Aside from the fact that it was almost physically impossible for me to resist the impulse, there were the times where she was looking back.

This? This was one of those.

For a moment I couldn’t hear anything, see anything. All I felt was the too loud thud in the center left portion of my chest. That thump seemed to be making its way up into my throat.

Suddenly, she grinned, straight at me, right into my eyes.

The roar of the room swept over me and nearly pulled me under. I felt the goofy grin twist my lips and I knew one moment of acute embarrassment. Wits? I had none when she looked at me.

Someone else commanded her attention and again I was left staring as she went on with life.

“Jaaackk!”

How can a person manage to whine and purr at the same time? I tried to ignore the petite blonde to my right. That plan seemed moot when she stood on her tiptoes to twine her arms around my neck. Fortunately, her 5’2” frame was still too short in comparison to my seventy-five inches. I looked down into her doe-like brown eyes and shook my head.

“Hi, Renee.”

“Hey, Jaaaack. Hey, which room is yours?” She caught my hand and tugged it toward the hall.

Unthinking, I stumbled along with her. Anything to get away from that room, before I turned and looked at-dammit. I did it again.

Again though, twice in a row…must be a record. Her eyes were on me too. What was that strange look? It’s not the first time her dark brows have drawn together at the precise instant her lips pucker. And then her eyes, damn it all, her eyes get that sad look! I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I know I wouldn’t like it if I heard it.

I resisted Renee’s pull at the last moment, still looking at the girl the party had been thrown for.

The blonde suddenly growled and despite the disparities in our heights, she seemed to be speaking directly into my ear, “Dammit, Jack. She’s never going to look at you like that. Don’t waste your time. Look at her, look at what she’s wearing and how she stands. Look at who she’s talking to here. Is she in jeans and a ripped t-shirt? Is she talking to any of your friends?”

I tried to swallow the sour sting of her words without wincing….Unsuccessful in yet another endeavor. I looked away and back at Renee. She wasn’t seething as her terse words had made me think. Instead she looked sad, and almost as if she actually cared. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought she didn’t just want to fuck…

“Her kind doesn’t mess with us, Jack.”

Suddenly I had to shove away from her. I needed a drink. I needed a lot of drinks. I needed to go outside and get some fresh air. I really needed some weed. Shit.

...

“Jack?”

Her husky voice drew me out of the stupor I had been slipping into. I started and turned around too fast. Her makeup had worn off a bit and her hair seemed a bit limp in comparison to earlier that evening. She looked tired. She looked perfect.

Again, the daft grin spread over my face.

She smiled back warmly and tilted her head. She looked at me as if I were a silly, but beloved puppy. In the back of my mind, I was annoyed by this. I wanted her to look at me as an equal. Never mind that I would have to act as one to receive such treatment. I didn’t have the brain cells available to work on that concept at the moment.


“Jack,” she said again. Was it just me, or did her lips seem to caress my name in the most heavenly and private way? “It’s late. I need to head for home.”

No. No she couldn’t go. I couldn’t let her leave.

She bit her bottom lip as I stared at her stupidly and then my attention was distracted again.

“Nah,” I said slowly, trying to piece together something that made sense, “It’s not that late…”

She smiled, condescending as if she spoke to a very small child. Her voice became patient and slightly amused, “Jack, it’s two in the morning.”

“Oh. Fuck.”

Her shoulders shook with silent laughter. Hmm, her shoulders…She had lovely arms. Odd, why hadn’t I noticed before? Why had I noticed now? Did it matter? No.

Wait, she was going. Shit. Mind on topic. Mind on topic!

“Thank you for the birthday party, Jack.” She hesitated.

Finally my brain caught up. She hesitated! That meant something, she wanted something, she had to say something, she wasn’t leaving yet! No more thoughts, I reached for her.

She grinned at me and stepped into my bear hug. I loved how tall she was. Only a few inches shorter than me, she fit perfectly in my arms. I rested my nose against her hair. Under the smell of liquor and weed, I could smell her simple, clean shampoo. I felt like I was drowning in heaven and closed my eyes to better savor the experience. In my rapture I barely noticed when she rested her cheek against my neck…until her breath hit my skin. I tensed and tried very hard to suppress the shudder. Oh God, I wanted her.

