First Kiss

By Jeremy McLaughlin

Another school day was left behind her, with the ring of the bell. Vicki hurried on through the halls, ducking and dodging around the other students that were sauntering along. She could hear the voices of her friends calling after her, but it made little difference. She was on a mission, to get out of that building as fast as she could. A beautiful bright light was shimmering through the windows on the front door. In record breaking speed, she burst through the doors and was free. Into the beautiful spring day. Vicki filled her lungs with the sweet fresh air. There was no way this day could get any better.

Thanks to her hurried pace, she beat everyone to the parking lot. Vicki straddled her powder blue hover bike. I had been an early birthday gift from her family. In truth, it had been the best gift she'd ever received. Without even thinking about it, she pressed her index finger to fingerprint reader. The electric engine turned over. A cool blue light filtered from the hover pads, projecting it a foot off the ground. The seat pressed firmly to he backside. The hover bike hummed and vibrated lightly between her legs.

Vicki pulled her hair back into a ponytail, before slipping the sleek light blue motorcycle helmet over her head, strapping it on. It was uncomfortable to say the least, but it was still the law. With one quickly look behind her, she walked the bike backwards into the lane. One smooth tug of the throttle, the bike sped away. Vicki was always amazed at how smooth the vehicle moved. How easy it had been to control. It was almost impossible to keep under the speed limit.

The trip home hadn't taken long at all. Normally it would have been a forty-five minute ride by school bus, but thanks to the new bike, it may have taken fifteen minutes or so. The front door slid into the wall. Opening the hall to her apartment. She walked through the door, the natural lingering smell in the air was soothing. It smelled like home.

"Mom, I'm home." Vicki called, as she usually did when she got home from school.

There was nothing. Vicki's mom must have still been at work, or off running errands. Vicki shrugged and walked though the living room and down the hall to her bedroom. She walked into the room, her feet sinking into the soft carpet. A soft hint of lavender lingered in the air. Vicki slipped her backpack from her shoulders, catching it in her hands, before dropping the pack next to her nightstand. Keeping her room neat and tidy was just her type of thing. Everything was in the exact place she left it. Except, there was something different in her room. Lying on her pillow was a small electronic tablet. The green case was a dead give away for who left it there.

"Tech, you bad boy. Sneaking into my house like that." Vicki said aloud, her voice sounding louder than intended in the quiet apartment.

The tablet seemed to come to life the very moment she touched it, Tech's face was smiling back at her from the dimly lit screen. "Vicki, I couldn't wait around for you to get home, so I left you this message. In the other tab, I've left a map open for you. Please come and meet me at the coordinates I marked on the map. I have something to show you. See you soon."

Vicki recognized the location, it was about an hour away. On the outskirts of Acmetropolis. It had once been a hotel. After a few seasons of poor turn around, they were bought out by a tech company. Whatever they'd built there, Tech was excited enough to share it with her. Vicki's heart fluttered with excitement. What could possibly be so urgent that he would break into her apartment to tell her about. A smile moved across her lips as she tucked the tablet into the back pocket of her jeans. Without further hesitation, she turned on her heels and headed back into the living room.

Vicki stopped long enough to pen a quick note to her mom. No sense in making her mom worry when she didn't have to. With that chore out of the way, she was through the door and on her way down to the garage. Vicki hopped on her bike and sped away.

The hover bike glided along the asphalt highway easily. Vicki carefully ducked and dodged between the other hover cars. Her excitement pushing her to move as fast as she could, sometimes a little faster than she should have been going.

The hour it took to make the trip seemed like forever. When she finally arrived, she was a little surprised at what she found. She pulled her helmet off and read the sign. Farmore's Holo-Vacation Suites. We make your dreams a reality. What type of place is this? She thought as she walked her hover bike into an open parking space. Vicki killed the engine and dismounted her bike, hanging her helmet on one of the handles. The inside of her thighs and backside were numb. They ached when she walked. She still wasn't entirely use to riding the bike for long periods of time.

As she stepped up to the front door, the large glass doors slid open leading her into the main lobby. Everything smelled new, and expensive. Vicki was starting to feel out of place in the large room. Quickly she checked the coordinates again on the table, making sure she was in the right place. It look way too expensive. The blue dot on the map confirmed that she was in the right spot. A man behind the counter was eyeing, but in the most polite of ways.

"Miss, may I help you?" The man's voice was gentle and friendly.

"Yes, I'm suppose to meet a friend here." Vicki was still unsure if she was in the right place.

"May I have your name?" The man asked, running his fingers along the computer's touch screen monitor.

Vicki moved closer to the counter, not want to the continue the conversation too loudly. "Vicki, or Victoria Payne."

"Ah yes, here you are. Room 423, follow me please." The man stepped around the counter and walked to one of the two large elevator doors against the wall, Vicki was close in tow.

"What type of place is this?" Vicki asked, watching as the man pushed the red button, calling the elevator.

There was a soft ding as the doors slid open, the pair stepping inside. "Think of it as an ultimate hotel. You call ahead and tell us what your dreamed vacation is, and we program it into your room. Anything you want can be yours, for a price."

