Do you remember your first kiss?

Most people do. Most people were probably under 18 (maybe under 13 even) when they had their first kiss. I was in my 20s. 22? 23? I don't really remember.  That part doesn't matter. This story happened years ago.

The girl I was seeing was 18 at the time. We had met online in a chatroom a few months prior and hit it off really well.  I wanted to meet her, even though she lived with her mum. Her mum was against her meeting anyone from the internet, since the internet is full of creepy people. I'm definitely one of those (/s).

A few more months had passed after that, and I decided that I still wanted to meet her, and she wanted to meet me as well, more so than before. My birthday was coming up (I must have been turning 23), and figured that'd be a great opportunity to make a "random" weekend trip. That "random" somewhere was to be St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Yes, that's where my gf (Julie) lived.   The island was pure bliss in terms of scenery. Water so crystal blue or sapphire, white sandy beaches, excellent weather that wasn't too hot or too humid. Yeah, it was incredible. It was my first time in the Caribbean. And it was the first time I'd seen the water this beautiful in a VERY LONG time. I decided it was a great idea. Even if I didn't get to meet her, I knew I'd still have a blast. I was not going to be disappointed.

I stayed at a hotel that I randomly picked online before coming. It was convenient but a bit further from the capital city. That's OK. They had snorkeling, wind sailing, and other activities at their private beach. The view from my room was incredible and overlooked their mini harbour.

Julie and I planned our covert meet operation: Julie and her best friend Candy would get dropped off at the main beach and I would meet them there. We met without issue. It was a bit awkward, but we hugged and officially introduced ourselves. Candy, Julie, and I hung out the full morning and afternoon at the beach. We stayed at one end, near the rocks, where a mongoose tried to eat our pizza. It was the first time I'd ever seen a wild mongoose before. I got distracted by pelicans who were swooping in and chilling out in the water right near us. Julie and I held onto each other for most of the time we were in the water, whether it was just holding hands or me picking her up or us hugging. The day went by pretty quickly and they had to leave.

I went back to my hotel and had dinner at the hotel restaurant. I decided to try fish for the first time in 15+ years. I had a Mahi Mahi steak, and it was delicious. This marked the day I would slowly reintroduce fish into my life again, mostly without my family knowing it (I was notorious for not ever eating fish).

Julie and I spoke on the phone, even with Candy being there with her. She said she missed me, and I, her. We chatted online, recounting our silliness hours before.  It started getting late. She and I talked some more on the phone. We joked that she should have kissed me goodbye, since it was the only time we were going to meet. She missed me and my hugs. My voice over the phone wasn't enough for her anymore. Not when we were this close. We decided to have another covert meet. That same night.

It was about 11p or midnight. I took a taxi to her apt complex. I waited outside at the pool across from her place. It was a beautiful night out. Not too hot, not too cold. A perfect night. She snuck out from her bedroom balcony door and met me at the pool. We hugged. We walked around the pool. I wanted to hop in but she advised against it because it'd be really cold; I still dipped my feet in to confirm the cold temp. I sat down on a pool lounge chair, and she sat in my lap.  I wrapped my arms around her and we talked. We talked again about the silly things we did earlier. We talked about her best friend, and I asked if Candy knew that she was out here with me. She told me yes and it was partially Candy's idea for us to meet again.  She was our guard for the night. We fell silent. I whispered in her ear that I wanted to kiss her. She was shy about it and was afraid to. Afraid of what it'd mean. It was going to be her 2nd kiss ever, but first as an 'adult'. First with another girl. She was nervous...so was I. I asked if she wanted to kiss me and she nodded, but when I asked if I could, she turned her head away saying 'not now.' We talked for a bit. She started getting a bit cold so I wrapped my arms around her, rubbing her to keep her warm. She nuzzled against me. I gently kissed her neck. She sighed and relaxed a bit. I kissed her neck again, and she opened it up for me to continue. I kept placing kisses along her neck, ear, jaw; she held me tighter. I inched closer to her cheek but stopped. She turned her head towards me and we kissed. It was gentle and a bit chaste. I pulled back a little before kissing her again. This time, it was like the floodgates opened; sparks flew between us. We kissed for what seemed like an eternity. After we caught our breath, we giggled about it before kissing again. We continued until Candy opened up the balcony door, alerting Julie. We had to stop. She had to leave again. I'm pretty sure we were both glowing. It was the perfect night.

Reluctantly we let go of each other, and she went back inside. I called for a taxi and went back to my hotel.

The rest of the trip, I enjoyed myself on the island, going snorkeling and jet skiing and hanging out with the wild iguanas. And that next night, we spoke on the phone, missing each other's lips and touches. I didn't get to see her before flying home, but I vowed to come back and see her again.