First Fight/First Kiss Blogfest

 
After a week's break, I'm back, and today taking part in Danielle B and Jackie's First Fight/First Kiss Blogfest.

Here's what the ladies have to say about the blogfest:

Share your 1st FIGHT and 1st KISS scenes in your MS’s, WIP’s, or real life experiences.
We want to read and experience them all! Make us feel what your characters or what you felt ... from the sting of the fist hitting the face to the taste of that first kiss.

The First Fight/First Kiss blogfest will go as such:
  • Post 1 will be on Tuesday, June 12 - Share your 1st FIGHT scene on your blog... lovers spat, a banter back and forth, a battle scene, a classic fist fight, etc. It can be physical or verbal, fists or magic. Whatever you want.
  • Post 2 will be on Thursday, June 14 - Share your 1st KISS scene on your blog. It can be a peck on the cheek or a full fledge kissing session. Whatever you want to share.
  • Hop around to the other blogs and comment on their wonderful 1st fight and 1st kiss scenes.

Once again I'm focusing on my second WiP,
Perfect Ten, and sharing with you the first fight and first kiss between Nick Braxton (who I introduced during the 'Oh, My Hero!' Bloghop) and Rainie Dalton (who I will be introducing in the 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!' Bloghop).


 "Get your hand off those." Rainie swatted Nick away as he reached for one of the iced pink cupcakes she'd placed on the counter at work. They were a special favour for Geraldine. It was Sharline's eighteenth birthday and Rainie had agreed to bake fifty cupcakes for the party.

"Oh come on. You've got plenty to spare." He was right. Rainie had intentionally made extra in case anything happened to any of the cakes. "Just one won't hurt."

"Alright, just one. But don't let anyone else see. If they know I've given you one, everyone will want one."

"Your secret's safe with me." Nick pulled off the rice paper butterfly and popped it in his mouth, before licking off the pink frosting. Once the cupcake had been cleared of all its icing, he took a bite. "Damn these are good!"

"Uh-huh." Rainie stacked up the now empty plastic containers she'd transported the cakes in and wiped down the counter.

"I mean, really good. Better than anything I've tasted in shops. You're wasted here, you know? I remember what the canteen food tasted like before you started working here. You could do so much more with your talents."

"Uh-huh. Sure." Rainie avoided his eyes and started getting the equipment out that she'd need to prepare lunch. She skittered around the small kitchen; pulling out pans, opening her knife roll, and laid out ingredients.

"Rainie, I'm serious," Nick pulled the pan from her hands and forced her to look at him. "I saw your eyes light up when we were at that country house restaurant. I heard the way you were gushing over the produce. You love this stuff, like I love acting. But you're serving canteen food. Why aren't you out there, I dunno, opening a bistro or a cake shop?"

"It's not that simple." She wriggled from his grasp and turned her back on him, focusing all her attention on chopping carrots for the spaghetti bolognese.

"Isn't it? I know for damn sure this isn't what I plan to be doing for the rest of my career. This is just a stepping stone to bigger and better things."

"For you maybe, not for me. I'm ten years older, with kids and a mortgage to think about." Rainie still didn't look at Nick, instead keeping her gaze fixed on the carrots, as she swept them off the chopping board and into a pan.

"Do kids and a mortgage stop you following your dream?" Nick asked, taking the knife and chapping board from her hands and laying them down on the counter. He laced his fingers through hers.

"Drop it, Nick. Please." She avoided his eyes, and looked to the floor.

"Why? This is important to you, I know it is." Nick hooked his thumb under her chin and tilted her head up so that she was forced to look at him.

"I don't want to have this conversation."

"You can't run away from this."

"I'm not running. I accepted a long time ago that path is closed for me." Rainie's body suggested differently, as she unwound her fingers from his and walked away, putting distance between the two of them, and once again distracting herself with chopping vegetables.

Nick opened his mouth to say something, but Rainie silenced him with a look, and then said, "I need to get to work, and shouldn't you be on set?" He shook his head. "Okay, well in make up, or wardrobe, or something. Just give me some space, okay?"

"Why won't you talk to me about this?" Nick inched closer, but as he approached Rainie moved out of reach of his grasp.

"I said I'm not discussing it with you." She stomped her foot lightly on the floor to punctuate the point, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

Nick threw his arms up in exasperation."Fine. Do whatever you want." He dropped the cupcake wrapper in the bin and strode off.

He hadn't gotten more than a few paces when Rainie called out, "Fine. I'll see you for dinner later."

"I dunno. I'll call you."

