Flashback to First Kisses, part 2

 
Last week, after having seen the new Dentyne Ice campaign stating that the average person has 28 first kisses I decided to started a Flashback series, flashing back to my own "first kisses."


Continuing from last week,  the next guy I had a "first kiss" with ended up being my high school sweetheart and we dated for just over 3 years.

It was still sophomore year of high school and it was coming up on springtime. I had never been to a school dance before as well, I never had a date for them and didn't see the point in going to a dance solo. My best friend went to public school and said that I just had to go to her school's spring formal with her, however my date had to be someone from her school in order to get in.

At the time she was having trouble in Chemistry class and was meeting a fellow classmate of hers at church youth group each week about an hour prior to start time to work on the assignments together as he seemed to get it. I forget who suggested it, but knowing that he went our youth group as well as her school, we decided to see if he'd be willing to take me to the upcoming dance. Apparently he never went to the dances before either but decided it couldn't hurt, plus after we met he thought I was cute and agreed to take me. We spent the weeks prior to the dance just chatting on the phone and hanging out up at church, getting to know each other a little better so it wouldn't be awkward or anything at the dance. I guess we both developed a crush on each other too, as the week before the dance - on St. Patrick's Day - he asked me to be his girlfriend, and of course I said yes.

We went to the dance the next week as a couple and had a fun time. At one point during some song he leaned in and kissed me. With the stereotypical teenage dance atmosphere going on, it kinda felt like something you see in the movies - romantic music playing, us dancing, dim lighting, high school dance decorations, the works. We kissed quite a bit more throughout the night. At one point he said he loved me - I don't know if he was just caught up in the moment of everything or what, but it caught me a bit off guard as we had only been dating for like a week at this point - it took me about another 2 weeks or so to be able to say it back, after I went on a week-long school trip and realized how much I missed talking with him and hanging out.

We dated for the rest of high school and about halfway through our 2nd semester of college before breaking up. It was a rough break-up, but at the time it was for the best as we both wanted different things at the time - I wanted to go out and experience new things at college, he wanted to sit around in his dorm room and play first person shooters with the guys on his floor all the time. We almost got back together a few months later - I know I really wanted to - but due to him trying to be the "macho" guy (he admitted this to me later, regretting it) and blowing me off it never happened. We tried to be friends at first, but there was too much hurt at the time and it wasn't until years later that we were able to be civil and friendly towards each other.

Part 3 to come next week!