March 24th, 2016: Ashley
PLACE: Davidson, North Carolina
TIME: Thursday, 3/24/2016, 11: 25 PM
KISSER: Matthew, aged 21
RECIPIENT: Ashley, aged 18
Seven minutes after my kiss with Rachel, we students were still going at it. But Ashley would earn the distinction of the being the first person I kissed who I didn't already somewhat know.
I had met her earlier that night, and saw that she was friendly with my good friend Colin. Like me, she was a Theatre minor. She hailed from up North and was good friends with two of my classmates in Chorale, mentioning that both the girls in question had spoken highly of me, for she recognized my name when Colin introduced me to her.
Anyway, we were still deeply involved in the game. The bottle fell to me again. Knowing that the rule was entirely in my control and that I therefore had an advantage, I glanced around. Colin was to the direct left of me, and next to him, Ashley. I knew what I wanted to do. Besides, it would change things up a bit, right? So I announced, "Kiss the person who is two places to the left of you" knowing it would guarantee a kiss with Ashley.
However, I had forgotten to guard against the natural confusion of this instruction the way I had with Mariam back in the fall. For everyone to follow the rule, each person would have to kiss twice – once as the kisser, and once as the person being kissed. Not even bothering to see who would have to kiss me and not caring (no one ultimately ever did before the game continued), I approached Ashley. She giggled, embarrassed and shyly said, "Hi" before we both leaned in and kissed each other softly. By now, I had gotten more adept at the kissing and our lips captured and released tenderly. It was chaste, like all the others had been and would be, but if I had to rank the ones from that night, hers was the best. We broke apart smiling.
