Meena stood in front of the mirror in her room and critically examined the outfit that she had chosen for her date with Johnny. She was wearing ripped jean shorts, a purple floral top, and her favorite pink converse. She adjusted her top slightly and nodded to herself when she was finally satisfied with what she saw. Meena was ready very early because she had been so eager to spend time with her boyfriend, so she sat down on her bed to wait for Johnny to pick her up.

She picked up a teen magazine that her mother had given her from her last trip to the grocery store. She flipped through the pages until she reached the article that she had been obsessing over since her mother had handed her the magazine.

Kissing Tips for the Inexperienced Animal

She practically knew the article word for word by now but she skimmed it over again in her desperation. She had never had a serious boyfriend like Johnny before and the older gorilla was too handsome and charming not to have experience with women. She had to be able to keep up with him, or at least she had convinced herself that was the case. She had never properly kissed a boy and the longer she and Johnny went without kissing the more she fretted over it.

Everyone told her that her first kiss was supposed to be magical and perfect so the pressure was immediately on. She researched teen magazines, practiced on her pillow, and even sent Johnny the signals that the magazines told her would guarantee a kiss. And yet every opportunity for a kiss, Johnny kissed her on the cheek, the forehead, her hand, anywhere except for the one place that she wanted. Meena groaned and dropped the magazine so that it covered her face.

At first she thought it was because he wasn't attracted to her but he called her beautiful and continued to ask her out every week, so it couldn't be that.

Then she thought it was because he wasn't noticing her signals. The theory seemed sound until she tried fumbling with her keys waiting for him to kiss her goodnight. His eyes had brightened and he had leaned forward, but at the last minute he pulled back and kissed her cheek. He definitely saw the signal. Johnny definitely noticed the signals.

So with the 'when' still a mystery she began to worry about the 'how'. She knew that elephants had a special way of entwining their trunks as a kiss but Johnny wasn't an elephant. She searched high and low for information but apparently this wasn't a widely discussed topic so she was left to trouble shoot it by herself.

When her mother found her twenty minutes later she was still laying on her bed, her face covered by the magazine as she mumbled to herself.

"Meena honey? Johnny is here to pick you up." She raised her eye ridge in concern as she examined her daughter. Meena leapt up off of her bed, the magazine plopping onto the floor seconds after she dashed out into the hall. Leslie stood in the doorway, staring at the empty space where her daughter had been just a moment ago. She shook her head with a laugh and grabbed Meena's forgotten faded yellow purse and followed her daughter down to the front door where she was desperately searching for her bag while Johnny affectionately watched from the doorway.

"Meena. Ya goof." She chuckled and gave her daughter her purse. Meena just gave her and excited smile and in the blink of an eye the two animals were heading down the front walk. Leslie watched them as Johnny wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. For some reason she had a feeling that tonight would be a big night. She shrugged it off and closed the front door and headed back to the living room.

Johnny opened the truck doer for Meena with an exaggerated bow that made Meena giggle as she climbed into the car. Johnny closed the door behind her and a minute later they were off into the night. Meena gasped in delight when fifteen minutes later they were pulling into a drive-in movie. Not only were drive in movies super fun and intimate, they were also one of the top make out destinations.

She bounced nervously in her seat as they ordered food and drinks and then drove to their assigned spot. The field darkened and the old detective movie began to roll on the big screen. They snacked for a little bit, finishing off their food before Johnny boldly wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her form so that it was cuddled up against his, her head pillowed comfortably on his chest.

Meena was no longer paying attention to the movie because the frantic pounding of her heart in her chest was demanding all of her attention. This was it. This was the moment that she had been waiting for since they had started dating. They were going to kiss.

But when she leaned her head up to press her lips against his, Johnny's gaze was glued to the screen. She waited a few minutes for him to make a move, but when he did nothing else but stroke her side idly with his fingers, she decided it was time for her to take action.

For the first time in her life, Meena was going to confront someone about her feelings. Instantly her palms became sweaty and her cheeks reddened slightly as if her body was preparing for the imminent shame.

She pulled out of Johnny's embrace, a move that yanked his attention away from the movie to her. He gave her a look that held a mixture of confusion and concern and Meena almost gave up but something in her insisted that she stand firm.

She intended to lead into the question, to open with small talk about kissing or dating, or something smooth like that. The moment she opened her mouth all of that flew out the window and she blurted out her burning question.

"Why won't you kiss me?" It all came out in a rush and Johnny's eyebrows jumped skyward as he tried to decipher the mush that flew out of her mouth.

"Um... wot didja say?" He finally asked sheepishly and Meena felt her cheeks go redder as she was forced to repeat herself.

"I s-said... um I mean I asked... b-but why won't you um... kiss me?" She balled nervously and this time Johnny's expression morphed to affectionate amusement.

Meena felt mortified as soon as he let a chuckle escape. She felt like she could just melt into a puddle right then and there and that would be just fine. Instead she was forced to endure this situation.

Instead of continuing to laugh Johnny cupped her face and made her look at him. It was only then that she saw the affection in his brown eyes.

"I knew that ya would catch on soon enough." He chuckled to himself again before his expression softened.

"I shouldn't 'ave assumed that ya wouldn't figure it all aht." He stroked her cheek and lovingly gazed into her confused baby blues.

"What?" She managed to get out and he leaned forward so she could see the subtle blush coloring his cheeks.

"Just lemme show ya." He breathed out as he leaned in, his lips diving in towards hers. Every tip Meena had read went flying out the window and she sat there, frozen and unsure how to help him facilitate a kiss.

Johnny smiled understandingly when she froze up on him and he peppered kisses all over her cheeks in an attempt to get her to relax. Meena relaxed slightly under his ministrations but she remained unsure of what to do. She decided that now was the time to come clean.

"Johnny I-I've never um...well you know... kissed anyone before." She mumbled and Johnny's eyes widened in surprise. However he didn't say anything about her lack of experience, which shocked Meena. He only surprised her further with the next words out of his mouth.

"Lift yer trunk a lil' bit love." He said quietly and waited as Meena stared at him in shock. She lifted her trunk slightly as Johnny pulled her closer, automatically angling his head so that when they were close enough she wrapped her trunk around his shoulders and his lips were centimeters away from hers.

"Ready?" He asked breathlessly and Meena could only nod slightly in confirmation before he surged forward and they were kissing.

It wasn't perfect and the mood wasn't what she pictured after he had to direct her but it was infinitely more special than she ever would have imagined. It was messy and kind of awkward but she could feel how much he cared for her in how he kissed her with passion and abandon. Her eyes automatically slid closed and she savored every single minute of it.

When he pulled away and they both stared at each other in amazement Meena felt like her heart might burst in her chest.

"I was waitin' because I wanted ter savor the kiss with ya. I'm glad I did because it jus' made that kiss all the more amazin'." He said breathlessly and Meena's cheeks turned cherry red. He chuckled and gathered her back into his arms so that they were once again cuddled in his truck.

They sat in silence, savoring each other's embrace until Meena hesitantly broke the silence.

"Can we um... can we do it again?" She asked and Johnny's eyes widened in pleasant surprise at her forwardness. She looked up at him and the look in those baby blues sent his heart into a tizzy.

"Oh yeah." He leaned down and captured her lips like he would never let them go again.