Sons and Lovers - Chapter 7
The kiss happened in summer, in the fields behind the Leivers farm. The air was warm and thick with the smell of flowers and earth.
Paul had wanted to kiss Miriam for a long time. He thought about her constantly, dreamed about her, and when they were together, he could barely think at all.
"You are so beautiful," he said to her that day, his voice low and uncertain.
Miriam looked at him with her large eyes. "Do you really think so?"
"Yes," Paul said. "More than you know."
He leaned forward and kissed her. It was gentle at first, a shy exploration of this new intimacy. But as the moments passed, something in Paul stirred—a hunger, a need that went beyond simple affection.
Miriam pulled back, her face flushed and confused. "Paul, we should not."
"Why not?" Paul asked, feeling rejected.
"It is not right," she said. "We are not married."
Paul felt a wave of frustration. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Why couldn't he just love Miriam without all these restrictions?
But he knew Miriam was a religious girl, raised to believe that physical love was something sacred, to be saved for marriage.
"I am sorry," he said, stepping back. "I should not have done that."
Miriam looked at him, her expression troubled. "I am not angry, Paul. I just want to do what is right."
They walked home in silence, the air between them changed now, filled with the awkwardness of what had happened.
Paul thought about the kiss all the way home. He felt guilty, but also excited, more alive than he had ever felt before. He didn't know what this meant, but he knew that something had changed between them forever.