"Wow, that sounds intense." Vicki was starting to get excited again.

"Oh it is. Just wait until you see it with your own eyes." The man smiled back from under his pointy mustache.

The elevator let them out on the fourth floor. Vicki followed along the hallway, there were doors on both side of the hall. Each one of them beautifully crafted from dark wood, with gold trim and matching gold numbers. The man stopped in front of the door labeled 423 and nodded to her politely. Vicki nodded back and offered a sweet thank you, before stepping into the room. She didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't a room full of trees.

Fake sunlight filtering through the green leaves from above. The smells of nature washed around her and through her. A cool breeze rustled the leaves and pushed through her hair. It felt like a cool spring day in the room, slightly moist with humidity, but pleasantly warm. The rippling sunlight reflected off of a small lake that lay to her right. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Before her on the soft grass was an all to familiar face, giving her a welcoming smile.

It was Tech, laying back on a red and white pinstriped picnic blanket. His brown fur was sun warmed and inviting. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of green swimming trunks. Sitting next to him on the blanket was picnic basket. Vicki couldn't help but smile. This was his idea all along, to bring her here for a picnic. Tech was such a sweetheart. Vicki knew all to well that this room must have cost him a fortune. In fact, it had, but Tech didn't mind. Vicki was the most important person to him. She was worth every cent of it. The beautiful smile on her face was the only thanks he would need.

"This is so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it before." Vicki moved to stand next to where Tech was sitting, she kicked her shoes off and sat down on the blanket.

"I'm glad that you like it. When I was a kid I always wanted to come to a place like this. I made sure when I was old enough to leave home, I would spend as much time as it took, to find a place like this. Unfortunately you won't see anything like this around Acmetropolis. Not since the asteroid hit the planet " Tech leaned close, taking Vicki's hand in his rubbing the back of it, with his thumb pad.

"I love it, thank you so much for arranging this for me." Vicki ran her fingers along the brown fur on the back of his hand.

"Think nothing of it." Tech turned his attention to the picnic basket.

Tech opened the lid to the picnic basket and pulls several containers out. That largest of which had a nicely tossed salad inside. The beautiful leafy greens glistened in the false sunlight. Speckled throughout the green was several other bright colors. Carrots, cucumbers, yellow peppers, and tomatoes were hiding throughout the salad. In the next container was finely cubed white cheese. Feta from the smell of it. Tech opened a much smaller container. It had a warm scent wafting out of it. It was a brown vinaigrette, that smelled strongly of sesame oil and soy sauce. Tech lay a container down next to him, it contained finely diced seasoned chicken, lightly dusted with sesame seeds.

Tech placed a closed container down next to Vicki's knee and opened it to reveal diced tofu, marinated and seasoned. "I remember you telling me that you don't like meat, the guy at the Asian market said that this was just as good. It's seasoned with soy sauce, pepper, garlic and honey."

"I can't believe you put this all together yourself. I love it." Vicki was moved that Tech paid so much attention to detail.

Tech chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it took quite a bit of set up, but I wanted to make sure everything was perfect for your birthday."

"Tech, my birthday isn't for another few days." Vicki gazed into his soft green eyes.

"I know, but why wait until the last minute for me to appreciate you." Tech fished out two plates and some silverware from the basket.

Vicki took a deep breath, her heart swelling in her chest. This was the first time she had anything strong enough to call a relationship. It always made her wonder, if other people's relationships were as special as hers. Vicki watched as Tech made her up a plate, lightly dressing the greens, before handing it over to her to finish up. Graciously she took the plate, decorating it with a few pieces of her tofu and the feta. She waited patiently for him to make his plate so they could eat together.

They talked while they ate. Vicki filled Tech in about a new gown that she was designing. Something light and flowing, nice for the warm months ahead. Tech listened intently, his robot like mind struggling to picture the dress from a creative standpoint. Instead he could see the design from a technical angle. Tech talked about a new device that he wanted to build, and would probably start sometime later in the month when he had better schematics drawn up.

When they finished eating, Tech packed up the salad and dishes, before reaching back into the basket, pulling out two more small boxes, opening them. Inside one of them were a dozen beautifully ripen strawberries. Plump and delicious. The other contained freshly made whipped cream. Tech set the containers down on the blanket between them. Vicki watched him curiously, wondering just what he was doing. Tech dipped one of the strawberries into the cream and lifted it up to her lips. She giggled softly and looked into his eyes, before biting down on the strawberry. It was both juicy and tart at the same time. The whipped cream was fluffy and coated her mouth with sweetness.

"Oh my, that is the best strawberry I've ever had." Vicki said with her mouthful.

"Have as many as you like, then." Tech dipped a strawberry for himself and bit it off at the green crown.

They took their time to savor the small pile of strawberries and cream. Periodically Tech would catch Vicki looking at the water. He could see the fake sunlight shimmering off the surface of the water, reflected in her eyes. She looked beautiful, so beautiful that it made his heart skip a beat.

"The water looked wonderful, too bad I didn't bring a bathing suit." Vicki pouted as she licked a small dollop of whip cream from her finger.

