Season 2, episode 15. New Girl still holds as one of the best shows on television, with Nick Miller as my favourite character. Jake Johnson’s willingness to make a complete fool of himself in service of the role is brilliant, and no other personality makes me laugh as hard.

We were rating the best screen kisses and this one’s the standout for me. When we watched it together, my friend C made the simple observation – It’s because he’s committed to the kiss.

All. In.

Consent confirmed earlier, he catches her off guard. Leaning over and into her, he pulls her up towards him. Full body contact, he’s got her completely wrapped. He saves the gentleness for the tapering off. Unadulterated, without apology.

It’s the sexiest scene I’ve ever watched (2nd place belongs to The Holiday and Jude Law, while 3rd place goes to the slow hand-holding in The Lover).

One man has kissed me like this. Our chemistry was insane, but his heavy drug use left no room for anything viable, including friendship. And chemistry alone cannot be a driver, but rather the equal partner to emotional intimacy, honesty, direction, and mercy between lovers.

The kiss was in 2016, and I’ve not had a man do this since.

The only kiss that has mattered since then wasn’t this kind; rather, it was gentle gentle gentle. A little shy, the kiss was both a question and an exhale.

He did not pull me in. There was no full body contact. There was no tapering off. But still…but still but still.

My breath catches.

The theory is that we believe a particular thing is what will make us happy, until we experience otherwise (read: Stumbling on Happiness, Gilbert, 2006). Until the gentleness of this kiss, I used to believe that the best first kiss was the Nick Miller kiss. I am glad to have been proven wrong.

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