Page 33 of First Kiss with a Mothman

When the sunrise hits his face, the man glows more than usual. He beams, and I know he feels the daylight. I don’t need to tell him the morning sunlight illuminates his precious face. He is precious.

“Wow,” Arie says breathlessly. A gentle breeze ruffles his hair, and he moves his violin into position. Here, in the forest by the waterfall, Arie proceeds to play a beautiful melody. His mastery of the strings sends the notes reverberating through the air, and directly into my soul.

Without even thinking, I undo my shirt and allow my wings to spread. Moths and butterflies approach us, and I realize I summoned them on instinct. The insects of the forest surround this glorious boy as he plays music to the sunrise.

I thought I had to be a lonesome, solo mothman my whole life. But Arie is making me rewrite my rules.

Once the Sun is fully up, Arie switches his melody to a more familiar one. It’s a pop song, and I smile. He’s playing that old song “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer. With anyone else, this would be corny. But Arie’s prowess at the violin, the way he slows down the rhythms, the way he masters the melodies…all of it draws me to him.

This is him asking for his first kiss. It’s a call I can’t fight anymore.

I step forward and gently place my hand on his violin, making him put it down. Arie turns to me with a perplexed look until I place my hand on his cheek. He lightly gasps and leans into the touch. Neither of us says anything. I lean my face closer, breathing in his luscious scent.

Finally, I place my lips on his soft cheek, then gradually trail kisses toward his lips. When I place my mouth on Arie’s, he welcomes me with a soft moan. Arie places his arms around my waist, holding me in place, and my wings stop moving.

In the forest sunrise, surrounded by moths and butterflies, I’m kissing Arie Baker. Nothing has ever felt this right.

Chapter

Eleven

ARIE

My heart might never stop pounding. Coming to the gorges and witnessing the sunrise has always been a goal of mine. It wasn’t my intention to trick Mort into kissing me. But he brought his mouth to mine. I guess that song truly does have power, because now I get to hold Mort in my arms.

I’m having my first kiss with a mothman.

And what a kiss it is. I’m aware that I only have the occasional cheek kiss from a girl to compare it to, a sensation that did nothing for me back in high school. Kissing this mothman, my campus crush, is a whole different experience.

It’s brighter than the sunrise. It’s sweeter than sugar. It’s more explosive than fireworks. Kissing Mort makes me feel like I’ve been starving my whole life, and now I finally get a meal. When I moan again and bring his fuzzy body closer, his wings tremble, and he opens his mouth. Our first kiss soon turns into tongues touching.

Mort really likes me!

I might burst with excitement. Considering his moans, he’s excited too. Blood pumps through my body, and yeah, I’m hard now. It’s only been a minute, but I need to slow down before I literally burst. That would be humiliating.

I pull back and catch my breath, while Mort’s wings flutter. I smile and say, “Wow.”

“Was that…okay?”

I chuckle and lean forward again. I catch him with my lips, refusing to answer with words. After making out some more, I pull apart to breathe again. That’s when I hear his buzzing noise, but this time, all around me.

“What is that?” I ask.

“What?”

I glance around. “That sound. Is that like…bugs?”

He laughs nervously. “Oh yeah. Sorry. I accidentally summoned them.”

“Wow. An audience.” I chuckle but feel him tense up in my arms.

“Sorry. I can tell them to go away.”

“No apologies necessary.” I peck his lips. “Though it’s probably for the best you ask them to leave. When I call Reginald…”

“Can’t have a repeat of the day we met,” he says, finishing my sentence.

“Bingo.” We laugh softly, and I rub his shoulders up to his wings. He leans forward and catches my mouth again. I’ll never get over kissing Mort Rain.