First Love [FICTOID]

“I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours.”

Ashley and Taylor stood deep in the woods; that is to say, a small stand of trees near the apartment complex where their families lived.  They’d built a small fort of broken wooden pallets and discarded appliance boxes that gave them more than enough privacy.

That morning their mothers chased them from their respective apartments, telling them to go play outside.

Their mothers meant the complex’ playground, but Ashley and Taylor, being typically adventurous preschoolers, thought of much better games to play in their fort.

They followed a curvy maze-like path into their fort, startling a rabbit that leaped off with a frightful response and dove through a cluster of wild violets.  

Once in their fort, Ashley and Taylor played with their stash of toys and coloring books and stamps but soon grew bored and, like all bored 5 year olds, curious.

Ashley suggested it first, but Taylor quickly agreed.  They peered out of their fort to make sure no adults observed them.

The only person they saw was a dog walker who led his charges past the trees and down the road.

They were alone.

Though Ashley was the first to suggest it, Taylor was the first to follow through.  Top, shorts, shoes, socks, underwear all came off swiftly.

Ashley followed suit -- though perhaps Ashley followed unsuit would be more accurate.

They stood facing each other, reacting in wonder at what they saw -- so similar is so many ways, yet displaying small differences as well.

Being 5, they didn’t know what to do next.

Ashley remembering seeing a snippet of a forbidden TV show and opted to lean over and kiss Taylor.

Taylor looked surprised but kissed right back.  They hugged and kissed for several minutes, then got dressed and went to their respective homes for lunch.

Taylor’s family moved a few weeks later.  In the years to come Ashley and Taylor would meet new people, grow older, start dating, eventually marry and start families of their own.

They never saw each other again, but sometimes at night, as they lay in their beds, before drifting off to sleep they would remember that first kiss and embrace so long ago, and smile…

© Buzz Dixon