LOVE BITES: GOOSEBUMPS
There are moments in life that evoke intense feelings of fear, awe, or sexual desire. These instances may be accompanied by the tightening of tiny muscles under the skin, producing what are commonly known as goosebumps. Whether sparked by chills or thrills, this edition of Love Bites focuses on instances and people that bring goosebumps.
Goosebumps
We were nine years old in the library at Trillium Woods Elementary, sitting side by side. It was recess time, and in front of us was a stack of children’s horror books called Goosebumps. You pulled the first one off the top – The Curse of Camp Cold Lake – and started to read. There was a ghost, you said, living in the big black lake by the campsite, who preyed on innocent children. It was supposed to be scary, but I paid no attention to the story; I was watching you. Your face, so serious in its concentration, spawned an urge in me to trace its delicate contours with my fingertips. The sun from the library window spilled over you like honey, turning your deep brown eyes into gold. As you read, I inched slowly toward you, holding my breath. “I’m scared,” I said, lying. You didn’t say anything but put your left hand on my right. We sat like this all afternoon until the goosebumps melted away.
-Anonymous
Reminisce
As you pulled away, your hand brushed my skin gently. Chills overcame my body. I wanted to reach for you again; to hold you for just ten more seconds before you left. We used to be something… We used to be everything… but now we aren’t. So I can’t daydream about the feeling or you anymore. The goosebumps lingered on my skin long after you left me that day and I carry the longing for their return with me every day.
-I miss this feeling. I miss you.
Haunted
For two months after our breakup he was my own personal ghost. Walking out of class, in line at the dining hall, or just minding my own business on the green and poof, there he was, casually leaning against a light pole, speaking to a friend, talking up a girl... He was a frightening apparition that never failed to make me jump and run immediately in the opposite direction. Was I ashamed of my behavior? Sure, but who allowed ex-boyfriends to exist after a breakup? They should disappear back where ex-boyfriends come from and never return to haunt the living. As with most ghosts, however, I learned to live with mine. Great friends, self-love, and a little bit of holy water kept the ex ghost away. Now, as I wander the material world looking for that great, undying love, I can do it officially ghost-free.
-Alan
Craving You
“Okay, now guess the shape,” he said proudly. “Do it again,” I giggled, already knowing the shape he traced on my back was a star but craving to feel his fingers on my skin once more. He gently drew the star with his fingertips, laughing as my body shuddered in response. I didn’t guess the shape right away. I wanted another moment to soak in the tenderness of this moment. “So what do you think?” “One more time,” I begged. He traced the star on my back for fifteen minutes before the goosebumps stopped.
-Lauren
Longing
The feeling of her leg touching mine as we sat beside one another on the couch was exhilarating. I leaned into the pressure and let it ground me as the feeling of my heart beating in my chest became louder. Can she feel the goosebumps she’s leaving on my skin? She must have felt my body tense up, because she pressed her leg into mine and looked at me with a smile. Her piercing green eyes sent chills down my spine. I smiled back at her, feeling the number of goosebumps on the surface of my skin triple. “Are you nervous?” She looked down at the texture on my arms and put her hand on me comfortingly. It felt like fireworks radiating out from her touch. Does she want me like I want her?
-S
Game Night
The seventh inning had just begun when you grazed my thigh with your right hand. Sparks flew and the heat of your skin was palpable, drawing me in. Both of us stared at the TV as if the hairs on the backs of our necks weren’t standing, but neither of us was watching Kyle Hendricks pitch anymore. “Do you want to hold my hand... maybe?” I mustered up the courage to ask, so quietly that I wasn’t sure if you heard. On the TV, Contreras came up to bat and the stadium was silent with anticipation. Right around the moment when he hit that home run your hand wrapped around mine. The crowds cheered. The rest of the evening was enveloped by your warmth.
-Anon
LOVE BITES EDITOR: Liz Kaplan is a junior at Brown. You can find her taking her cat on walks or somewhere surrounded by plants!!
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Andrew Lu is in his second year at Brown. You can find him licking salt lamps and giving unsolicited tarot readings to strangers on the street.
ARTIST: Lucid Clairvoyant