Her little boy, however, wasn’t that much of a problem. The one thing she remembers was his first girlfriend. He was mommy’s little boy, so even when he was in his teens, Ally was the one he chose to go to for help.

There was this girl in his eighth grade class that he had known since he was able to associate with other kids. She lived across the street diagonally and they would always hang out together. Nathan began to have feelings for her at the start of eighth grade. Puberty was setting in and he realized that he wanted more from his best friend that just a simple friendship.

“Mom,” Nathan tapped on Ally’s shoulder while she was sitting on the couch curled up with a book. “Can I talk to you?”

Ally smiled warmly, “Sure Nathan,” she patted the empty spot next to her, “have a seat.”

Nathan sat down. “I have a problem.”

“Well how could you have a problem?” Ally questioned, knowing very well what a good boy she had, but wondering nonetheless what kind of problem he could possibly have.

“I like someone,” he said after a pause and moment of fidgeting.

“Well there’s nothing wrong with that,” Ally replied simply.

“It’s the person I like,” he leaned in and continued in a whisper, “it’s Emily.” Nathan pulled away and looked at Ally, ducking his head slightly.

Ally gasped slightly then she thought for a moment. **Why does this sound familiar? Why do I, seem, to, re-late**...Ally stopped thinking and her eyes went wide. “Emily from across the street right?” she asked, just to be sure.

“That’s the one,” Nathan sighed. “I don’t know what to do, I mean she’s my friend. Is this wrong?”

Ally couldn’t hold in the laughter, “No honey!” she couldn’t stop giggling at the mirror image of a past she knew oh so well. She leaned in after her giggles subsided, “To tell you the truth, I once dated someone I knew as a child,” she shook her head matter-of-factly.

“Really? Was it dad?” Nathan asked, curious now.

“Oh no, I didn’t meet your father until I was...” she paused, having wanted to say well into her thirties, but hesitated, the age, well it still got to her. “Until I was older,” she finally decided on.

“What happened?” Nathan asked.

Ally knew she would inevitably tell her children about Billy, but this was a surprise, to have to tell it this way, and to Nathan, not Faith. It was a bit of a shocker. “Well Nate, I uh, I lived in the same neighborhood with this boy named Billy and we were always,” Ally tried to choose her words carefully. “Attracted, to each other. We didn’t start dating fully until high school. But, I’ll tell you, I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with that boy. He was, he was like my knight in shining armor. I loved him so,” Ally was getting lost in the memory because by now she was staring blankly at the wall above the fireplace she was sitting in front of with a pensive grin on her face.

Nathan was looking at his mother with one of those happy-go-lucky feelings in the pit of his stomach. “What happened?”

Ally was still in a gaze and she subconsciously heard what Nate said and forgetting she was talking to a thirteen year old, she spat out, “Oh, he left me for Michigan University, got married, and then he died, the bastard.” Ally clasped a hand over her mouth, remembering whom she was talking to suddenly.

Nathan laughed. “I guess you get carried away don’t you?”

Ally smiled, Nathan was SUCH a great kid. She adored him so much!!! “Just a little. Billy, he was my first love. You don’t ever forget your first love. I guarantee it.” She looked at Nathan and clasped his hands in hers. “Go after her,” she said almost in a whisper. “Experience that joy. It will leave you feeling fulfilled, I promise.”

Nathan smiled at Ally, “Mom, you’re kinda scaring me.”

Ally pulled her hands away and laughed. “Okay, okay, I keep forgetting this is new to you.”

Nathan leaned in and kissed Ally on the cheek. “Thanks mom, that was a sweet story.” He got up and walked out of the living room and ran up the stairs with a renewed vigor running through his veins. He grabbed the cordless phone from a table in the hallway on the way to his room. He plopped down on his bed after shutting the door and stared at the ceiling. “Emily, hi, it’s me, Nate. I just wanted to say that I, I really like you and, and would you go out with me? NO! That sucks! Is that the best line you can come up with Paul?” Nathan scolded himself. “Okay, so just, be natural. Be funny, you got that from dad. But be sincere, you got that from mom.” Nathan took a deep breath and dialed Emily’s number.

“Hello?” the phone picked up after two rings. It was Emily’s mother.

“Hello Mrs. Carson. Is Emily there?” Just then, Nathan’s doorbell rang. He wondered who it was.

“Oh hello Nathaniel!” Mrs. Carson answered with enthusiasm. “She just left to go to your house sweetie.”

“Oh, thanks Mrs. C. sorry for the bother.”

“Oh it wasn’t a bother at all! You take care dear!” Mrs. Carson hung up simultaneously with Nathan. She was one of those television moms where everything is about family and sweetness, etc. He liked her, but it was always a little weird with her being too chirpy all the time.

Nathan took off out of his room to head for the door, his heart thumping as he dropped off the phone at the table he got it from and ran down the stairs.

