My First Crush- Tell Us About Yours!

My First Crush

I will never forget Tracey W. and that special summer we had riding bikes around town and kissing by the train depot.  It was a perfect summer romance.  Tracey will always be my first crush and my first boyfriend.

Tracey and I grew up together in small town- Amherst, Ohio.  There are photographs in an album at home of him and I sharing a sandbox, playing in the grass and having fun.  I honestly didn’t remember much about our childhood playdates.  I don’t remember how close our families were or how we spent a lot of time together.  The first time that Tracey came on my radar was in junior high.  He sat next to me in a class and we got to talking about how we knew each other. 

Tracey was a blond Sylvester Stallone or even Joey from Friends.  He had those piercing eyes and casual attitude that said, “Take it or Leave it”.  Most of the girls were already in love with him.  I remember Missy sitting by us and flirting with Tracey.  His smile was reserved but when he really found something funny, his whole face shone like a floodlight.  I was so jealous when he’d turn that smile onto another girl. 

For weeks, we’d tease around and chat.  All the while, I’d watch him go out with a different girl each week.  It wasn’t until almost June before he gave me a chance.  I wasn’t going to let that chance go. We would meet in the hallways at school, hold hands before class and sneak a kiss.  On the weekends, we’d ride our bikes to the pool in town and hang out or meet each other at the train depot.  It was the joyous feeling of new love.  We thought we’d be together forever.

 

But like any good love story, something happens and we broke up.  We remained friends and still hung out sometimes together, although my feelings never really changed toward him.  In our sophomore year of high school, his parents decided to move into a bigger house in a different town.  My heart was broken.  We wouldn’t be able to ride our bikes and see each other, never to hang out again at the train depot.  In fact, that year was the last time I saw Tracey as he played football for the opposing team one night in October.

Fast forward thirty years…

Tracey and I haven’t reconnected or been in contact in those years since he moved.  I’ve heard from his family but nothing much about him.  It is like he is a missing person these days. We could pass on the street and not know each other. However, I just have to close my eyes and I see his tosseled blond hair, his striking smile and deep blue eyes.  It takes me back to junior high school and my youth. And when we have those memories, we are always connected.

I did create my character of TJ from Forever Love off those memories of Tracey. Here's a snipet of TJ and Syn's romance.

After getting out of my car, I hiked down the stairs. It was a mild September day, and the beach was fairly empty—just myself and a few seagulls. I walked slowly along the shoreline with my head down, not noticing the person swimming in the water until he began to climb out of the surf.

A dark, cropped haircut framed a face so beautiful that it could be described as the face of a Roman god. He had a strong nose and jawline that showed just a sprinkling of whisker stubble. However, it was his body that made me pause. His muscular shoulders and upper arms looked like they could carry a girl off to bed. His wet torso was covered with hair that immediately drew my eyes and tempted me to caress it. The chest hair tapered down his narrow waist and seemed to lead the way to paradise. I stopped walking and just stared. God, please let there be no drool dripping off my chin. This guy was smokin’ hot! Then he smiled and I noticed his face, complete with a little dimple in his chin. He seemed familiar, but I wasn’t sure where I recognized him from. When he saw that I noticed him, he winked as if he recognized me too.

“Hello! Nice day for a walk, huh? The weather has been kind to us this year.” He spoke and my knees wobbled. His voice was like chocolate, smooth and delicious.

“Hi…Yes…I’m glad the weather is nice enough to get out, but isn’t the water too cold for a swim?”

“Not at all. I enjoy my morning workouts after a long shift at the station. You don’t remember me, do you, Syndie?”

My mind was drawing a blank. How did he know my name? Who was this hottie?

“Not really. You do look familiar, but I can’t place you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s been a long time. We grew up together, our parents were best friends. We even went out in high school. I’m not surprised you don’t remember me, you hightailed it out of Amherst like your butt was on fire after graduation. We never saw each other again. I’m Thom Johnson, but everyone called me T.J.”

Oh wow. I’ve got a lot on my plate and he has changed over the years, but to not know someone so connected to most of my life was baffling. This man had been my best childhood friend. I was T.J.’s girlfriend for a while, but he dumped me for someone who put out. Before we went out in high school, I grew up with images in my head of him as the ideal guy. Our families encouraged our dating, thinking we were perfect together. When he dumped me, it broke my heart. I couldn’t stand watching him move on without me.

“Yes, I recognize you now, T.J. I took off because I thought that a big city had more to offer me. Well, it was nice to see you again. I had better get back to my walk, you seem busy.” I took off wanting to escape this awkward moment. Having to explain to T.J. why I was back in town was the last thing on my to-do list today.

“All right, Syn. See you around.” T.J. smiled. “Glad you’re back!”

I began heading back to my car, no sea glass having been found. Instead I’d discovered the one guy who broke my heart and, based upon my initial reaction to the sight of him, has the potential to do it again. I backed out of the parking spot and headed back onto the main road into town, thoughts of T.J. occupying my mind.

You can read more about Forever Love on my blog: http://www.melissakeir.com

Tell us more about your first crush. Did you have a summer romance? Was it a crush on someone famous? Who did you fall for and why!