Just friends.

Don’t waste your time.

I pulled back suddenly, but not all the way out of her embrace. I could feel her hands resting against my back and couldn’t quite give up the sensation.

“Sky,” I managed to breathe out, “thank you for coming. Thank you. I’m sorry about the cops.”

She laughed, “Are you kidding? That was the best part!”

I couldn’t believe she thought so. She was probably just being nice, making me feel better. I wanted to kiss her. Never let go. Drown. Pulling me under.

My thoughts were confusing me and I wasn’t focusing on the fact that she still hadn’t pulled away. Were just standing in my kitchen, her arms around my waist and mine resting on her sides…staring at each other. If ever there was a moment to make a move, it was now. But I was too caught up in my own head, too far gone.


She shook her head. Did she seem disappointed? Was it just my imagination?

“Thanks again Jack.”

My throat constricted at the thought of her leaving and I had to hug her again, “Thank you.”

Thank you for talking to me, being my friend. Thank you for letting me throw you a party. Thank you for being beautiful and nice. Thank you for spending the whole entire day with me. Thank you-

“’Bye.”

No. No! “I’ll walk you to the door.” Anything for one more second. The door was ten feet away. I followed her like a lost puppy, staring at the back of her head. She opened the door. No. No!

I stepped out right behind her. Oh please, don’t leave…not yet…

She turned back. I nearly passed out from relief.

She smiled. I was definitely feeling light headed. Was I falling over? Why did her face seem so much closer suddenly?

I realized uneasily that I was leaning down to her, demolishing the last few inches of reserve. I pulled her toward me, amazed at my own boldness, for one last hug. She put one arm about my neck and hugged me very tightly.

After a few seconds I pulled back just my head and looked straight into her eyes. She met my stare with her sparkling, laughing eyes. But suddenly, they were serious. Her lashes lowered just a fraction, as if they had suddenly grown heavy. I ached in my stomach and my heart, my throat and my groin. I had to kiss her. I couldn’t resist it any longer.

I leaned forward again and she stared straight at my lips. She didn’t move away or protest. I could feel her uneven breaths.

My moment of clarity was so ill founded that I still cringe to think of it. This girl, this woman, was willing to reach down to my level. She wanted me. I knew it perfectly in that second. And I wanted her. She was willing to let me have a taste of that heaven…Even when she knew about the half hour in my room with Renee. And I knew she hated the drugs, was annoyed with the alcohol. I knew she was going to be great someday, well known and loved…while I would always just be Jack: the nobody from wannabe land. Why the hell did she want me? And why did I have to care?

Just friends.

Don’t waste your time.

Jack, it’s late.

My lips grazed her soft cheek and I pressed my nose against it as a consolation prize. I was doing the right thing.

As I pulled away I saw her eyes, dark and confused.

“Goodnight.” I whispered.

Her eyes met mine, searching, lost, “Goodbye.” She turned and walked toward her car.

I stayed just inside the door and heard her friend ask, “So, what’s up with you and Jack?”

Her voice was low, “Nothing.”

I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against the door.

Goodnight.

