*Chapter 2.5* The Kiss

So, there I was, feeling odd about how hard I had to work to convince this guy to agree to kiss me already! The "making history" quote must have done the trick, however, because after that, he reluctantly agreed. Just then, a girl passing out cards walked by and I told her we needed one. Fun Fact: we were couple number 701. Technical Fact: It was May 15, 1998.

We then started walking through the crowds toward the "A". The rule was that you had to touch someone who was touching someone who was actually touching the pedestal. Here are more official details on the rules for "true aggiehood". And this link has an old picture of someone sitting on the "A". It's quite the right of passage! Anyway, back to us. I'll admit, it was an awkward walk, me holding on to his arm walking through hundreds of other people. We got ourselves properly situated near the "A" just in time and I suggested that we should just look at this as something like a stage kiss. We're both theatrical types... no need to feel weird or anything, right!? Taking my suggestion, Paul agreed to come up with some properly cheesy thing to say before it happened. As someone on a microphone counted down to midnight, Paul said, "Oh darling, you have no idea how long I have waited for this moment!" I laughed and then...

We kissed!

For 10 seconds! (that was part of the breaking the record thing)

10 seconds is a long time for a first kiss!

And now, let me tell you something about this kiss! Have you ever seen the movie "Never Been Kissed"? You know how at the end, when the total hottie comes running out to her on the pitching mound and holds her in his arms and kisses her and everything goes a little fuzzy and the cameras spin around them like they are the only people in the world at that moment?!? That's what this kiss was like for me. Which is pretty impressive considering the sheer number of people that were surrounding us! To say the least, I wasn't expecting a kiss like that - and NO, it didn't get all slurpy or anything! But I was surprised at Paul's ability to pack a powerful punch into that kiss! After it was over and my eyes came back into focus, in order to break the tension, I raised up my fists and yelled, "We're True Aggies!" I didn't know what else to say! What would YOU have said?!

Now, to be fair, I need to explain Paul's version of this story. I found out a while later that Paul had been liking me WAY before A-day. He thinks the first time he realized he liked me was after Christmas Break and feeling jealous as I was telling some of the girls in the group about the quick and crazy relationship I'd gotten into over the break. I had no idea about this! When he was hemming and hawing over whether to kiss me on A-day or not, he was actually worried about the possibility that if he kissed me, it would ruin his chances of being able ask me out later. He didn't want me to think that all he wanted was to make-out again, because he actually did like me (and actually meant what he said in his cheesy pre-kiss quote... he just said it silly enough that I wouldn't think he meant it!).

Moving on with the story, we did continue to hang out as friends from the choir for a little while longer that night. A few of us went to go get some food from Taco Bell and hung out in the car talking while we ate. It eventually just got late enough that we just went our separate ways, but I admit I wouldn't have minded hanging out with Paul some more that night. Paul's presence on my radar screen instantly got much stronger and tomorrow I'll tell you about how I subtly asked him out on our first date.