Apricity

We stand in the center of a small ice rink as another flurry begins. Layering the earth around us in yet another inch of snow. Our game of sliding across the ice in our sneakers has become mundane. As the wind blows, it pushes the clouds to block the sun. Instantly making the air around us feel colder, as we abruptly stop next to each other.

As I stand in front of him, he wraps his arms around my waist as if offering me a slow dance. I wrap mine around his neck, as we look at each other and smile. From the corner of my eye, I watch as the snow dances around us. Almost as if we were enclosed inside of our own personal snow globe.

His dark hair peeks out from underneath a black beanie and his cheeks appear bright red against his pale white skin. He smiles at me, and I return the gesture. Feeling a slight burn as my chapped lips stretch into a wide grin. I fight the urge to lick them.

His grip doesn't ease as he looks around the practically empty park. My focus lays subtly on him, glancing at him from above my glasses. I can feel his hands against my waist, squeezing every so often, as he moves them around. Nervousness sets in as I pay attention to his sudden shift in demeanor.

My hands sit against his chest, unmoving. Unable to feel his heartbeat through the thick winter coat, but something tells me it's racing, like mine. Beating so fast, it felt as if it wasn't beating at all.

The world suddenly falls silent, as he makes eye contact with me. I am no longer able to bring myself to look away, struggling to distract myself from the nerves that have situated themselves into my core. I watch smoke from neighboring chimneys billow into the sky behind him. I was envious of their warmth. The sun had vanished behind a wall of clouds, taking away what little heat it offered in the late afternoon.

His hands now hold me tightly, as he pulls me closer into him until my chest touches the bottom of his. He moves his mouth to speak. Nothing comes from them, as I keep my hands pressed against his chest, squishing them between us. I force myself to stay still. Fighting the trembling sensation that has made its way through my body at a thousand miles per second.

"Kiss?" His voice is gentler than a whisper. His eyes flicker as I nod my head yes. Wishing I had licked my lips just seconds ago, and taking a deep breath of air, I tilt my head up. Tilting it back until he meets my lips with his.

Shockwaves of nervous energy flow through my veins as we still. Both of us feeling frozen both in temperature and emotions. The sudden closeness neither of us have ever experienced, causing a shift in my chest. Going from a rapid beating to a methodical heavy thumping. As we part, both of us turn our heads, wiping our noses, hoping the other person didn't notice, before looking back at each other.

Our first kiss had come. Ending just as quickly as it had begun, leaving us standing in the center of an ice rink, just as we were before. Only we were given the chance to have a warm memory from the coldest day of the year.

In sixty seconds, we went from friends to something more, as the sun peeked through the clouds, bathing us in apricity, marking the beginning of our love story.