(54) first crush

His name was Patrick Cruz and he was absolutely adorable. We were two of the eight delegates that were sent to this two-week convention called APCC (Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention) in Fukuoka, Japan, and we were both middle school kids at the time. We had to practice cultural dances for the show, so we would have meetings every week for 2 months prior to the actual convention. Seeing him at the meetings was the one thing I looked forward to every week, and it also motivated me to do well in the performances. Although he wasn’t my partner for any of the dances, I’d pretend to forget what the steps were and ask him to “remind me” (girl’s got moves duhhhh) and he’d willingly show me how it was done. When we went to Japan, we spent a lot of time together since our group consisted of 8 kids and around 3 coordinators, so we were somewhat forced to hang out with each other. Although the convention was mostly about meeting other kids from all over the world, we were a pretty shy bunch, and mostly hung around each other. As kids, we enjoyed exploring the different places we’d visit, and of course, enjoyed each other’s company. I will never forget the first time he held my hand; I thought I was going to die. Of what, I’m not entirely sure, it was either cooties or absolute bliss. I’m pretty sure he just grabbed it because we were climbing something or something of that nature, but it was pretty magical to me. I never saw him after that convention, and probably never will. We’re facebook friends now though, so who knows!