You Kissed Me First!

You Don't Kiss Strangers

Aria Simone

I was in a foul mood. I had to be. I met my father today. I winched when, suddenly, the green and blue bold lights blinked in the room. I was already drunk and my head was spinning. Those lights weren’t helping my case. I groaned and covered my eyes, “How many times do I have to tell you guys to stop with these stupid f*****g lights! Switch them off!” I yelled over the music. Luckily, I was heard by them and the lights were switched off. I heaved a sigh and sloughed back on the couch. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. I had a little too much to drink, but still, I felt like it wasn’t enough. I believe to get today off my mind, I need to go a little crazy.

I opened my eyes and looked around, hoping I would catch a glimpse of Kev among the sea of some known and unknown people around the room. Kev or Kevin is my friend. Scratch that. I don’t know if I can even call him that. He is just a guy who happens to be around me a lot and he also gets me the good stuff (weed). Even when he is Australian. He is in Krabi after every other week. He calls himself a neglected spoiled brat of wealthy parents, who doesn’t care as long as he is not in their way. He likes to spend all his money on parties, trips, p**********n, and drugs.

Drugs. That’s the only reason why I am friends with him. He knows that. He is also the only one around me because I throw parties where he meets girl after girl to sleep. We are okay with our situation. He gets me drugs. I help him get lucky.

I never slept with him. I am not that loose – yet. I am afraid that if I keep on seeing my father like today – I might slip into meaningless s****l encounters. s*x and drugs combined can be a good way of blurring whatever bothers me. I know Aunt Silvia will skin in alive if she finds me doing so. Also, I don’t want to sleep around just because of the trauma. For now, I am OK with just drugs and alcohol.

“Hey,” I felt the couch dip beside me. I turned my head to look at the familiar face.

I grunted and rolled my eyes, “Not even in a million years, Vinny. Go away,” I slurred and scootched away from him.

I was disgusted by the man sitting beside me. He was now so shamelessly scootching close to me. I glared at him, while the blonde just smirked and stretched her arm on the couch, making me want to punch him in the face. He had a disposable cup in his hand which I am sure had alcohol in it. I could smell it in his warm breath on the side of my face. I twitched my mouth and pushed his face away from mine. His name is Vinny. He was a friend of a friend. I hate him. He has a talent for making every girl around him uncomfortable with his s****l suggestions. I don’t even know how he ends up at all of my parties. I need to stop my friends from inviting this disgusting creature.

Vinny decided not to take me seriously. He chuckled my disgust at him off and smirked, “Come on, I got the good stuff.” He winked at me before he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag with a couple of candy-looking pills in it. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I glared at him. I might smoke weed and snort cocaine with some of my friends, but I am not stupid enough to take any freaking pill from this man. All I know is he could drug me and r**e me. I rolled my eyes, but before I could say anything, I saw Kevin walking toward us from the corner of my eye. Urgh, thank goodness. “Hey, Aria!” Kevin greeted me loudly over the music before he looked at Vinny and the small plastic bag he was holding in his hand. Kevin frowned and snatched it from Vinny’s hand, “What the hell, dude? You can’t bring this here.” Kevin yelled over the music. Vinny chuckled and scratched the nape of his neck. He was about to come up with some bullshit when Kevin rolled his eyes at Vinny and didn’t let him speak, “Whatever, dude. Just go away,” he waved his hand dismissively. It worked. Vinny didn’t look so pleased, but who cares? Kevin kept the drug in his pocket before he sat down beside me.

“Why is Vinny always invited to my parties when I don’t want him here?” I asked Kevin.

He shrugged, “Beats me. I will ask Kiki to make sure he is not invited the next time,” he added.

I nodded, “Do that.”

“Hey, wanna snort some?” Kevin giggled as he pulled out a small pack of cocaine. Upon looking into his eyes, I could tell he already had some before. I chuckled and nodded my head. “Perfect!” Kevin said and started to empty the packet on the table. I looked at the white powder-like substance lining the dirty table. My head was already spinning. I gulped when I remember how I promised my aunt to never do drugs again when I was rushed to the ER last time, but the alcohol is not working for me. I need something strong to take the meeting I had with my father off my mind.

“Your mother’s anniversary of death is coming in a month,” Dad said to me with little to no emotion on his face. He didn’t even bother to look at her – let alone be empathic. He cut the steak he was eating with the knife and put the small piece into his mouth. “What’s your plan for it?” He asked me, finally glancing at me.

I scoffed, “What’s my plan for it? Why do you care?” I asked. I sat sloppily on the chair right across from him. I know my lack of manners was bothering him. I see him clicking his jaws now and then. The flare of nostrils didn’t go unnoticed as well, but that was exactly what I wanted. I wanted to get on his nerves so he would just stop trying to see me.

Dad heaved a sigh and placed the knife and fork on the table. He didn’t look pleased with my question, “What do me, what do I care, Aria? I love her,” his answer made me roll my eyes at him.

I scoffed, “Oh, please. Don’t get me started on that s**t. I am not going to get into this conversation with you. I am not an i***t, Father. I know this is your way of manipulating me into getting all the details about the resort. No matter what, I am not involving you in it. You have nothing to do with me or the resort. Now if we are done with the usual s**t, I’d like to leave.” I proceeded to get up when Dad started to speak again, making me slowly sit back on the chair.

“I am not manipulating you. I am just trying to help you, Aria. That resort…”

“Is mine,” I completed for him. I sternly added, “Mom left it to me. I know what I have to do with myself.” I gritted my teeth.

Dad was silent for a few seconds. I see him slowly relaxing his shoulder. He sighed and leaned back in the chair. The sudden calmness on his face could tell me that he was about to say something extremely mean and that’s exactly what he did.

