on,” said Toby at last, when the seawater had finally dried from their fur.  “It’s getting late, and there’s one place left I’d like to take you before we have to go home.”

“Where?” asked Luna.

Toby headed for the door.  “You’ll see,” he promised.  He led her through the streets of Nome to an old lot full of boxes and crates.  He stopped and sat as Luna came up and sat beside him.

“Why did you bring me here?” she asked, wondering why Toby would finish their date at such an unromantic spot.

Toby’s mouth dropped.  “You don’t remember?  This is the place we first met.  The place we first became friends.”

“Of course,” said Luna.  “How could I forget?  This was one of the best playgrounds in town.”

“So many memories,” Toby sighed, staring around.

“Forget the scenery and look over here,” Luna told him.

Toby turned and found himself nose-to-nose with Luna.  He pulled back.  “You planned that, didn’t you?” he asked.

She smiled.  “Define ‘planned.’”

Toby chuckled nervously.  Luna might not have realized, it, but she had just brought him within an inch of something he badly wanted.  ‘How do I say this without pressuring her?’ he wondered.  “Luna, what do you think about…well, kissing on a first date?”

Luna laughed.  “You mean besides what happened in the boiler room?”

Toby was getting really nervous now.  “Well, yeah, sort of.  I mean…” he trailed off, not sure what else to say and half-wishing he hadn't said anything.

Luna considered.  “Well, as long as that’s as far as we go…” she moved her muzzle towards his.  “Then it sounds alright to me.”

Author’s Note:

I am well aware that relationships are, and always have been, a pretty delicate matter.  For the record, I do not have any established, concrete views on the matter of kissing on a first date, as the question is quite widely varied and my own knowledge of it is quite slim.  However, the kiss at the end seemed to suit Toby and Luna, and I decided that since they had known each other all their lives it was more or less alright, since that was the limit to how far they went.  To be clear, I trust Toby and Luna more than I would trust most real people concerning chastity, primarily because of the ever-ready “delete” key.

Toby, Luna, Rex, Pete © Dragon Tamer