Topic: Our Pasts Make Us Who We Are -- Harvest Festival-- The Dance

Alystelle

Date: 2011-06-17 16:09 EST
Alys slowed her steps to allow William and Mara to catch up, now that the barn was in sight. Once the two were next to her, she looped one arm through Mara's, forced a smile upon her face and jaunted along in a seemingly happy fashion.

She knew Danny wouldn't be back yet since he had to let his hair dry first but that didn't stop wide blue eyes from glancing about with a cursory glance to spy him out. She was surprised when she saw Mrs. Brooks. Her brows furrowed slightly and as she glanced over at Mara she mouthed the words, "Where is Danny?" Since he had left with his mother, she figured he would still be with her. She was worried now because of the abrupt way they had separated just moments after her confession. Was he thinking right now and deciding that he didn't feel what he thought he did. Did he decide that maybe she wasn't worth all of this trouble? Was he now worried that her father would confront him? She sighed heavily, nibbling at her lower lip as all of these doubts ran through her mind. Her poor self esteem made it next to impossible to believe that maybe he really did care about her despite all of the obstacles in their way.

Alystelle slipped her arm from Mara's and smiled slightly as her friend squeezed her hand. Her father had seen the three arrive and she didn't see the dark look upon his face that was usually a precursor to a beating. She knew he would never show that face amongst their friends and acquaintances, so she didn't relax her guard at all. Despite the fact that the Brooks family knew, most people in their small farm community only saw the public face of Mr. Makayen. They saw a generous, hard working, God fearing man that took care of his family and friends. Most of them would never believe there lived a monster behind that smiling facade. They wouldn't be able to comprehend the sickness that compelled the man to do the atrocious things to his daughter that he did. The only reason the Brooks' adults knew the little they knew about the mistreatment of Alystelle was because Mara had mentioned hearing Mr. Makayen hit the girl. Had they known the full extent of the abuse and they probably would have stepped in to help. Alys told no one, even her brothers didn't know the real horror she lived.

She was pulled along by Mara, who followed William, and found herself settling onto a metal folding chair next to the dancing area. A sweet smile was offered up to Mara who was still standing at the edge of the dance floor, staring over at William who was staring back at her. She nudged her friend with her bare foot as she whispered in a conspiratory fashion, "you should go ask him to dance, Mara. He likes you and I know he would say yes." Of course, the talk of dancing only made her think of Danny again, there was no reprieve. Cerulean pools shifted past her best friend to rest upon the entrance to the barn as if staring at the door could draw him through it. She sighed softly as the band began to play a lively little tune, definitely not feeling so upbeat at the moment. She watched Mara walk towards William and despite the funk she had been allowing herself to wallow in, she found herself smiling at the pair.

Daniel Brooks

Date: 2011-06-19 00:11 EST
The saying "a watched pot never boils" was never so appropriate as it was in this instance. Of course Danny wouldn't be walking through the entrance when she was watching it, but the moment her eyes left to follow Mara then in came the young Daniel Brooks; not only was his hair dry, but he had gone home for a change of clothes to better suit a dance. He wore his nicest button-down green shirt and a pair of dark slacks with formal shoes. Maybe it wasn't really attire worn for informal barn dances, but Danny had other things on his mind tonight, and he wanted to look his absolute best.

One hand was kept hidden behind his back as the other made sure the front of his hair was pushed neatly to the side. Usually he wore his hair as it fell in the morning with only a few adjustments made, but this evening it was combed as he tried to present himself better. A few smiles and nods were handed out for friends and acquaintances, but forest green eyes kept moving back to Alys and he was reserving the true brilliant smile for her. As he made his way toward her he did spare a glance toward his sister as she approached William, and he was glad that they seemed to be moving along well in their burgeoning romance. He and Alys weren't nearly that far along, but Danny had plans to help get past that.

Able to sneak up to her as much as someone can in a crowded barn dance -- she seemed to be lost in thought -- he cleared his throat and dropped to a knee beside her. Her forearm was taken with his hand beneath, and he gently pulled it away from her body enough so he could fit the corsage of pink roses he had been hiding past her hand and around her delicate wrist. The same hand then wrapped around her fingers as he lifted her hand to his lips, dancing a kiss on her knuckles as he forest green eyes caught her cerulean pools. He swallowed his leaping heart back into his chest and squeezed her hand, quickly working up the courage to ask the question to set the rest of the night in motion.

"May I have this dance?"

