The Kiss

The Kiss

I was sixteen when I first kissed a boy. No, I mean really kissed a boy. We lined up lips and did that curious shuffle that you do with your feet at that age, and then he did the most amazing thing to me -- he put his tongue in my mouth.

Now, I'm not saying I was raised by nuns or anything. I knew the French kissed that way. But it seems to me looking back now, older, wiser, a woman of the world no less, that it was such a pivotal moment in any young woman's life. It was as if at that moment I knew I was in love.

An outsider will never be able to understand my personal romantic relationship. It's like going window shopping, but never being able to feel the item inside that you're trying to know more about. I know that now, and I would never try to deny it. I have tried many times to explain the feelings involved, whether it be happy times or those times where I am distressed with how things are progressing. While the early months of a relationship are often effortless and exciting, successful long-term relationships involve ongoing effort and compromise by both partners. Since relationship skills are rarely taught, sometimes one or both partners just may not know how to establish and maintain a healthy and mutually satisfying relationship.

I met Kevin in high school. We both had feelings for each other, but never established an official title until the end of my sophomore year. Kevin slowly won my heart over the course of that summer after sophomore year. I was determined to fight this with everything I had .I didn't want to be in love with him and I didn't want him to be in love with me. People get hurt that way, you understand. I was so afraid of getting hurt or worse yet, of Kevin getting hurt. He helped me see that sometimes you just have to take risks. He made me see what we could have if I just took a chance and let myself love him.

I have loved people who have almost loved me, and loved people who have loved me. The relationship I am in now however, I know he loves me. Kevin and I have been on and off ever since high school. Well not exactly on and off, but were together for 3 years, apart for two and now have been together for seven months. I am halfway through college and I think the maturing and understand of what is needed in a relationship is more apparent to me now. Many people enter their first committed relationships during college. On the one hand, romantic relationships can be wonderful, bringing out the best in two people. On the other, even the healthiest relationships will have times when things are complicated, confusing, and challenging. Problems sometimes arise when two people have conflicting expectations of what their relationship "should" be like, are distracted by other academic or personal issues, or have difficulty communicating in ways that their partner can really hear and understand.

Distractions whether academic or personal can become a huge