It was three days shy of the end of my sophomore year the night a boy kissed me. His name was Ryan and it was our very first date, a picnic at a local park followed by ice cream at my favorite local spot. It was sitting at those wobbly round tables outside under the glistening stars where Ryan leaned in to kiss me- full mouthed and it was all I could ever dream of and more. At first, due to my lack of experience, it felt awkward and I was unsure about everything, but the one thing I was certain about was that a boy’s lips were on mine and it was sweeter than the ice cream on that hot May night.
I had never been kissed before. No innocent peck on the cheek. No awkward spin-the-bottle kiss at any middle school party. And definitely no lips and tongue. So when the moment came as I sat where I use to spend long summer nights as a kid I knew my life wasn’t as innocent anymore.
One simple kiss was followed by more dates, which led to dating. I was equally as new to the dating scene. We held hands as we walked the halls at school. Ryan began eating lunch with me and my friends every day. Soon enough I had myself a boyfriend.
Every morning I was greeted with a warm hug and a kiss. After each class I was greeted by my own personal escort. And as the school day ended I was kissed goodbye. Ryan was mine. I was his. He told me one night out on my front porch swing that he loved me. Ryan loved me before I was even sure what love was.
But unfortunately we broke up. Actually, we broke up repeatedly. It ended with screaming and tears, but after a few days we found each other again. We were in love.
He was coming to the end of his senior year when we decided it would be best to call it quits, yet again, but that was after we made a different promise. We had prom.
The night of prom was of course magical. Ryan looked so handsome in his tux with the pale pink vest that matched my dress.
We danced the night away until the teachers told us it was time to leave. Before the night could end though Ryan had one final surprise.
He took me back to that ice cream parlor. We took the same seats as that first night. As our ice cream bowls became empty Ryan leaned in to kiss me. This time it wasn’t awkward. It was perfect. It was where we belonged.
By the end of the school year we were back together. We spent the entire summer glued to one another before the fateful day of him leaving for college.
Three months into the new school year it ended. This time it was just a text from Ryan saying: it’s too hard. I understood. We stayed in touch for a while. Multiple emails, a handful of phone calls, and even a few ice cream outings in the summer, but we both knew it wasn’t the same.
He will always be my first kiss that was sweeter than ice cream. And he will forever be my first love, but I know he won’t be my last.
