Elizaveta kissed him in the summer. He remembers the day with such clarity that it still shocks him every time he revisits it. The heat had been sweltering, the pavement so hot to the touch it felt like it was searing his feet with every step he took. The grass in the park was yellow from dehydration and the ground had been baked to a hard, thick splitting crust. He can recall exactly how many cracks were underneath his bare feet at the time and how the back of his neck had prickled with pervasive, itchy warmth and something he couldn't quite put his finger on at the time.
He still can't.
It was not how he'd thought his first kiss would go. It was too fast, too harsh, too sudden and so thoroughly Elizaveta that he really should have expected it in the first place. It was messy, sloppy and inexperienced, a mix of clashing teeth and lips that mashed uncomfortably together. She kissed like the way she fought, fierce and unyielding. Her nails dug into the skin of his forearms, leaving dark red crescents that he was sure would form bruises.
"This is a mistake." he'd said, when she pulled away, both of them breathing hard. We're only fourteen, he didn't say. I know how long these relationships will last. I've watched enough films. She'd looked at him, long and considering before shaking her head, brown hair in marvellous disarray. Her face, streaked with sweat and grime, was almost split in a sharp grin; he couldn't envision anything else more breath taking.
"I quite like the mistakes I make then," she returned. The smile didn't quite reach her eyes though, and when he looked, they were sombre but bright. She'd pulled him even closer, until they were a hair's breadth away from kissing again. "I know exactly what I'm getting myself into."
Even he couldn't think of a response to that.
I'm rewriting Whistling My Name. It's not a decision I've taken lightly, but I think it's for the best; many of the chapters which I've uploaded aren't exactly the best quality, and I need to revise them. There's a bit of story changing going on, but I already have a lot of it planned as a draft. I just need to...reorder. Chapter restructuring starts soon, but I hope you'll continue to stay with it! Thank you for your support.