Goodbye.
~~~~

I forgot to warn about the expletives. I hope no one is offended, it was entirely in character for Jack, and I really couldn't edit them without losing an essential part of him.

What do you think?

Monday, May 9, 2011

When in doubt, start writing!

My Mythology teacher starting harping on politics again today. After 17 weeks straight of listening to her twist reality to suit her own warped opinions, I could not quite handle the stress of holding out anymore. Instead of bursting forth with my own speech of epic proportions (or turning homicidal maniac) I retrieved my notebook and started what I thought would be a character study.

Instead of that noble endeavor, I ended up writing a scene that has been bouncing around in my brain for quite some time. I'm rather fond of it, and I'm very glad I finally let myself have a go at it.

As for background, there isn't much. This is just a scrap that is half reality and half wishlist. It will be filed away on Sam (my computer) and looked at occasionally for my amusement. Sure, there's a chance it could develop into more, but only after some heavy editing. It's not entirely realistic at the moment, probably just some romantic frustration working its way free.

Without further ado;

Supply Closet Romance

Chapter 1: Crazy Girlfriends & Baseball Puns

“Oh, excuse me!” I stopped short before running into the man suddenly in front of me.
“Shh!” The noise hissed from between his teeth and he put a finger to his lips.
His reaction surprised me and I raised my head to get a better look at him. He stood a full half foot taller, but seemed to be trying to become one of the shadows that fell from the pillars that surrounded the room. His dark eyes were nervous, darting around the room and never quite resting on me.
I couldn’t help but be intrigued. I let my curiosity go in a way I generally avoided with strangers. “What the devil are you up to?”
“Shh!” he said again, “I don’t want my girlfriend to find me!”
My jaw dropped a little bit and the air rushed out of my lungs in a laugh.
He glared at me suddenly, “It’s not funny!”
I bit my lip, “Sorry. May I ask why?”
His eyes, a dark bronze I was delighted to note, were back to darting about the room. “Because she is insane.”
Despite my efforts I could feel the corner of my mouth twitching.
Somehow out of the corner of his eye, he noticed, “Not funny!”
I finally grinned, “But it is!”
His eyes flashed, really flashed, with annoyance. Then his teeth ground together, I could actually see it! Truth be told, I was paying closer attention to the details of his lips, which were quickly burned into my mind. They were only a slightly darker color than his face, but the lower was full and looked so soft. The upper was well-shaped and, though thinned by annoyance currently, seemed as though it was used to smirking. That was probably just my imagination speaking though.
Again I bit my lip, sadly unaware that I was staring at his mouth like a starving beggar.
I was equally unaware of his perusal of me. His eyes lingered on my throat, where the dragonfly pendant moved every time I swallowed. Admittedly, I had hung it directly there to draw attention. My self-denied obsession with vampires made me want to draw attention to my veins.
Anything would do, really.
Necklaces were a classic, but three-quarter sleeves and four-inch heels with capris also worked quite well. Even now as he stared there I could feel myself debating the likelihood of a vampire being here, at the convention. It seemed more likely that a female vamp would show up, but I wasn’t going to complain if she had dragged along her gloriously attractive mate.
We stood like that a few moments until a woman’s voice cut the strangely thick atmosphere like the Grim Reaper’s scythe. We both started and he moved deeper into the shadows.
He muttered a curse under his breath and scanned the crowd. I looked around with him but saw no women with Einstein hair or asylum wraps. I did see plenty of people dressed like the majestic undead. I would have laid odds that a vampire would look like a normal person in these crowds of harebrained humans.
Somewhere in the background I could hear an announcer advertising a set of workshops coming up in fifteen minutes.
I sighed, “Well, this is a terrible place to hide. Any madwoman would easily find you here.”
“Do you have a better idea?” He snapped, only glancing at me this time.
“As a matter of fact,” I smiled, “I do.”
His gorgeous eyes widened and he quickly looked at me, “Yes?”
My lips curved like the Cheshire cat’s smile, “Suivez-moi!”
He frowned. “What?”
I rolled my eyes, “Follow me!”
Ducking out of the shadows I made my way towards the side door I had observed earlier. Deftly, I weaved through the crowds, keeping my head down so as not to be recognized. I glanced behind me and saw that the young man was following me in much the same manner.
