Blind Kiss(10)

“Why is he only getting ten?”

“Because he said yes the second Tracy asked him to be in the study.” She huffed. “You should be happy. You’re getting forty dollars’ worth of coffee. It’s basically liquid gold during finals.”

She used a dark floral scarf as a blindfold and triple checked it to make sure I couldn’t see a thing.

“Take my arm, I’ll guide you,” she said.

I linked my arm through hers and followed her into the makeshift studio. “I’m nervous.”

“You’ll be fine. Okay, step up.” She led me to a spot on the small stage where I felt a pencil on the ground. “Keep one foot on that. That’s your mark. The guy will be here in a minute.”

I heard his voice first. It was deep but soft, grounded in his chest but not husky. “Wait, where the fuck am I? Oh shit.” When I heard him trip, I started laughing.

“Hey, woman, are you laughing already? I haven’t even kissed you yet.” Everything was black but for some reason his demeanor instantly put me at ease. I could feel him standing opposite me now.

“Reach out and take each other’s hands,” said the guy behind the camera.

Ling guided our hands toward each other. His were warm and large; they swallowed mine up. “Tiny little hands,” he said.

“Ha!”

Ling started in. “Okay, we’re going to ask you a few questions and then ask you to kiss. You can take as long as you want. You don’t have to force yourselves to stop or continue, just let it happen organically.” I couldn’t imagine how that would be humanly possible.

He squeezed my hands in a way that was calming.

“So, girl number four,” Ling said, “are you nervous?”

“Uh, yes.”

“What about you, guy number four?”

“Not really.”

“Why did you agree to this?”

He spoke first, “Free coffee.”

“What about you?” Ling poked me in the shoulder.

“Um, yeah. The coffee, I guess.”

“So what do you think this experiment will give you? You go first.” She poked my arm again.

“Herpes simplex one.”

The guy chuckled. “No, I’m good,” he said.

“What about you?” Ling asked.

“I don’t know. An experience.” He didn’t seem nervous at all. “Like, what can you feel from just a kiss?” He ran his thumb over the center of my palm. It sent shivers down my spine. “Or by touch alone. I mean, I do wonder, you know . . . like, if it’s different, if I’ll feel nothing because I don’t know what she looks like.”

I huffed and tried to pull my hands away but he held them tight. “Where you going, lady?”

I didn’t respond.

Ling poked me again. “Tell him your name and what you like to do.”

“Penny. I’m a dancer.”

“Tiny little T. rex dancer.”

“You’re funny.”

“You smell good.”

“Stahhhp!” I was embarrassingly turned on by his little thumb strokes on my palm.

“Now you go, dude. Tell her,” Ling said.

“I’m Gavin, and uh . . . I don’t know, I like to play guitar and work on cars. I’m an engineering major.”

It was unusually quiet in the room after that. Even without sight, I could tell Gavin was tall, just based on where the sound of his voice was coming from. We were close. He smelled like mint and cardamom soap. I could feel the specific heat of his body even in the warm room.

“Ling?” I said.

“One sec, Penny. Josh is changing a setting on the camera.”

She was far away now. I could sense that only Gavin and I were on the stage.

“Are you really nervous, Penny? Your voice is shaking,” Gavin said, only loud enough for me to hear.

“Yeah.” He clasped my hands together between his and brought them to his chest. I could feel his heart beating. I could tell he had a strong, lean body. “I’m nervous, too,” he whispered.

“You don’t seem like it. Why’d you say you weren’t?”

“I was trying to impress you.”

“Go ahead, you guys,” Ling said.

“What?” I asked.

I felt like I was going to pass out, and then Gavin’s hands were on me, one on my back and one on my waist. I was acutely aware of everything. He was wearing a T-shirt. He was warm. I felt safe. My hands naturally went to his broad shoulders. I couldn’t speak. He pulled me flush to his body and moved a hand from my waist to caress my cheek. We were acclimating ourselves to the space and to each other’s bodies. My hand went to his face and felt his scruff.

His hand on my back was strong, pulling me up and in, and then his mouth was on mine. Slow and gentle at first. He laid playful slow kisses on my bottom lip until I opened to him and we were kissing harder, faster. Our tongues were dancing, gently teasing. He was a good kisser. I knew that immediately. I had no awareness of my surroundings, only a feeling of wanting more, as if we had kissed before. Nothing awkward, no teeth clanking. His hand went to my neck and then he pulled away and trailed kisses down my jawline to my collarbone. I was going to spontaneously combust. If he was the ugliest guy in the world, I would have still been attracted to him. It was an easy decision standing there on the stage, blindfolded, while Gavin nibbled on my ear.