I remember mine.

The night was cold, but my body heat, the anticipation of what could come and the desire alone, kept me warm. Stars filled the sky above where we lay on a cement slab walkway all by ourselves studying them. Eleven p.m. had already come and gone, my curfew missed by one, two and before I knew it ten minutes as time together passed.

Neither of us wanted to leave, but neither of us had moved forward.

Hands entwined, we lay side by side until both of us realized, time would continue on and with every passing minute, I’d earn more of a punishment for my tardiness.

Something, though, held us there.

Standing and holding hands cooled my entire body and pressing up against him took away a bit of the chill. It also put me that much closer, though still a solid five inches lower than him.

At just fourteen, I had no intention of pushing us together, of taking that last 1% of space between us and closing the gap. It had already been four months of relationship building, of wanting, of dreaming of wondering what it would feel like.

No way, I’d make that move.

Would he?

At eighteen, he had the advantage — or so I thought. Older? Wiser? Experienced? Actually, no.

The wait dragged on. For the ‘nth’ time since we’d begun dating, I expected that our date would end as all the previous ones had … with a return home, a chaste hug and the drifting inside as our hand separated, palms sliding against palms until fingertips no longer touched.

Until … that moment … when his head dipped down.

My breath stopped.

Our lips pressed against each other.

In my head, fireworks lit the sky and the stars brightened as dreams met with reality and overshadowed anything I’d ever only believed. The guy, boy to some, man to others, had kissed me.

Me.

Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.

I’d never forget that moment. Never. Haven’t still. I can still taste the Big Red gum. I can still feel the press of lips for the first time, the softness against cleanly shaven skin.

Nothing had prepared me to feel that way.

Nothing ever could have.

Magical will never be enough to describe it.

A first kiss.

Mine.

24 years ago today.

December 16, 1988.

Anyone that knows me will know with who I shared this momentous occasion. 😉

How about you? Was your moment as magical as you expected? Share in the comments!

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