Save for the sloppy, careless ones we receive from childhood playmates, my first kiss was from a boy who was largely considered the** “campus crush”** back then. He was tall, very handsome, intelligent and the captain of our school’s men’s volleyball team. He was popular not only within our school but in our city, too, as he was always garnering trophies here and there - from finishing a marathon to leading our school in various campus meets to being able to travel from our city to a far away one just by bicycling! Yes, he was near perfect.

I say near perfect because he had a small flaw…**he apparently liked me**. Me - who often turned down invitations to parties, me who sat in front of the class (this was considered appalling and only done by geeks), me who would rather spend time in the library rather than look at boys and flirt along school corridors.

He was my classmate and I remembered he asked our teacher to let him change seats from being at the back row to sitting right beside me. He always tried to strike a conversation with me and he often leaned towards me and asked me a ton of questions. The other girls were always curious why and I couldn’t offer them any explanation.

One day, I got sick and had to stay at the hospital. I was down with a terrible flu and often caught a few zzz’s during the day. It was almost nightfall when I woke up and I remember seeing him at the foot of the bed. His eyes were closed and a bouquet of flowers was on his lap. My “hello” was very weak and yet he heard it. He opened his eyes and beamed at me. He said “hi,” walked towards me and told me just how worried he was that I was sick and absent from school. He also said that he talked to my doctor and that I was advised to rest for a few days. I thought it was the sweetest thing. He was silent for a while, his eyes worried and his smile no longer there. Then, in a swift motion, he leaned towards me and gave me my very first kiss. It was sweet, relaxed, sincere and tender. I will never forget how big a gentleman he was.
What about you? When was your first kiss and how was it?