Thursday, March 10, 2011

Sneak a peek - YA Heaven

Have you ever caught someone looking at you, and it's an attractive someone who sets your heart aflutter? The sneaking sideways glance, the blush when you catch them, or they catch you. The stomach-churning thought of talking to them. It was the height of my day as a teenager.

This afternoon when I was driving my kids to footy training I saw just such a moment when stopped at the traffic lights. I promise I'm a people watcher, not a creepy peeper. I was drawn to their interaction, taking me back to when I was 15.

On opposites sides of the road waiting to cross was a girl from private school, in one of the dorkiest uniforms I had ever seen. But she had beautiful long wavy brown hair spilling out from underneath her hat. Across from her was a tall dark-haired teen, minus a shirt. He obviously played a lot of sport.

He spotted her checking him out, and smirked to himself. She blushed and tried to look coy. I could see both their postures shift. She tried to look like she wasn't that into him, and failed badly. He kept moving around in poses to show off his shirtless physic.

They kept sneaking looks at each other and as the green light came on for them to cross they locked eyes, turning their heads to look eye-to-eye as they passed. She blushed again and he looked decidedly pleased at her reaction (as did she at his).

I wanted to yell at him "Don't be an idiot - go get her number" but there can be something romantic about that elusive person who is an unknown quantity. Those moments can mean so much.

I remember one time at a train station I was in a rush to get where I needed to be, and felt anything but attractive. A guy walked by and looked straight at me and said "Beautiful, just beautiful." Then he disappeared into the crowd. Boy did I smile for the rest of the day.

But it's moments like these that is why I love reading and writing YA. That innocence, those daydreams, the whole notion of what could be and is to come.

So - got any memories to share? Tell us about why you love YA so much.

6 comments:

  1. Aaaahhh! I love this post! You just made my day. THIS is why I write romance. *sighs*
    When I was 21, working as a flight attendant in NJ, I was driving down the road singing my favorite song at the top of my lungs, basking in the freedom of my youth. When I stopped at a light I looked over and the cute guy driving the car next to me was totally watching me and laughing! But it was like he thought it was cute or something, and we both laughed. I'm pretty sure we made each others' day.

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  2. Awww this is so inspiring! It makes me want to do a do over for my book "Time With Seleste" I think I just might change a certain something, to relate more to this first meeting/blushing scene. :)
    Well...I really don't have a "cute/blushing" moment like this, sadly. :/ I don't get out that much, and I think I repell men for some reason. (Hm...do I smell? LOL) Nah, it's just I guess I don't give out that "I want a boyfriend" aura, because I really don't at this age.
    But I do have a cute, tiny kiss scene! It was when I was like 16 almost 17.
    Well I went to my local roller skating rink. Just to be casually be at the same place where my crush at the time was. lol. Well we played this coy thing with each other all night. Taking turns in aggravtingly "ignoring" each other, when we weren't. So when it came to leaving for the night, my friends kept poking fun at me. "Awww come one give him a kiss!" Well I ignored it for a bit, then as I was walking out of the room after telling him bye. One of HIS friends called me a "Chicken! You won't pucker up for him!" Or something like that, he was an idiot.
    I stop, then think. "Oh what the heck?"
    I did a sharp turn and went back to him, got up on my tippy toes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and gave him a little teasing kiss right in front of everyone.
    Well I got a little embaressed, so I didn't look at him, then I just turned away and left. My friend Sarah told me he had the BIGGEST grin on his face when I left. XD
    Awww that makes me kind of like him again, after thinking on it! GEEZ!
    I haven't actually seen him since then. :/

    The reason why I love YA so much it's because of the sweet, potential innocence that teens have. They don't have to sleep with each other right off the back (if at all, which I rather read without sex in them) to fall in love with the person. Unlike in adult books.
    I also love YA because of the young minds that are maturing as the books progresses. You get to see them grow up, learn lessons, fall in love for the first time (or only time), relate to them, and well I think teen romances are just plain out SEXY! <3 lol.

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  3. Awwww, Kristia! Thank you for sharing that! You're such a doll. :)

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  4. Both of those stories are so gorgeous!

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  5. Awwww ... I love this post, Sharon!!!! There's something so magical about those little moments ... makes me wish I could relive those years!!!!

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  6. Awesome post. I love it. There's something special about YA. Love the innocence. The ability to love and to fall in love so easily. Sigh...

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