14 People Share The Story Of Their First Kiss
I was probably 5 or 6. He was my next door neighbor and we'd usually play in our front yards. We were talking about what we were gonna be when we grew up. I said a veterinarian and he said he wanted to be my husband.
By Ari Eastman
1. “I was in kindergarten. I bribed the boy I liked to kiss me. I promised him the cookies I had in my lunch bag. Clearly the start to all healthy relationships.”
— Kelly, 25
2. “I’m pretty sure it was the summer before high school and a group of us were playing spin the bottle, but without a bottle. Someone was just spinning their cell phone on the ground. A bunch of angsty, horny kids just looking for excuses I guess.”
— Brent, 19
3. “I was the last in my group of friends to not have kissed anyone and was stuck feeling like ultimate Betty Late Bloomer. I was 17 and so desperately in love (or lust or like, let’s be honest) with the boy who sat in front of me in Pre-Calc. I wasn’t really big into parties, but I found out he would be going to my friend’s boyfriend’s kickback. So I mustered up the courage (and a little Vodka) and made an appearance. We ended up talking for most of the night and right before kissing me he said, ‘I’ve had the biggest crush on you all year.’ It was honestly the most perfect first kiss and we dated for 8 months following.”
— Jenny, 20
4. “My first kiss was actually my now husband. We were 15 and ‘study buddies.’ Which was really just our parent approved reason to spend alone time. Somehow in between acute angles and english lit papers, our hormones took over.”
— Molly, 28
5. “She was my college TA. Still barely got a C though.”
— Matthew, 25
6. “I went to summer camp almost every year since I was about 10 because my parents both worked. I’d always had a crush on this boy who went to different schools, but was always at the same camp as me. It was the year of puberty. Voices were cracking and people were suddenly…developing. And my crush evolved from just teasing one another to secret make out sessions behind the girls cabin.”
— Tina, 23
7. “It was Halloween. I’d been really into this girl for about a year, but she’d had a boyfriend for most of it. When I heard they broke up, as shitty as it is to say, I was beyond stoked. We started talking again and I went to her house for Halloween. She was dressed as a Lion and I was Bill Clinton. No stains on blue dresses, but I did kiss her and it was everything I’d been waiting for.”
— Dean, 22
8. “I was 14 and it was my best friend. We never talked about it again.”
— Catalina, 20
9. “Ugh, I know this sounds so Nicholas Sparks, but I was on a date at the county fair. He was terrified of heights, a fact he didn’t disclose to me until we were already on the ferris wheel at the very top. He started to panic and in some weird attempt to keep him calm, I spontaneously kissed him. It worked. And we were inseparable after.”
— Maya, 21
10. “He wasn’t technically my first kiss, but my first one after coming out. So I like to consider it the first time I was actually being authentic in who I was. He was the barista at this coffee shop I would study at during college and one night I was there a bit late. He was the only one working, I think. And he brought me a pastry for free. And before I left, he asked if I was gay. It was one of my first times really feeling ready to say, ‘Yes, I am.’ So I did. And he kissed me. I mean, REALLY kissed me.”
— David, 23
11. “Our parents were good friends. I spent a lot of dinners at his house. I always thought he was so god damn annoying. But he wore this blue v-neck one night and looked so fucking good. Our parents were drinking and getting a little obnoxious, so he invited me to his room. I was bored and thought why not? We listened to The O.C. soundtrack (lol) and made out.”
— Casey, 24
12. “I was 14. It was my best guy friend who I usually walked home with (we were also neighbors). One day he was kind of being weird but refused to acknowledge something was wrong. I’m stubborn though and kept pestering him. Finally he admitted that he loved me and didn’t know how long he could keep it in. I reciprocated and we kissed in the school parking lot.”
— Katie, 20
13. “I was probably 5 or 6. He was my next door neighbor and we’d usually play in our front yards. We were talking about what we were gonna be when we grew up. I said a veterinarian and he said he wanted to be my husband. Then he gave me the quickest peck and ran back to his house in embarrassment.”
— Alexa, 24
14. “She was my good friend and I spent a good majority of middle school and high school being completely into her. I was introverted and shy, way too nervous to ever ask if she felt the same. And then she started dating, so I did my best to just be her friend. But senior year, we went to prom together as friends. Until the end of the night, I kissed her. And she said she’d liked me this whole time too. I should have been honest sooner. But she was worth the wait. So worth it.”
— Peter, 20