I remember, for my first 18 years, I couldn’t fathom kissing. It was disgusting—a slimy tongue, germed-up spit, faces pointlessly plastered. But somewhere in that 19th year, I sat in the back of his car watching the ocean eat the sun. He leaned his head on my shoulder. And feeling his temple chew his gum against it, and against my head leaning back against his, I couldn’t help but imagine what his tongue was doing to it. How was it moving it around his mouth? Was it slow or steadfast? Roughly, or politely? What did it taste like?
FALL CONTEST WINNER! Jalen Giovanni Jones is a queer, Black, and Filipino writer from Los Angeles. He attends LSU’s MFA Program. Get to know him some time, yeah? Instagram: @jalen_g_jones X: @jalengjwrites