“But in your life you'll do things greater than
Dating the boy on the football team
I didn't know it at fifteen” wrote Taylor Swift.

Despite the critical comments on teenage relationships, a teenager can never be stopped from exploring, loving, and taking on adventures. I had my first date at 15, and it was one of those moments I’d live through again and again after all these years.

I didn’t have a car, neither did he. So instead, I told my dad I was going to a birthday party and asked if he could take me there. My dad would flip if he knew I was alone with some boy, but dad, this isn’t just some boy. This was my first love.

What do teenagers know about love, right? Well, I thought I did. Love was when he was sneaking behind the entrance door as my car pulled into the driveway, hoping my dad wouldn’t catch him in his neat little white flannel under the golden light of McDonald’s. Love was when I saw him standing there, as handsome as ever, with my body burned up, knowing me wearing ripped jeans was a terrible idea. Love was shyness, was hesitance while trying to fit the whole hamburger into my mouth, wondering what a lady would do. And then he would chuckle at the sight of me struggling while putting a little bit too much chili sauce into his fastfood portion.

It wasn’t anything fancy, and definitely not every girl’s fantasy of a first date. I imagined he would show up at my house with a giant bouquet of roses, lead me down the doorstep, and open his car door for me as we drive to the most romantic restaurant in town, a place where he works every night waiting tables to finally afford. But at that moment where I saw him squinting his eyes at the spicy layer of beef, I knew this wasn’t any fairy tale, but I had my prince charming right where I wanted him.

He held my hand firmly as we went out onto the road to catch a cab, with no idea where we were heading. The lights flickered on either side of the pavements, the city was so alive. We ended up stopping at a park, far near from the center of the city. He offered me his jacket and I smiled at the idea of old-school love. We walked talking along the lake, and then he stopped. He brushed a strand of hair out of my eye, and kissed me lightly while I was fascinated by the sweet taste of his lips. Although we’ve dated for 5 months, it was the first time where we were alone, not surrounded by our loud group of friends, and we could hear our own hearts beating. There was no star lighting the gloomy sky, yet the moon was as bright as his eyes that night. He told me things that made my stomach feel like bursting because I’d been laughing way too hard. I remember when we sat down on the grass, staring at our reflection on the deep water, talking about our future. Where would we live? What happens if I don’t get my doctor degree? What would we name our children? Now thinking back, I laugh whenever I thought of how unrealistic it was. They were the most innocent questions we could ever ask, but deep down inside, we really thought we could make it through together.

With his undercut hair and my little band T-shirt, we could’ve conquered the world. The thing about first love, is it’s always gonna be the first love. Anything comes after that will be considered second.