Out of the shadows I could see that he wore dark was loose jeans and a black T-shirt. I couldn’t tell what the white printing on his shirt said, but it looked like a typical screen-T. His shoulder were browad, but his torso was fit and tapered to a narrow waist. I remembered how much taller than me he had been and realized his legs were quite long. My mouth watered suddenly and I turned forward again.
I almost ran straight into a gaggle of preteen girls. I course-corrected immediately but my left shoulder brushed one. She turned to look at me and I winced. Her eyes got that really big, very anime look that I was now growing to expect.
“Oh, my, gawd!” She exclaimed.
I sped up, hoping my stranger would keep up. I could hear the girl whispering to her friends and the voices rising. We must have been almost twenty feet off when I finally heard them star shouting my name. I heard my stranger, closer to my back than I expected, mutter.
“This place is freaking crazy.”
I smiled with very little humor, but I didn’t slow. The noise was rising and I was just praying I could get the guy to the door and help him escape the coming melee. I hoped so for my own sake as well, without a protected environment and a security guard, meeting the admiring hoards was really not advisable.
Over my should I said, on the verge of breathlessness, “Almost there!”
He didn’t question my sudden rush, rather he seemed to appreciate it. I found out why as he suddenly caught up, his arm bumping mine. “Maybe we could make a run for it? I saw her!”
Even as I quickened my pace et again, I tossed a grin of him, “Some girlfriend huh?”
He pursed his lips, but not before I saw them twitch, just a little. His hands, I was surprised by how big they were, pushed at my shoulders, gently prodding me to hurry up.
When you’re surrounded so completely, it is very hard to run flat-out, but I think we were as close as we could have gotten. Above the rest of the shouts (mostly my name) I heard someone shout “Chris!”. My stranger swore and ducked lower next to me. In a last surge of ten feet we were at the door I had seen earlier.

My heart thumped in triumph as I tore it open and threw myself inside. My stranger followed directly after and I could hear the door slam shut.

In the total lack of light several impression hit me at the same time…in some cases; literally. Something large and warm knocked into me and I was slammed into what felt like a set of bars behind me. The air smelled of mold and bleach. A steady puff of cinnamon scented air kept hitting my ear. The big warm thing that had slammed into me was still pressed up against me.
I reached out my hands, trying to discover what it was. When my hands first skimmed the front of it I discovered it was also hard, without only a little give. It seemed to be covered in some sort of soft cotton fabric. As I moved my hands farther up, tying to discover how tall it was, the steady puff of air at my ear suddenly stopped. I stopped with it, worried I had set something off.

There was a sound I couldn’t quite identify somewhere in front of me. Was it a squeak or a grown? The object in front of me shifted closer.

My suspicions were rising rapidly, but as something brushed my side, very near my waist, I almost jumped straight out of my skin.
“Shh.” That sound was growing familiar.
I remembered the stranger finally and was glad for the darkness that hid my heated cheeks.
“Sorry.” I whispered. Outside the door was a cacophony of noise, but my whisper seemed loud in the small room.
“For what?” The cinnamon puffs had resumed at a slower pace, “Taking me to the supply closet? Or taking me to second base?”
I could hear the humor in his voice and I blushed harder, itching to smack him. Contradictorily, I also wanted to laugh along with him, and that really annoyed me. “Second base?” I could feel myself smirking now, “Please, that is so much better.”

“Oh,” he said in a low tone, I could almost swear I felt his lips on my forehead, “So we’re in a pickle?”

Softball in my early years had taught me enough terminology to appreciate his pun, “Dear heart, you aren’t even up to bat.”

His shoulder shook with quiet laughter, “Oh, I’m up.” Innuendo practically dripped from the last word.

I gasped in shock and then laughed out loud, “Okay! You win!”

“Hmm,” He said slowly, not giving up the game like I expected him to. “You don’t want to let me win too easily, do you?”

I felt something skim my sides again but this time I knew it was his hands. This time it was me who made that odd squeak-groan. I felt, rather than saw, his slow smile. He grasped my waist then and drew m against him I hadn’t thought it would be possible to get any closer in that closet, but he proved me wrong.

Something brushed my nose and I could smell the cinnamon more strongly now. The one thing I had been thinking of incessantly since the first moment I had seen this man, hut hadn’t even realized I was dwelling on then happened.

He kissed me.

The only thing I could think at first was how right I had been. His lips were soft. Then thought was no longer possible.
---
Well, if you like it or hate it, let me know what you think.