Page 77 of The Grosvenor's Ghost
He sat on the edge, kicking his feet in the water. “Nothing.”
“Come in, then!” I swam over, pulling his ankle.
He fell in, pushing to the surface seconds later and stared at me with the highlight of the moon behind him. Even then, I knew he was perfect, that there was something special about him that I just had to keep for myself.
“Phoebs, can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Have you ever kissed someone?”
His cheeks went bright red and his lips didn’t stop twitching. I laughed.
“Ew, no. Freddy said if I kiss boys, I’ll get something called herpes.”
He scrunched his face up. “That’s not true. Theo and Mia kiss all the time and they’re fine.”
I shrugged, bobbing around the water.
“Why do you ask, anyway?”
He smiled. “I was just asking.”
It dropped and I giggled. “Do you want to kiss me?”
He shrugged, all very sheepish and shy now.
“We can, if you want to,” I offered.
“Alright, then.”
He swam over to me, grabbed my face between both hands and looked at me for a second before bursting out with laughter. “I don’t know how to kiss.”
“Eh,” I shrugged my lips. “Neither do I.”
I closed my eyes like they did in the films and waited for the feel of his lips against mine. I wasn’t sure what to expect. But when the feel of his soft lips pecked mine, I knew I wanted him to do it again.
“How was that?” He breathed, looking nervous.
“It was okay?”
“Oh, sorry,” he laughed. “Should we try again?”
“Okay,” I nodded.
This time, when his lips touched mine, they stayed there longer and then he moved his head slightly but I wasn’t sure what to do so I just stood there in the pool, with my lips pouting against his. Eventually, after a few seconds, I got it and moved my head with his. We didn’t open our mouths. There was no tongue, obviously, because that was gross and we were kids.
When Arthur pulled back from me and brushed his wet hair off his forehead he looked thoroughly pleased with himself.
“That was better, weren’t it?”
“Why did you want to kiss me?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I don’t know? Because I like you?”
“You like me?”
“Yeah,” he laughed and nodded. “Why? Do you not like me?”
