Had I been aware of this in my youth, I would have cultivated a French accent and kissed every female within range, little girls, grandmothers, even pretty girls. I am sure I would have been happier.
Why? It's just a kiss on the cheek, like you would shake hands. It doesn't mean anything... We do this in Greece too, every time you see someone again (or maybe meet someone for the first time) it's customary to kiss them, usually twice.
And it generally isn't a kiss, it's more rubbing cheeks and making a smacking sound, the heads are parallel.
Yep.
I picked up a French accent in about 6 months during which I lived in Brazil and met a ton of French people. I also watched a couple of French flicks.
So it's never too late.
I have loosened up mightily as the years have gone by, but these days it seems to be more grandmothers than sweet young things.