Ahh, flirting. Luckily for me, my characters are just as awkward at it as I am!
I think the key to building successful romantic tension begins with flirtation and it’s even better when the characters are clueless because suddenly the readers are let in on a little secret. We see this all the time in the Romance genre and in particular romantic comedy films. There’s something magical about knowing that two characters are “meant to be” together and watching their story unfold…I think that’s why I enjoy (well-executed) love triangles so much. Suddenly, there’s an unexpected hiccup in the grand romantic design and I love the sudden mystery it lends to the romance.
Here is a fun excerpt of Jura awkwardly flirting with her pseudo- boyfriend Markhim. While Jura has developed strong feelings for her friend she has yet to vocalize them and she yearns for the development of something more between them.
Take from Chapter Nine of Ignited
Poor Jura doesn’t get to have her first kiss just yet! To be fair, she did just crawl out from the sewer system and then ran around the desert city during a hot summer night. No wonder Markhim didn’t want to kiss her. Also, everyone we need to make this a new insult: Go ride a dragon!
