That's today (via Instapundit). So in honor of International Kissing Day, here's a story for you about a kiss.

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A young couple went for a date one night. The weather was perfect - a clear sky, a full moon, and the heavens full of stars. He appeared at her door, smiling.

"Shall we go?"
"Yes."

So they went. She was beauty personified. Her every step the very picture of elegance and grace. He was tall and strong. But his apparent strength gave way to his gentle demeanor, and his smile seemed a permanent fixture on his countenance.

They took in an opera. She was moved to tears. He just smiled, as if he had a great and happy secret. She thought to herself, looking at his smile, that she would very much like to know his secret.

After the opera, they went to a late dinner at a fine restaurant. They dined on food filled with exotic spices - the flavors of an intensity she had never before experienced. His conversation was perfect, and she wanted desparately for the night to last forever.

Content after their meal, he led her on a walk down the boardwalk. Gaslights lit their path as the walked along. They enjoyed each other in slience, lazily strolling in the cool night air, admiring the stars, and ocassionally stopping to peer into the water as if they could discover its secrets.

His smile never left. He seemed to be enjoying his time with her, just being together.

Finally, the night came to a close. They returned to her door. It had been a perfect evening. The Opera was marvelous, the food enchanting, and the walk romantic. She rested her head on his chest for a moment, and he stroked her hair. She looked up and gazed into his smiling eyes. They looked so kind, so warm.

She leaned her head back a bit more and closed her eyes. With her lips slightly parted, she waited, hoping that he would give her the perfect kiss to end the perfect evening together. As he leaned down toward her, the blood rushed in her ears. She could smell their exotic dinner on his breath. But it had somehow been perverted. This was no ordinary breath. It had come up from the depths and trapped her in its murky cloud. It was dense and heavy, and she could not escape its power. Her senses reeled - sight blurred, skin crawled, her balance threatened to leave her.

She regained herself after a moment, and the two were separated by a few feet. His smile was now satisfied. She must have missed his kiss in her swoon. Surely, that is what had happened. But as she looked up, she noticed that he had been beating his chest with the thumb side of his fist. His other hand rested centered on his belly. She could see his shoulders returning to their normal position after having beeen raised for a short time.

He looked askance at her and said, "Excuse me."
With those words, he departed.

"SOME SECRET!" she yelled after him, tears streaming down her soft, glowing cheeks.
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So there you have it. A somewhat violent ending to the perfect date.

There's a game here, too. Guess The Secret! Leave a comment and tell me what you think the secret is. I bet you can't do it!

Happy International Kissing Day!

UPDATE: Welcome to visitors from Prettier Than Napolean, and thanks to Amber for the link! (I wondered where all of those hits to this page came from!)