Mara Brooks

Date: 2011-06-19 13:07 EST
Mara had watched this whole scene unfold in near silence. She frowned frequently, dark brows drawing a fearsome scowl over features better suited for bestowing generous smiles. With her mother's arrival came the thought of Alys just running away from home and staying with her. She only thought this at least a handful of times each time she was at the Makayen's farm.

Danny was now walking away, she and William were escorting Alys back to the place of misery and repression, and her hand was engulfed in William's, seeking reassurance. When he chuckled and asked her to speak to Alys because he didn't speak the teenage girl language, she couldn't say what was really going through her mind as it would have come out in a very dramatic high pitched tone. ~I have been MADLY in love with you FOREVAR!~ was definitely teenage girl language. So instead of saying this she smiled gently and squeezed his hand. "You know she will be telling me all about this later. Right now just let her be mad." Her voice took on a hard edge, "she has every right to be mad as hell. He ruins everything for her."

Once they were outside the barn, Alys slipped her arm through Mara's and Mara withdrew her hand from William's soft grasp. The forest green eyes that were the trademark characteristic of the Brooks' children lifted to rest upon his face. She conveyed her regret at letting him go, accented greatly with a blush and walked away with her gaze lingering upon him momentarily as she looked over her shoulder. Her attention returned to the task at hand and she patted Alys' hand as her friend forced one of those smiles that managed to never look strained despite the circumstances. She lowered her voice, not that anyone would be able to hear. "Everything is alright. Try to ignore your dad and have a good time tonight, ok? It's a party, after all!"

She followed the line of Alys' gaze and also saw her mother without Danny. Shoulders were shrugged a little as she wasn't worried. When Danny had something on his mind he went all solitary loner. "He'll be here. Don't worry. I saw how he looked at you. He was giving you that silly boy look and he was sure showing off for you." She could have added that he was just a big showoff anyway but she was trying to reassure Alys that Danny liked her. Too bad she couldn't use those super love detector skills for herself and just notice the way William behaved around her.

They arrived at the dance floor after what seemed an eternity to the impatient teen and she just stood there as Alys sat down. The music started up again and her attention was drawn back to William, who coincidentally just happened to be looking at her. She offered a shy smile and then looked down as she felt Alys nudge her with her foot and tell her to ask him to dance. She whispered back, "do you really think he'll say yes? What if he says no? I will die right there of mortification. The dance floor will swallow me up." Apparently the threat of being swallowed up by the floor was less of a motivator than the pull of William's eyes because soon her feet were moving towards him of their own volition. Alys would be fine for one dance, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Danny wouldn't know, because he was far too intent upon reaching Alystelle's side, but his father had smoothly intercepted the frowning Mr. Makayen as he took a couple of steps towards Danny and Alys. Oh there was no threat in Mr. Brooks' interference. He just did what he did best, he bragged upon his All-Star son. "Say Thomas, did I tell you about the playoff championship last year? Let's get a cold drink and I will tell you all about those fancy feet my boy has." His arm was tossed across the other man's shoulders in a friendly fashion and he had a tone that allowed no refusal, polite or otherwise. His son and the Makayen girl were going to get their dance.

Alystelle

Date: 2011-06-19 15:42 EST
We were both young when I first saw you. I close my eyes and the flashback starts. I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air.

The female singer's soft voice was amplified to carry throughout the barn. Alys slouched a little in her metal folding chair and sighed softly as big blue eyes halted in their watching of Mara and her brother and focused upon a point along the barn wall across from where she was sitting. Thoughts of not an hour earlier began to invade her mind once again. Golden brown lashes lowered to close those eyes so full of confusion.

See the lights. See the party, the ball gowns. I see you make your way through the crowd and say hello, little did I know...

Danny cleared hist throat and Alys opened her eyes, at first not knowing it was him. Then he was on one knee next to her, sliding the corsage of little pink roses over her wrist.


That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles and my daddy said stay away from Juliet. And I was crying on the staircase begging you please don't go, and I said...

When his lips touched her knuckles, those wide staring eyes shifted nervously past him to alight upon her father who was boring holes through Danny with his eyes. Mr. Brooks had him occupied, it appeared and Alys felt a rebellion brewing within her.

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run. You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess. It's a love story baby just say yes.