“Nathan!” Ally yelled for him as he showed up right behind her.

“Mom! I’m right here!” Nathan rubbed his ears in mocking pain.

“Funny,” Ally gave Nathan a slight shove and then went back to the living room.

Nathan walked outside the door next to Emily and pulled it shut behind him. “Hi,” he said.

“Hey you,” Emily responded back. The two of them started walking down the driveway and then onto the sidewalk. Nathan just gazed at her. She was slightly shorter than him, with long straight blonde hair, brown eyes, and a smile glued to her face almost twenty four-seven.

Nathan started to get nervous. “So um, I uh, wh, wha, what brings you here?” he finally sputtered out.

“I wanted to see you silly,” she giggled slightly. “Do I have to have a reason to see my best friend?” she shoved him gently on the shoulder.

**Best friend** Nathan thought. **She called me her best friend. Do I really want to lose her if she doesn’t like me like...that?** A million questions were running through his head obviously, not being able to answer a single one of them.

“Well actually, I called you,” Nathan came back with.

“Oh, so you wanted to talk to me too?” Emily asked.

“Well, uh, y, ye, yeah, you could say that,” Nathan’s eyes wandered, he began fidgeting with his hands and looking down at them.

“Is something wrong?” Emily asked, her voice showing signs of worry.

Nathan looked her in the eyes for the first time since she showed up. Suddenly, he was coherent. “Nothing at all.”

Are those your eyes, is that your smile
I've been lookin at you forever
But I never saw you before

“So then what’s going on?” Emily asked him. “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?” She took one of his hands in hers.

Are these your hands holdin' mine
Now I wonder how I could of been so blind

Nathan was finally heeding to what Ally had told him. He wouldn’t regret it. She was right; he knew what he had to do. He brought his other hand up to hers and clasped them together with his. His eyes never left her gaze.

“What are you thinking?” Nathan asked Emily, a slight smile on his face.

“Well, to be honest, I’m wondering what’s going on with you,” Emily answered honestly, but finding herself not pulling away from him. Her heart was beating fast.

“What’s going on with me, what’s going on with ME, well, you really wanna know what’s going on with me?” Nathan asked her. Emily nodded. “Emily,” his brain said screw it, his emotions moved him forward and before the two of them knew what was going on, they were lip to lip.

For the first time I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seein' who you are
I can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin’ back at me
Now I understand why love is.......

Love is.....for the first time.....

Nathan felt the ground soften beneath him. His legs were slowly becoming putty.

Can this be real, can this be true

On the other side, Emily was taken aback. Her best friend had just kissed her. Her best friend was her first real kiss. She never thought that this would happen. She had hoped, but always thought it was just because they were so close.

Am I the person I was this morning
And are you the same you

Nathan dropped his hands from hers and pulled her close, their lips still glued together. Emily was in shock, but almost like instinct, her hands found their way to the back of his neck, holding him as close as close could be.

It's all so strange how can it be
All along this love was right in front of me

They finally pulled apart and almost immediately, one of their hands went to their lips, cherishing what had just happened.

“Was that...”

“Did we just...”

Nathan and Emily spoke simultaneously, laughing slightly afterwards. “You first,” Emily told Nathan.

“I don’t know what just happened,” his eyes stayed glued to hers the whole time.

For the first time I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seein who you are

“But I just couldn’t stop thinking about you and I always thought there was some reason and one day it dawned on me,” he paused.

“I love you,” Emily finished his sentence for him.

I can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin back at me

“Wow,” Nathan said, leaning in close and whispering, “can we feel these things?”

Now I understand why love is.......
Love is.....for the first time.....

“I think it’s perfectly feasible,” Emily answered, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Nathan grasped Emily’s hand and they started walking back to Emily’s house. Ally was watching in the window and a smile crept across her face. “My little boy,” she whispered.

Larry came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “What’s going on Ally?” he questioned.

“OH!” Ally let out a surprised giggle. “Just watching Nathan and Emily.”

Larry focused outside at the couple walking hand in hand. “That’s OUR Nathan?” he asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, and he just shared his first kiss with Emily,” Ally said wistfully. “Isn’t it just the sweetest thing?” she asked idly.

“Well,” Larry thought for a moment. “All I have to say is that I’m glad I got the girl,” he answered, emphasizing ‘I’ and putting his head on her shoulder.

“Oh Larry,” Ally snapped out of her daze and turned around, hugging him tight. “I’m glad too.”

“Are you really?” Larry questioned, pulling away.

“I don’t regret a thing,” and before Larry could object or say another word, Ally sealed his lips with an adoring kiss.

Ally smiled. Watching Nathan have his first kiss with his first love...it was memorable for her. He succeeded in having that kind of long-lasting love Ally had wished she had had with Billy before Larry came along. Nathan and Emily got married out of college. Ally couldn’t remember feeling happier.