I met a boy. I mean not really a boy, 18 years of age, about 5'7, gorgeous oceanic eyes, a smile to die for. He has this sparkle in his eyes and when he smiles his cheeks go up and his eyes wrinkle just a little bit. I

n August, we were just acquaintances. But then a bond formed. We were inseperable. It's strange because in the broader perspective, we have absolutely nothing in common. We were close and we got a long, we laughed and we cuddled. People asked us if we were dating almost everyday and he would just smile and shake is head and respond with, "No, she's my best friend." Nobody bought it though. Not even me.

He went 18 years without ever being kissed, and on the night of his last day of being a child, at the strike of 12, I kissed him. His first kiss. I could feel his heart beating rapidly against my hand. I pulled away and his eyes were still closed like he was trying to savor the moment. If it was possible to get any closer, it happened after that kiss.

Things were fantastic. But, like any happy story, tragedy struck. My grandmother passed away, quite suddenly. I found out in school and my mother had to come get my little sister and I. I wasn't allowed to drive home because I was in hysterics. I told the counselor to give my keys to him, and she called him immediatly. Somehow there was a misscommunication, and he just followed us home instead of waiting until after school. He had no idea what was going on, but a look of panic was stuck on his face. When we arrived at the house and he realized what was going on he held me and didn't let go. At one point we ended up in my room and I was laying down on my bed crying and he was playing with my hair and when I finally looked up at him and caught my breath, I saw the most unforgettable sight. Tears were streaming down his eyes. I asked him why he was crying and slowly wiped away the tears and he said he hates seeing me in pain. A week after the death, my father had his 52nd birthday. My mom thought that this family needed something to be happy about so she threw a huge party. In the middle of the shindig I was overcome my sadness of the loss and walked out of my house to sit outside. I didn't notice he followed me. He threw his arm around me and again held me as I cried. He told me that it was okay to cry and that I was so strong. As the tears calmed down we heard a song start to play. It was a song from one of my favorite movies and just hearing it made me smile. He grabbed my hand and asked me to dance. He held me as we swayed back and forth and asked me to sing the song to him. He wiped away my tears and kissed my forhead. As the song came to a stop I hugged him tight. I told him I loved him. That I was so happy to have him. I went in to kiss his cheek but he moved his head and our lips collided. It contained the fireworks that people talk about. The mix of love and sadness, the fiery of friendship. He asked me to be his girlfriend on May 5th. Not even a month and I can see a future with him. He talks about getting married and having kids. He talks about an Us instead of a him. I'm so grateful to be blessed with him.