That defiance was alight in her vivid blue eyes and she focused a gaze upon Danny that had been years in the making. When he asked her to dance she didn't hesitate for a moment, not one more thought or glance was given to her father. "Yes." It was such a simple word. Coming from such a simple girl that rarely spoke the word for herself, it was so much more than an answer to a question about a dance. The princess, dressed in her bathing suit covered by a t-shirt and shorts and bared feet, arose from her metal folding chair throne, her delicate hand still held within his.

So I sneak out to the garden to see you. We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew. So close your eyes. Escape this town for a little while.

Battle lines had just been drawn and Danny had not a clue of what Alys would be facing because of the utterance of that one little word.
She didn't seem to be phased, in the slightest, that she had not only just declared war...she had declared independence.

She allowed him to lead her to the dance floor and despite the press of bodies around her, there was not another soul present in this moment. They were alone and all that mattered was the music and Danny's green eyes that held her captive.


(partial lyrics are from "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. Click here for full lyrics and video link. http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=142710#142710)

Daniel Brooks

Date: 2011-06-19 18:39 EST
Maybe all along Danny knew his father would run interference for him, like two minds cut from the same cloth; or maybe Danny knew that someway and some how, there would be nothing to keep this moment from happening. It was inevitable and destined or preordained or written in the stars -- however one wanted to phrase it, the moment was unstoppable and the future bore upon the present like a freight train. People parted like the Red Sea for them as they took the floor, with his hand in hers all the way there.

Once a spot was claimed, he released her hand and settled both of his upon her waist, over the t-shirt she wore; and even with two layers of clothing between his hand and her skin, it was still exhilirating to feel her body underneath the shirt and bathing suit. His feet began to step to the side as he led her in a slow, circling dance. He was vaguely aware of the music, but most of his attention was held rapt by staring into the wonderfully blue eyes of Alys, with some occassional flickers of a glace to her hair and lips.

It seemed as if this moment was lasting a lifetime, and he was sure the smile that rested upon his face would never be erased. He swayed with her easily, back and forth, letting her place her arms wherever she wanted. And though he wanted to close the distance and hug her and hold her close, he would not... at least not yet. He was too busy fighting the urge to kiss her, having never shared something so romantic with her before.

"You look beautiful tonight," he said, perhaps just loud enough to be heard over the music. "I've wanted to do something like this with you for a long time, Alys. I've, um, always really liked you. I just didn't know..." He trailed off before finishing the thought. Even he wasn't sure what he knew and didn't know; except that he felt something for her that he had never felt for anyone else, something so deep and so buried within his heart that he never felt words would give them justice. So instead, time to bring up something else! "You dance marvelously!"

A lopsided grin appeared then as he continued to enjoy a moment that was nothing short of magical.

Alystelle

Date: 2011-06-21 10:33 EST
'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
But you were everything to me
I was begging you please don't go and I said

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes

Alys was more than a little aware of the music as this had practically been her theme song, only within her own mind, with Danny starring as the prince. Now the prince had his hands on her waist, she could feel that touch through two layers of cloth, and was coaxing her into a dance. Staring up into those green eyes, he remained the only person in the world, the rest having been shut out the moment he took her hand and led her here. She wasn't sure where she should put her arms, this was different than the practice dances with Mara, after all. Arms were held stiffly, one on each side of his neck and she appeared more of a stick figure than a girl dancing with the boy she was in love with.

Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel. This love is difficult, but it's real. Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess. It's a love story baby just say yes. Oh oh

She was actually singing those lyrics, though her voice was barely a whisper, her lips moved to form the words that so adequately described how she felt. Her gaze shifted to his smile, and though it felt as if it had been physically pulled away from his eyes, her muscles began to relax. The stick figure arms loosened up so that one curled loosely around his neck and the other slid down to rest bent along the side of his upper arm, her hand pressed lightly against his shoulder. Her own shy smile widened a little more with each passing moment that they swayed until the full brilliance of a happy Alys was bestowed upon Danny.

I got tired of waiting, wondering if you were ever coming around. My faith in you was fading when I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said, Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone. I keep waiting for you but you never come. Is this in my head? I don't know what to think. He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring.

A light blush swept across her features as he told her she was beautiful. "Thank You." It was the first time anyone had said something that nice to her without an ulterior motive. Danny would have no idea, how could he, of the impact this night had upon Alys. It was more than just a little teenage girl crush being realized. There was so much more stirring in the undercurrent of this. She had spent so many years feeling less than dirt and here he was, the boy she had loved in some fashion since she was a child, telling her she was beautiful and spending all of his time with her. There were so many other girls around that fawned all over him yet he had chosen her. She was getting what she wanted for probably the first time. Alys felt like a princess tonight even in her cutoff shorts and t-shirt, messy hair, bare feet and spattering of freckles.