“If your mother was still alive, she would have been very disappointed in you, Aria.” He frowned, “She gave you that resort because she loved you, but let’s be honest – you are just crumbling her beloved resort to the ground. It saddens me how reckless you are. You don’t really care for her, all you care about is that piece of land. With all your junkie friends and nonsense drug parties, you are going to bring a bad reputation to the resort, as you did to your mother’s name.”

“Woah, Aria, slow down!” Kevin pulled me up after I snorted coke. I don’t usually do this kind of drug. I try to stick to weed, but today my father hurt me like never before. That’s his pattern. Each time, he would take a step further – making sure to shred my soul in the process, and each time he succeeded. I groaned and wiped my nose before I coughed. Kevin laughed and slapped my back, “Slow down, silly. You are still a rookie.”

It didn’t take long before my head started to spin. I had the urge to throw up. I suddenly felt extremely hot and I felt like a clump was stuck in my nose. It didn’t feel right. I excused myself to the washroom before the drug took over my body entirely. I groaned in discomfort. I shouldn’t have done that. I stumbled my way into the washroom, forgetting about closing the door shut. I aimed at the sink. I opened the tab and splashed water on my face, as well as into my nose – willing to get rid of the clumpiness in there.

“Are you okay?” I gasped when I heard the voice. I didn’t expect anyone in here. My heart jumped in my chest. I tried to stand straight even when it was proving to be a difficult task. I looked in the mirror to see Vinny standing behind me. I groaned and closed the tab. He had a slight smile on his face. I always find him a creepy loser, but at this moment he looked a bit scary to me. It was probably because of the drugs in my system.

I knew I shouldn’t be around him in this state, so I waved my hand dismissively, “Go away, Vinny. Leave me alone,” I muttered and pushed him out of my way as I left the washroom.

I heard him snicker as he followed me. “I am just checking on you,” I heard him speak as I made my way back to the party.

I rolled my eyes, “You checked it. Now leave,” I sternly said to him and stumbled down on my way. I groaned as I fell to my knees. It left like gravity was working overtime tonight. I couldn’t bring myself back on my feet even when I was trying my best. I heard him chuckle again. I tried to ignore him when I felt his hand on my arm as he helped me get on my feet. For once, I was thankful to him, but I didn’t voice my gratitude. I tried to free my arm and walk away from him, but he didn’t let me. “Slow down, sweetie.”

I groaned at the nickname he just gave me. I pushed him away – almost falling in the process. “Urgh, don’t you dare call me that again, Vinny. Go away!” I snapped at him and stumbled my way to the party.

He was following me. I could hear him laugh as well. I hated him. I looked around the party to see my friends, all busy dancing, drinking, or doing drugs. I scrunched my nose at the funny feeling I felt in my stomach. I decided to go out in the fresh air. I slowly walked out. All the loud sounds, noises, and voices from the outside were muted once I was out, but Vinny was still there. He followed me out.

Even when I was high, my brain was functioning enough to sense the danger I could be in. It was dark around. My aunt was out of town as well. She will be returning in the morning. There wasn’t anyone around the beach. If Vinny wanted, he could easily hurt me. I am in no condition to defend myself at the moment. My eyes started to water. I don’t know if it was because of fear or if it was some effect of the drug. I looked behind me to find Vinny still following slowly with a soft yet creepy smile on his face. It was very unsettling. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next when I heard a voice. It wasn’t Vinny. It was someone else.

“Don’t ask. Just tell me what I asked!” A foreign voice spoke. A man. I quickly turned my head to see a man, standing by the beach with his hand on his hip while with his other hand he was holding a phone to his ear. He seemed to be in a heated conversation with someone over the phone. His accent suggested that he was a foreign man – an American perhaps.

I turned around to see Vinny was now approaching me. I didn’t wait for him to reach me. I quickly stumbled toward this stranger – almost falling on my face. “Oh, she is here.” I heard him mutter when I reached closer to him. My last few steps were extremely shaky. Before I could fall, I grabbed his arm and spun him around, making him drop his phone on the sand. “Woah – HEY!” The American man protested.

I saw him squinting his eyes. I couldn’t see clearly because it was dark and also because my vision was blurry. From what I could make sense of, he seemed to be a very handsome yet irritated man. He was pretty tall, my head was already spinning and the efforts I had to make to look up at him weren’t helping. He seemed annoyed, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to get rid of Vinny, who was watching us. I gulped and put the stranger’s hand on my waist. I somehow trusted this stranger more than I trusted Vinny.

The man frowned, “Hey, lady! What…?”

“Shhh,” I hushed him, “Just kiss me, okay?” I don’t know why but the only logical thing that came to my mind was that if I kissed this stranger, Vinny would think I was hooking up with him and would leave me alone. I was too high to think straight. How could I trust this stranger?! I don’t know. He could take advantage of me! All I could think was that this stranger might take advantage of me, but Vinny definitely would. I was ready to take this chance.

I saw the man’s eyes widen, “What?!” If he wanted to take advantage, he would have jumped for it. His reaction didn’t embarrass me, it somehow calmed me down a bit. For once, I felt safe. How foolish of me. I am going to regret this in the morning.

“Shhh, just kiss me so that creep will leave me alone!” I whispered to him. I saw the stranger’s gaze moving behind me. I saw him disapprovingly looking behind me. He must have seen Vinny there. I didn’t want to waste more time. The sooner I kiss him, the sooner I will get rid of Vinny.

When the stranger stopped protesting and didn’t say anything else, I did what I thought was right. I held on to him tightly and tip-toed to let my lips find his lips, and I kissed him.