"Funny you should say that." Tech said coyly, as he reached into the basket and pulled out a small plastic bag.

He handed to her, her eyes were wide with curiosity. "Oh my, what do we have here?" Vicki said quietly.

Vicki reached into the bag and pulled out a beautiful blue, one piece bathing suit. The design on the fabric resembled a wave. Starting darker at the straps and getting lighter as it when down to the crotch. Vicki held it up to her body, but it was hard to be sure if it was going to fit right until she tried it on.

"Try it on. You can change behind that tree over there." Tech finished cleaning up the dishes and containers, before lounging back on his hand, crossing his long legs out in front of him..

"Alright, but no peeking." Vicki cocked an eyebrow, before slipping behind the tree.

Tech softly whistled a nameless tune, while he waited for Vicki to change. She stepped out from behind the trunk of the tree. The one piece swimsuit fit like a glove. It contrasted beautifully with her soft dark skin. She stepped forward, dropping her other close onto the picnic blanket. Playfully she struck a pose, as if she were modeling one of her new outfits. Tech's mouth slipped opened in awe, as he got up from his spot on the blanket.

"You look beautiful." Tech spoke softly, looking into her eyes.

Tech wanted to take a longer look at her, but the gentleman inside of him wouldn't let him. Vicki could almost sense the war that was waging in his head. To help end the conflict, she backed away from him slowly, the feeling of the cool water rushing over her ankles, then her calves. Tech watched her in a wanting fashion as she slowly disappeared deeper in the water.

"Come on in, the water's fine." Vicki beckoned him to follow.

Tech smiled sheepishly and waded quickly into the water after her. "Whoa...it's kinda cold."

"Ah you big baby, it'll be perfect in just a few seconds." Vicki giggled and splashed water into Tech's face.

Tech splashed her back playfully. Vicki giggled and lunged out of the water at him. Wrapping her arms around Tech neck and pulling him down under the water. The pair grappled playfully under the water. When they resurfaced, they were embracing and laughing. They held each other for a long moment, until they both caught there breath, before continuing to play.

Time slipped away from them. They could feel their body growing tired from playing in the water, so instead they just stood there. The water coming up to their waists, while they leaned against one another. Vicki had her head resting against Tech's chest. She could listen to his soft heartbeat reverberating in her ear. Then came a long sigh, which brought her to look up at him. There was a look in his face, a worried look.

"What's the matter Tech?" She asked, it had been so quiet in the room that her voice sounded impossibly loud.

"You ever had something you wanted to say to someone, but just didn't know how?" Tech asked, his voice sounding distant.

"I don't like where this conversation is going Tech." Vicki's voice was starting to take on a worried tone.

"I just had something I really want to tell you." Tech was starting to look frazzled.

"Sweetie, you can tell me anything you want. You know that right?" Vicki was doing everything she could to keep from panicking.

"If this was a mathematical equation, or schematic that needed explaining, I could just say it, but I really don't know how." Tech rubbed his temples slowly.

"Just take a deep breath and..." Tech lurched forward and grabbed her shoulders tightly.

Tech tipped his head slightly to the side and pulled her close. Their lips touched, Vicki's eyes went wide at the feeling of his warm lips against hers. Her whole body stiffed. Her breath was caught in her throat. All the sounds in the room became mumbled against the sounds of her heart pounding in her ears. Everything started spinning.

Vicki's body went limp against him. Her eyes slipping closed. Their lips were still pressed tightly together. It was just an innocent peck at best, but it meant something to him. It meant something even more to her. Tech had been her first boyfriend and despite all of his flirting, he was always a gentleman. This had been the first time he'd ever been so forward about the way he felt. When he pulled away from the kiss, Vicki felt as if she were going to fall back into the water, but he cradled her body close to his.

"Happy birthday Vicki." Was all Tech could say.

Even under the brown fur on his face, she could tell he was blushing just by his body heat. The kiss had left Vicki's soft skin covered in goosebumps. It had been the first kiss she and Tech had shared. In truth it had been her first kiss ever. Slowly she laced her fingers through the soft wet fur on Tech's chest. His large hands still gripping her shoulders. It took her another moment to collect herself, before she could look up at him. Tech was still holding his aw-shucks smile along his muzzle. Vicki's heart was thumping hard in her chest.

"That was amazing." Vicki whispered, her breath ruffling the fur of his muzzle.

"I'm glad you think so, I was so nervous." Tech responded, his grip loosening on her shoulders and slipping down to take her hands.

"Thank you for a wonderful birthday. You're the greatest guy a girl could ask for." Vicki couldn't help but smile, she never could when they were together.

"I'm glad you liked it. I wanted to so something very special for you, because you're so worth it Vicki." Tech's eyes traced hers sincerely.

"Now I'm going to have to work extra hard on something for your next birthday." There was a playfully coy look on her face, that forced Tech to blush once again.

Tech let out a soft chuckle, but had nothing to say. Either that or he was too embarrassed to speak. Which wasn't a bad thing, Vicki thought as she pressed her lips to his chin in a soft peck. The pair of them sat back in the cool water and just enjoyed being close to one another. Neither of them wanting that night to end.

The End