“Yeah, I see it. That’s so cool. You know, me and my sisters do this, but with clouds.”
“You have another sister?”
“Yep, Kristie. She’s two years younger than me. How about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I have a sister, Carey, who’s two years older than me. She’s going to Ohio State to become an engineer.”
“Are you two close?”
“Very. She has been home for the summer and it’s been great. I love Mom and Dad, but it’s not the same when she’s gone.”
“What are your parents like?” I then asked.
“Dad is laid back and doesn’t get excited about anything whereas Mom is bold and very to the point. How about your parents?”
“Actually, both of my parents are laid back. I think Dad was a bit of a hellion in his day, but then he had three daughters so that mellowed him out, and my mom is just plain wonderful. Now is this your mom’s parents’ house or your dad’s?”
“My dad’s. Their names are Gene and Dorothy and they’re so cool. There was this one time when Grandpa Gene took me fishing . . .” he reminisced.
For the next couple of hours, we held hands and told each other everything we thought there was to know about us. Finally, looking down at his watch, he sat up.
“Oh, wow, it’s almost midnight. I need to get you home.”
My spirits were crushed. I was having so much fun being with him and I didn’t want the night to end.
“I had a great time tonight,” he said after he helped me up from the ground.
“Me too.”
“Would you want to go out again?”
“Definitely.”
We stood there inches apart from each other, both feeling the anticipation of what was to come.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked.
Out of nowhere, my palms were sweaty and these weird thoughts popped into my head. Does my breath smell like onion rings? Is he going to French kiss or just regular kiss me? Are we going to make out?
“Yes,” I answered instead.
He leaned over and touched my lips with his. His gentle and sweet kiss made sparks fly throughout my entire body.
Wow! He is a good kisser.
We kissed for what felt like forever, which was only minutes, before he pulled away.
“It’s almost midnight. I should get you home.”
“Okay,” I answered, feeling very disappointed.
Taking my hand, we made our way back to his car.
“Every Sunday we come here for brunch. Would you like to come with me tomorrow?”
“Really? You want to introduce me to your family?”
“I know it’s probably too soon, but I really like you and I had a great time tonight. I told you things I’ve never told anybody before. You’re so easy to talk to, and I would love to take you out on a million more dates, so I can get to know you even more.”
“Then in that case I would love to go with you tomorrow.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up after church.”
“Okay.”
There were no lights on inside my house when we got there, so I assumed Mom and Dad were in bed. Standing on the front porch, I nervously began wondering again what he wanted to do next.
“This was by far the best date I’ve ever been on.”
“Me too,” I said shyly.
“Well, I better get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. See you then.”
Seconds of an awkward silence passed before he leaned over and gently kissed me on the cheek. My heart did a flip-flop.
“Thanks for a great night,” he softly whispered.
“No, thank-you for the greatest night of my life,” I said as I watched him drive away.
The next day Aaron introduced me to his family, and they were absolutely fantastic. I clicked with all of them. Even though he said he wanted to be single so he could enjoy his senior year, he and I began dating each other seriously after that. Let’s just say that my sophomore year of high school was the best year of my life and consisted of nothing but Aaron. We were inseparable and did absolutely everything together. Life was wonderful, but as the school year ended and summer turned to fall, it was time for him to leave for college.
“I know Ohio Northern is only two hours away, but it’s not going to be the same when you’re gone,” I cried as he and I were lying on the blanket by the gazebo.
“It’s going to be hard, but we’ll get through this. I will come home as often as I can, and on the weekends I can’t, you can drive up to see me.”
“I’m going to miss you so much,” I said as the tears came harder.
“Hey, come here,” he said, pulling me to him. “I love you and we’re going to be with each other for the rest of our lives. Before you know it, I’ll be an attorney and you’ll be an art teacher and we’re going to have six, seven, ten kids and live happily ever after.”
His words still didn’t make me feel better.
“Kate, please don’t cry. You’re going to make me cry,” he said, bringing me even closer to him.
Being that near to him and dreading him leaving, I began kissing him as passionately as a sixteen-year-old could kiss. His kisses got more intense too, and before I knew it, we were undressing each other. I had to have him, and I had to have him now!
“Aaron, I want to be with you. I need you.”
His kisses abruptly stopped.
“Kate, no, we can’t do this.”
Devastated by his words, I sat straight up. “Why? Don’t you love me? Don’t you want to be with me anymore?”
“No, it’s not that. I love you so much, but you’re only sixteen years old, and when we do make love for the first time, I want it to be when we are both ready.”
I looked the other way. I’m not too young! I thought to myself.
“Kate, please don’t be mad at me.” He pleaded with me, but I still wouldn’t look at him.
“I’m not mad