Her voice was soft as she confessed her earlier fear in response to his own confession regarding his feelings towards her. "I didn't think you were coming back." Blue pools as deep as the ocean focused upon his. "I thought you had decided there was too much difficulty associated with spending time with me. I wouldn't have blamed you." That smile that seemed to embody the warmth and glow of the sun was upon her lips and spreading across all of her features, "I'm glad you came back, Danny. I would have...umm...I would have missed you if you hadn't."

And said, marry me Juliet
You'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It's a love story baby just say yes

Oh, oh, oh, oh
'Cause we were both young when I first saw you

The song finished and then immediately started into the next song that was also relatively slow, how lucky for the young couple!

She laughed softly at his compliment of her dancing prowess. "Sure, if you like to have your feet stepped on. Mara and I have practiced dancing together a lot but it was nothing like...this." The laughter in her voice had faded mostly and she swallowed. No, dancing with Mara was definitely nothing like this.

(lyrics taken from Love Story by Taylor Swift.)

Daniel Brooks

Date: 2011-06-21 21:56 EST
Being bestowed with the full brilliance of Alys is something that rarely, if ever, happened and Danny savored the sight. It was something that would always be remembered, as if her full smile was a comet making its first appearance in a hundred years. Of course this wasn't right, or fair, that such a beautiful thing would be so rare, but that was another thought for another time; this was a time to fully embrace.

He had no doubt that if Alys were to ever leave the shelter of the farm that she would be the center of attention and pursued by more than just him. She was unaware of just how attractive she was, which in turn just added more fuel to the fire. But even with her outward appearance, she was even more attractive on the inside. Her soul was pure, and bright, even the darkness that her father attempted to imbue into it was always purged. She was kind even when she had every reason not to be; even if she was shy it still couldn't hide what a good person she was. In his eyes Alys may have well been dressed in the most expensive gown ever made, but it would still not make her more beautiful than she was now... in his arms, and smiling and saying she would have missed him.

"I would have missed you too much to stay away, Alys," he confessed as the bridge of the song strummed in the background. His hands felt sweaty and he re-gripped her hips, his own body going loose as he let the music guide his steps. "You haven't stepped on my feet yet, and how is this different from dancing with my sister?" His tone was playful, as he knew what the difference was. But that playful tone soon vanished as well, the smile softening. "I want to spend time with you. I always think about you, and want to be with you."

There was a pause as he swallowed, his eyes dancing between her own cerulean pools and her smiling lips. Then he confessed, nearly a whisper, "I'm going to kiss you at the end of this dance."

Alystelle

Date: 2011-06-22 21:52 EST
You?re better then the best
I?m lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler then the flip side of my pillow that?s right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me
Lets me know that it?s ok
Yeah it?s ok
And the moments when my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

It was true that Alys rarely smiled like she had been tonight. She never really had much reason to but tonight felt like a fairytale to the usually sheltered girl. Laughing and conversing so comfortably with him as they danced together was not something she had ever even dared to dream would happen; yet here they were, the music seemingly just for the two of them.

You make me dance like a fool. Forget how to breathe. Shine like gold. Buzz like a bee. Just the thought of you can drive me wild. Oh, you make me smile.

"I haven't stepped on your feet yet you're right. But give me time and I am sure I will." That smile seemed to widen even further if that was even possible, with the corners of her eyes even crinkling up. "The biggest difference in dancing with you instead of Mara is that you don't giggle and talk about William." The teasing tone in her voice was dropped and her voice lowered slightly. "And...she doesn't make me feel like you do." The brilliance of her smile never faded even as the gaze of those vivid blues was shyly cast to a point below his chin.

Even when you?re gone somehow you come along just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that you steal away the rain and just like that you make me smile like the sun.

Danny saw Alys as someone pure, bright, and kind. Someone whose soul wasn't possessed by the demons that certainly dwelled within. The darkness her father brought to her was never purged. During the day Alys was nearly clean of that stain of hatred because during the day she was free of the fear that gave the hatred life. At night, though...at night terror wailed and clawed, agonized and brutalized until the hatred filled her mind with gruesome images of his torturous death as she lay there seemingly floating above the tragedy of what was occurring. Then daylight would pierce the darkness and a new day would begin. It wasn't the sort of light that could cleanse that stain upon her but it chased the shadows away for a while.

