She was my height. That meant looking in her eyes before I kissed her felt natural, as we stood in my driveway. 

We had spent the afternoon at my house. We went for a swim. Part of the time we talked in my bedroom, my hormones pounding. Now, in the dusty gravel we waited for her mom to come and take her away, standing side by side. Soon, only a letter would close the distance. I don’t remember who leaned in first, closed the last few inches. I remember the taste of braces.

My first kiss. It would be over a year before I looked into another pair of eyes.