First Love

Kenna Blackhall

Lost in the warmth of his arms, I was melting inside. The feeling of his skin and the look in his eyes, mirroring mine, was overwhelming.

We lay there in the sun on a warm summer day, filled with the promise and confidence of youth. Our lives ahead.

An old couple looked over from a near by bench, nostalgic of a time when they were young, perhaps remembering how they once felt.

He held me that day and whispered I love you. I hesitated at first, scared that I had misheard him. He said it again, and this time I was sure.

"I love you too", I answered back, tears itching my eyes. "More than you can know."

And for the first time in my life, I understood what it was to love someone. To care for them so deeply that it went beyond all things material, or on the surface. To open up your heart and feel emotions so new and exciting, yet terrifying at the same time.

We lay there until the sun dimmed before walking home on the river bank, hand in hand.

Almost ten years on, we're worlds apart, strangers. But I'll never forget that day on the river. The first time my heart opened up. The first time I fell in love.