Right now, darkness was nearly non-existent, Danny being the sun that chased away the rain. So, that brilliance that he thought so rare, was far more precious than he yet knew and she bestowed it upon him with more exuberance as he spoke of always thinking of her and how he wanted to be with her. It was a nearly breathless Alys that spoke past that smile, soft lilting Southern accent flowing without a stutter and speaking truths far more mature than she should have to. "I want to be with you too, Danny. You make the hurt almost go away when I think about you."

Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

As she relaxed, the natural grace of her limbs shone through and she swayed comfortably with him. Half a step closer she moved, laying her head lightly against his chest since she was too small to reach his shoulder. She seemed to be a different girl than he had spoken to a couple of hours earlier at the pond, the girl that stuttered and wondered why he would even speak to her. She was proof, in this moment, that the biggest secret to beauty is simply the love and kindness of another.

Don?t know how I lived without you, 'cuz every time that I get around you I see the best of me inside your eyes. You make me smile. You make me dance like a fool. Forget how to breathe. Shine like gold. Buzz like a bee. Just the thought of you can drive me wild.

He whispered of the kiss he was planning and she felt her heart stop for a moment then start pounding wildly, rushing the blood to her head where she could hear it in her ears. A mixture of trepidation and innocent excitement brimmed over in hues darkening to cobalt. Surprisingly there wasn't even one thought of her father witnessing any of this. The outcome would be near the same regardless if her first kiss occurred or not.

Swallowing the lump of her thumping heart down enough so she could speak, she forced her gaze not to divert from his and felt that shy smile forming upon suddenly dry full lips. "Y-Y-You are? Y-Y-You're sh-sh-sure?" And of all the reactions the shy little stuttering wallflower could have, she started snickering. It was a nervous and happy reaction but possibly not the most appropriate! At least she was nodding her head in acquiescence.


You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile

She was definitely smiling.


(lyrics from Smile by Uncle Kracker. Click here for video http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20384&start=15

Daniel Brooks

Date: 2011-06-23 21:43 EST
"How do I make you feel?"

The question was loaded, he knew it; he also knew the answer, because if she asked him that question he would respond the same way. He would say she made him feel like he was the most important person in the world, that he constantly thought about her and dreamt about leaving home with her. That she made his stomach do flips and turns and his heart flutter up into his throat where no amount of swallowing could send it back into place.

But even then, he didn't know he was her sun. Although she was the center of his own solar system, he wasn't aware of the depths of abuse she suffered; if he was he would have ran away with her and beaten her father to a pulp. He would be more than just her star, he would be her knight in shining armor... her superhero.

None of that misery existed in this moment in time. They were alone, shadows and whispers all around them. He was alone with the blinding smile and beauty of Alys, with the music the only proof that the rest of the world was real. Her southern accent was much, much more appealing than the song, though; it was much more appealing than any music ever composed. The way her words carried honesty and truth just made them even more powerful.

"I don't want you to ever be hurt again, Alys," he whispered as he stepped closer to her, his hands moving from her waist to her back as the distance between them was nearly erased. "I've liked you ever since we were kids," there was a beat as he gave a slight shake of his head to correct himself, "Not liked.. I think more than that. But I was always afraid for you and not sure that you could like me the same way."

His head tilted. This was a necessary position for him to get into for the kiss which he was easing into. His own lopsided smile threatening to split his face in two, his green eyes bright and vivid. "I've wanted to kiss you for a long, long time, Alys," he confessed, voice just barely audible over the sound of the music and the sound of his heart pounding against his ribcage. "I'm positive."

Even if he had any lingering doubts, which he did not, they would have been erased by that nod and smile. It raised his courage and any hesistation since he knew all his friends and family were watching. But this wasn't about proving to them the depth of his feelings for Alys, this was about confessing to her through actions that this was more than a schoolyard crush... this was love beginning to bloom.

Alystelle

Date: 2011-06-24 21:02 EST
You were sitting up there on your momma?s roof talking about everything under the moon with the smell of honeysuckle and your perfume. All I could think about was my next move. Oh, but you were so shy and so was I. Maybe that?s why it was so hard to believe when you smiled and said to me?

He wanted to know how he made her feel. She could see by the look in his eyes that he knew exactly how he made her feel. "You make me feel like running away." The stutter disappeared once again as did the apprehensive laughter. Was she still nervous? Without a doubt! It wasn't the type of nervousness that caused her to withdraw, however. Where she had been frozen by shyness and uncertainty earlier, the anticipation of her first kiss now caused butterflies to flutter in her belly but she was not frightened. "How do I make you feel?" Oh yes, she was definitely coming out of her shell.

