And the Best Kiss award goes to . . . Phil and Keely!

I read The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau last week--and while it was a fun read, I found the romance arc wholly dissatisfying. I absolutely love first-kisses in novels, and now as an older writer I love to see how other people introduce them (and the one in this book failed to deliver). The first kiss from The Hunger Games is really situationally interesting as a moment of simultaneous tension (it could all just be an act) and release (maybe it's actually an expression of honesty). The first kiss from Ella Enchanted is one of the most satisfying kisses I've ever read, and if you've ever read Ella Enchanted you know what I'm talking about--the power struggle of Ella vs herself, the final breakthrough of being able to say "no"--resoundingly, wholeheartedly, delightedly--combined with actual feelings for someone who respects her spirit and strength and has gone to great lengths to find them. (But that's for another post.)

But one of my favorite kisses has to be this kiss from the old Disney Channel show "Phil of the Future." This probably dates me, but I don't care: this was one of my favorite Disney shows, with its kooky family with no shortage of bad dad jokes (which I love), the futuristic gadgets, the ridiculous situations, the collaborative solutions, the loyalty, the love. I remember this scene like the first time I saw it (ten years ago? Twelve?): the thrill of them finally connecting, the flit of hope, the disappointment of how fleeting the moment is. 

*coughyesthatcouldbemadeintoabadtwsslet'signorethatcough*

So I don't know how many people remember this relationship, or care. And it's not an on-the-page kiss, it's an on-the-screen kiss, but something about it just feels so genuine and innocent that it allows me to put on my rose-colored glasses for just a moment longer.