My first kiss: 'I was afraid she would shout!'

Your first relationship may not have lasted, but everyone usually has fond memories of the very first time they kissed someone. Illustrations: Uttam Ghosh

We invited readers to share stories of the first time they were kissed -- here is the first set of responses!

First up we have this tale from Balwinder Singh:

It was meant to be a special day -- I was with my parents at my prospective in-laws' home in another town, looking to arrange my marriage.

After all the talks were through, a delicious lunch was prepared for us.

It was at this time that my father gave the signal and I found myself sitting in another room alone with my fiance. Being very homely, she was rather nervous. I was to present her with a special gift I bought for her, so I asked her to close her eyes. That's when I thought that I should surprise her with a kiss, but her nervousness had got me nervous too -- I thought that she may cry out or shout in fear, so I was afraid!

Still, with all the courage I could muster, I planted a gentle kiss on her soft rose petal lips. As expected, she shivered like anything and I...felt like I had just escaped a heart attack!

This was how our first kiss happened and that was a special day, still fresh in our minds.

Share the story of your first kiss with us. Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in and we'll publish the best entries right here.

You need not use your real name and e-mail IDs will not be disclosed.

Next we have reader Gaurav Maheshwari's account of his special moment:

This was when we just went into Class 10. It was her second year in Kota, Rajasthan; my family's hometown is Ranchi (Jharkhand), but we had settled in Kota for my father's business purposes.

Before her, I admired a girl from my class but couldn't get myself to talk to her frankly. This was my first co-ed school and all I did was share study notes with her. Then, I changed schools and went to a boys' school, from where I would complete my Class 12. After that I never met my class crush -- I saw her a couple of times but never got to talk to her and that's how it ended.

Then, in 1993, SHE came to Kota -- her father was transferred there for two years and she lived next door. The first year went well, being just friendly; but the second year we didn't realise how close we suddenly became. It was in the months of August and September that we started going on dates. It was our fifth time on a date, when we had our first kiss.

First we went for fast food and them to a temple a kilometre away from our homes. It was the day of Janmashtami and Durga Pooja was arriving within a month. After visiting the temple, we visited a garden at a little distance. We walked together and chatted and finally sat down on a bench.

The conversation was about love, romance and feelings. As we spoke, we got closer and closer to each other -- I'll never forget that moment in my lifetime. Slowly we kissed each other and remained in that position for about three minutes. After that, when we returned to our homes, neither of us slept that night.

We were together for seven months, but after seven months, our bad luck that her father was transferred to Ahmedabad (Gujarat). I spoke to her on the phone thrice after she left -- and then we never spoke or met again. Four years later, my family shifted back to Ranchi and today I'm married to someone else -- her sweet name is Kanchan and I am also blessed with a four-year-old son, Devansh.

And finally, here is Sujatha's story:

I got married four years ago. My first kiss was really exciting and thrilling.

It was our second family meeting at my place. Our parents were talking and we went to my room upstairs, with their permission. Unfortunately, his elder brother came along with us. We were chit-chatting and after a few minutes, we sent his brother back downstairs.

I was sitting at a 10-foot distance from him. After getting rid of all my shyness and fear, I went and sat next to him and took his hand. He looked at me and held it tight. All of a sudden, I kissed him and then went back to my seat. He was really shocked and my hands were shaking. He returned home and texted me that "it was an awesome kiss". I still have that message on my phone.

Of course I've kissed him a lot more since then, but I've never gotten that same feeling -- it really, really was an "awesome kiss, huge bliss".