Are you gonna kiss me or not? Are we gonna do this or what? I think you know I like you a lot but you?re ?bout to miss your shot. Are you gonna kiss me or not?

The smile upon ample lips had turned almost silly as she watched him tilt his head, a squealing teenage girl voice reverberated in her head "Daniel Brooks is going to kiss me!" Now this was definitely not the typical thought process for The Wallflower, another indication that she was head over heels crazy for the boy that had led her onto the dance floor with absolutely no fear of her father. He didn't seem to be afraid of anything. In her mind, he was made up of the same stuff as a superhero already, no beating up her father required, though someday she would change her mind on that point.

The music continued to play loudly around them but she seemed to tune it out at she stared into his eyes, becoming more and more lost as each moment passed.

It was the best dang kiss that I?d ever had
Except for that long one after that.
And I knew if I wanted this thing to last
Sooner or later I?d have to ask
for your hand.

They were still the only two people in the world. Her father, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, William, Mara, everyone upon the dance floor around them...everyone had ceased to exist in this time that she had been dancing. She was certain magic existed now, she could feel it in the tingling of her skin and the warmth that had suffused her limbs until they felt like little more than warm jelly. There was just one problem at the moment that was breaking through the spell he had woven around her. In a moment of uncharacteristic boldness, as eyelids closed gently over azure depths and both arms tightened slightly around his neck, she whispered "stop talking, Danny." The music was saying everything that she wanted him to hear at that moment.

Are you gonna kiss me or not? Are we gonna do this or what? I think you know I love you a lot but you?re ?bout to miss your shot. Are you gonna kiss me or not?

(Partial lyrics from "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not by Thompson Square; find full lyrics and video here: http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=142987#142987)

Daniel Brooks

Date: 2011-06-26 20:24 EST
He was set to answer her question about how she made him feel. He'd already gone over it in his mind and heart so many times before; he would have been able to answer as if he was reciting a favorite line of a song or poetry that he had memorized. His lips parted for an answer, but then he heard the normally shy girl make a bold demand, and now the lips were set apart for a different reason.

It's hard to describe how it feels when a moment that your heart has yearned for finally comes. Danny couldn't even begin to get a handle on his heart, head, or emotions. He could feel the beating in his chest that threatened to break through his ribcage and the shortness of breath in his lungs. All he could see were those devastatingly blue eyes with an occasional glance to her full lips to be sure he was on target as he felt the momentum of his inital movement toward her closing the distance between them.

His answer to the question of the song was apparent. His eyes fluttered to a close as he felt her soft lips against his for the very first time. All of his breathing stopped as the moment came into being, he was closer to Alys than ever before, and the kiss was his way of expressing so much that he had pent up for so long; all of his love and compassion and desire to be with her were released from his lips to hers, like a current through a fully formed circuit. It was a kiss straight out of a storybook.

Danny never wanted it to end.

Alystelle

Date: 2011-06-27 19:33 EST
It really had been unfair of Alys to ask him a question and then only moments later tell him to stop talking. Her mind was rapid firing as it processed all of the stimuli along with her own thoughts and feelings.

The song ended and another began playing. The other couples were dancing the Texas Two Step all around the dance floor while Danny and Alys were standing in the middle, still as statues. The other dancers and the music all faded out as Alys stood there with her eyes closed and felt Danny moving towards her. A moment before his lips pressed to hers, thick lashes lifted for a moment to peek up at him, gaze riveted to his as her breath caught in her chest.

The moment his lips touched hers, her eyes fell closed once more, the sweetness of the kiss overwhelming her senses. It was everything she had ever imagined a real first kiss should be...everything she imagined his kiss would be. She wasn't certain at that point if her heart would survive as it was pounding so heavily she was sure he could feel it against his own chest. If there had been any doubt in her mind before regarding the way they felt about one-another, it was now vanquished. Her contribution to this kiss was not one of a victimized girl kissing her knight in shining armor. It was the kiss of a girl on the verge of womanhood who just experienced a whole new facet of love and was returning it. It was sweet, soft and held all of the promise any girl could wish for from the boy she loved. It was electrically charged and brought the emotion within Alys back to life. It was a kiss straight out of a storybook.

Alys never wanted it to end.