“My first kiss was perfect,” says Ritu, “and not a lot of people can say that.”

At the time, Ritu was preparing for her 10th standard board exams and had joined a Math tuition class. “That’s where I met him, the first boy I ever kissed: my first boyfriend,” recalls Ritu. The magic moment occurred some months later after some sweaty hand-holding...

Signs
“We had been going to the same tuition class for almost three months and I knew he liked me. He never told me, but there were signs. For example, his friends would start tittering like giddy fools if I happened to pass by them and he would go red in the face. He also gave me chocolates for my birthday through a common friend, and – most importantly – he avoided me like the plague on Rakhi. For anybody who grew up in Delhi in the 1990s these were all sure signs of a raging secret crush.”

Sparkling conversation?
“Let’s just say I was sure of his affections before we decided to take things to the next level. So three months after going to the same class every evening, he started “picking me up” from the corner near my house. He used to wait for me on his cool blue bicycle and we would walk our bikes to tuition together. After a while he started dropping me back home as well. Our walks were mostly spent in silence; we spoke a little about school and music but quickly ran out of topics. We were both really awkward during those walks and there was no sparkling conversation that kept me going. But there was a buzz in the air when we were together, which was too exciting to ignore.“

Sweet and quick
“One day we went a little off course, to a park nearby. We found a secluded spot and sat down on the grass. As usual we ran out of things to say but he held my hand suddenly and I almost died with excitement. We held hands for around ten minutes until our palms got all sweaty. Then just as we were about to get up and leave, he leaned over and kissed me softly on my mouth. It was sweet and quick, and very, very thrilling.”

PG-13
“I know first kisses are supposed to be about passion and ‘fireworks’. Looking back at mine, I know it sounds more like a moment from a PG-13 film. But I was fifteen, we really liked each other and the kiss made me happy – and that’s the only thing that matters.”

Ritu (name changed) is a 28-year-old Online Producer for a news agency. 

Photo: katkov / LoveMatters.info