When he didn't turn around to answer her, Rainie's heart dropped. She knew she'd done the wrong thing. Nick was always so open with her, and he prompted her to be the same. When they chatted he wanted to know everything; what her childhood had been like, where she'd been on holiday, what she'd experienced at college, how it felt to be a mother, memories and moments with her boys. All that she had been and all that she was, he wanted laid on the table. But not this. She wouldn't, couldn't open up to Nick about this. He wouldn't get it. He was young, with no responsibilities, and had his whole life in front of him. He wouldn't understand what it was like to sacrifice something you loved because you had other people to consider; to be utterly selfless because people were depending on you.


36 comments:

  1. "I don't want to have this conversation."
    Yes, I have uttered that sentence before!
    Good excerpt, Clare.

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    1. Thank you. And yes, those are words I've uttered myself.

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  2. Awesome excerpt! The dialogue is flowing and natural. I really felt for Rainie too. I want to give her a hug for being selfless and brave.

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  3. This is really good, Clare. I felt like I really got to know your characters. And those cupcakes sound divine. Yum.

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    1. Thanks, glad you liked it. And yes, I'd love one of those cupcakes.

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  4. Nice scene! I felt half annoyed with Rainie for not opening up, and half annoyed with Nick for pushing her. It sounds like she needs someone like him around to help move her forwards. :D

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    1. Thanks, glad you liked it. Being annoyed with both of them was exactly what I was going for, so it's great you felt that. :D

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  5. Lovely scene, and so true to life. My husband is 8 years younger than me, and I've seen the difference between his open-eyed enthusiasm and my more measured scepticism towards life. Lovely sense of character and natural dialogue.

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    1. Thank you, glad you enjoyed it, and thought I captured the characters and their age difference well.

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  6. This felt so real. Nice excerpt!

    Thanks for participating in our blogfest!

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    1. Thank you. And thanks for hosting, you're doing an excellent job. :)

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  7. That's a great scene and Nick sounds pretty hot. I think there's something hypnotic about pink cupcakes. They hold the promise of delicious strawberry flavoring.

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    1. Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. I think there's something hypnotic about any cupcakes! LOL

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  8. Really great. Loved their differences. This excerpt felt like it was pulled out of everyday life. Well done!

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    1. Thank you, I'm pleased to hear you liked it. :D

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  9. Wonderful dialogue! Nick sounds hot, but like a good guy! Works for me!

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    1. Thanks, pleased to hear you liked it. Hot and being a good guy is a dangerous combination! ;)

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  10. Now I want to eat lots of Rainie's cupcakes with pink frosting. Seriously though, you could feel how hard it was for her to open up, and how she didn't think someone Nick's age would get her. But I bet he does...at least, I really, really want him to! Nice job Clare.

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    1. Thanks Jay! I really want cupcakes now! LOL I think you summed up my intentions with that scene perfectly. :D

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  11. The scene and conversation felt so natural. I very much enjoyed it. :)

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    1. Thank you, pleased to hear you enjoyed it. :)

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  12. As stated above... this scene felt so real, as if it would have actually happened and didn't feel fictional at all.

    Thanks for sharing with us! I'm so glad you did!

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    1. Thank you, that's a really excellent compliment. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.

      Thank you for hosting this fest, you're doing an awesome job. :D

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  13. This really was true to life, and so well written... thank you for sharing it!

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  14. I agree with a lot of the comments above. I think the voice of your writing is very natural and true to life. Your characters felt real. Great excerpt.

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    1. Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoyed it, and that's a great compliment. :D

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  15. See, now I want to know the rest of the story, and this isn't my normal genre. Nicely done.

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  16. Now I have a craving for cupcakes. Of course, I almost always have a craving for cupcakes.

    Great scene!

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    1. Thanks. :)

      I love cupcakes, especially with buttercream frosting.

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  17. This was fantastic, it felt so natural. Great use of dialogue. I hope they sort it out!
    And yes...now I want a cupcake.

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    1. Thank you, I'm pleased you liked it. :D

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  18. You lured me in with "Get your hand off those"--I just had to keep reading to see what that was about.
    Good scene and nice dialog.
    Now, can I have one of those cupcakes?



    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out

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    1. That's excellent to hear, thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it and it pulled you in.

      If I had cupcakes I'd gladly give you one. ;)

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    2. Heh, I'm just like Arlee. You'll always lure me in with a line like "Get your hand off those."

      Now where can I get these cupcakes?

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    3. Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. :D

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Thank you for taking the time to read this entry, and comment. I really appreciate it.