Charlotte and Tom were sitting on a large log in the woods at the back of Tom's Mum's house. It was almost dark and was getting cold. Tom had given Charlie his jacket to put round her shoulders and she snuggled close to him to keep warm.
"Have you ever kissed a girl?" Charlie asked him.
"Of course I have," Tom replied, slightly indignant. "Have you ever kissed a boy?" he asked. There was silence for a while; they heard an owl in the distance and a breeze blew the fallen leaves around them.
"No," Charlie said, eventually. She waited for the inevitable ribbing; the name-calling. It never came.
"I could kiss you," Tom suggested, "just so you'd see if you like it."
Charlie raised her head from his shoulder;
"Really?" she said, looking into his eyes. There was no mischief in them; no playing; only sincerity. He nodded.
Charlie closed her eyes, unsure what else to do. She felt him take her face in his hands, tenderly, and then felt his breath on her face. He was close to her.
Tom held Charlie's beautiful face in his hands and licked his lips. He leaned closer to her and touched her lips with his lips. She didn't flinch so he kissed her, so softly, so delicately, and then pulled back a few inches. She opened her eyes wide;
"Again," she said and closed her eyes again. He kissed her again but pressed a little harder this time. Once again, she didn't flinch so he continued with the kiss, stroking her temples with his thumbs and caressing behind her ears with his fingertips.
Then, he opened his lips a tiny bit and tilted his head a few degrees to the right. For a few seconds Charlie didn't change her position so Tom eased her head to her right, gently, as he held her face.
Charlie took the hint and opened her own lips slightly, eager to see what would happen. Tom's kiss became more bold, his open mouth moving to kiss more of her lips. She responded in kind, moving her lips so that she kissed more of his mouth but never breaking contact with his lips. After a few moments, he used the tip of his tongue to trace a line along the edge of her bottom lip. When she didn't flinch, he eased his tongue into her mouth.
Almost immediately, he felt her tongue respond and seek out his, the tip of hers entwining with his. He moved his fingers round to the back of her neck; his thumbs now behind her ears; and gently pulled her closer into the kiss; their tongues now working vigorously on each other.
The kiss lasted forever.
Tom finally broke it because he could feel her face and neck getting cold; it was time they went back indoors. Charlie looked so deeply into his eyes and he could see a tear forming in the corner of her right eye.
"Oh my God," she said, "I don't want to ever stop doing that."
Tom saw Charlie's car turn off the road and pull up in front of the house. He bounded down the two flights of stairs, ran through the lounge and opened the front door just as she opened the car door. One long, tanned leg came out first, followed by the other one. She was wearing a short dress, checked in green and purple, which had ridden right up while she was driving and his eyes were drawn to the yellow V of her knickers at the top of her bronze thighs. She stood up and screamed;
"Tommy!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and he swung her round, just as he always did. She kissed him on the lips and threw her head back;
"I can't believe you're here," she said, laughing as he grinned at her.
"Nor can I," he said, putting her down, gently. She looked over his shoulder;
"Hey Mum," she said, "I hope you haven't tired him out." He heard Sue laugh behind him,
"I think he's got plenty of energy left," Sue said. Tom stood aside so that mother and daughter could hug.
"Hello Momma," Charlie said, kissing Sue on both cheeks.
Hello darling," Sue replied, "let's get your stuff inside." Charlie opened the rear door of the little Peugeot and pulled out a sports bag and a light jacket. Tom took the bag from her and watched her go up the steps; her mother's arm around her waist.
"Your room's ready but you're sharing a bathroom with Tom," Sue declared. Charlie screwed up her face in mock disgust and then laughed. Tom laughed too; her laughter filled the hallway.
"Go on up; I'll finish lunch," Sue said, going into the kitchen. Tom looked at Charlie and said,
"Lead the way, Madame." He gestured theatrically and she led the way through the lounge to the stairs. He followed her up the first flight and along the landing to the second flight. He paused long enough to let her get three steps ahead of him before following her. When she got to the top step she turned and looked round at him,
"Are you looking up my dress?" she asked, grinning at him. He grinned back,
"Of course," he replied; "it's my reward for carrying your bag."
"Fair enough," she said, turning back. She walked into her bedroom and he followed, putting her bag on the bed.
"Thank you, kind sir," she said, "now bugger off." He feigned hurt and giggled all the way down the stairs.
The three of them chatted endlessly as they ate the salad Sue had prepared for lunch. Tom discovered that Charlie had been approached by a European Minister and that she had a week to decide if she wanted to take the job of Interpreter Assistant.
"What is there to decide?" he asked, "Surely, it's the exact job you want?"
"Not necessarily," Charlie replied. "I have to decide if I can work with a person who's politics may differ completely from mine. I have to decide if I want to work in their particular field of expertise; if I have the language skills for the areas of the world that they visit most often; and if I actually like them as a person. On a three week trip I might be with them for twelve to fifteen hours a day; working, sitting next to them on a plane, on a train, in a taxi, in an official car; it's a lot to consider."
