Her beautiful brown puppy dog eyes looked into mine. Her golden brown hair was highlighted by the setting sun. We stood behind the silos hiding from her parents who had forbidden our love. We kissed for the first time in a seemingly surreal setting. The sky was filled with shades of red, pink and orange. The grass was even glowing that day. I knew at that moment she was the one I would spend the rest of my life with. As we stood googly eyed staring at each other and the amazing day that was ending before us I think we both knew we were meant to be. A voice in the distance began screaming her name. Our trance-like state had been interrupted. The perfect day had come to an abrupt end. She ran up the gravel road towards her house, the sun highlighting her beauty as she left. I watched her leave, I yelled up to her to meet me there again tomorrow.

The next day I waited for her to show up at our spot but she did not come. I waited again the day after that but she did not come. I could not figure out what happened. I went to our spot each day for the entire week. She never came down there. It was on a Sunday, her sister came running down the same gravel road I watched her leave on a week ago. She told me her parents had left for the day and that she would be meeting me there soon. I waited with a level of anticipation I did not know existed. My heart raced, my stomach fluttered, my palms sweated. I saw her at the top of the road. She was wearing a white top covered by an orange sleeveless vest. She looked amazing. As soon as she saw me she started running. She jumped into my arms as I wrapped them tightly around her. She threw her arms around me and we held each other that way for the longest time. We kissed and talked excitedly. We headed down to the bike trail and walked for a few miles hand in hand to a bridge overlooking a creek. We sat for hours while she chatted away about her week. Her parents were upset that she wanted to keep seeing me so they had kept her locked up at home. She said she wanted to see me more than anything. They hated the idea of us together. As she rambled on I pictured our future together. It was a beautiful picture with kids, a big house, a couple of dogs and us in our porch swing watching sunsets like this every night. She told me she loved me that evening and I told her I could not picture my life without her. Then she had to leave. Again I watched her disappear. All the way watching her glowing features as she left me on the bridge.

A few days later I had got a message to her through her sister to come and meet me down at our silo. I waited for over an hour that day. I was sure she would not make it. Just as I was about to give up hope I saw her running over the top of the hill again. She said she only had a few minutes. I told her I loved her more than life itself and wanted to make sure after she graduated we would spend the rest of our lives together. So with my nerves shot and her beauty emboldening me, I asked her to marry me. I promised her that day my unending love and she promised me her undying affection. Then she had to go. In a flash, the best moment of my life was over. She left smiling from ear to ear. I watched her go as far as I could see her. I did not want that moment to end but I had no choice in the matter.

A few days later as I wandered down Main Street her parents pulled up beside me. They both got out of the car. As they walked up to me I knew it was not going to be good. They glared at me as they pulled the ring I had given her out of their pocket. They told me there was no way I was going to see her again. They said they would never approve of us getting married. I did not know what to do. I stood there heartbroken but still in love. They were yelling at me but I could only see their lips moving; their voices seemed muted.

A couple months passed by and I had managed to see her off and on over that time. We both kept our promise of love. She was more beautiful than ever. I told her I could not live without her and she said she could not live without me. As the days progressed our forbidden love grew stronger. Her parents grew angrier.

Another couple months went by but her parents had kept her from me. I had not seen the love of my life for an entire two months. My friends and I decided to go to the county fair dance. I was hoping she would be there. "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" was playing over the speakers. I looked around the room and there she was. I asked her to dance, her parents were not there so she agreed. I held her close as we swayed to the music. The song ended but I did not want to let her go so we stood on the dance floor holding each other long after the song was over. Everyone else was dancing to whatever song came on but we just stood there holding each other, gazing deeply into each other's eyes. Neither of us wanted this to end but it had to. We went our separate ways.

More time passed and although we grew distant we still held the same strong love for each other. I found out she was being shipped off to another state. My heart was shattered. I did not want to live my life without her. I got to see her briefly before she was sent away. The years began to pass by. She got married, I got engaged. She got divorced, I was married. I still loved her and she still loved me but we did not get to fulfill our promise to each other. Even today my love is still strong for her even though I am sure she does not share that feeling and I should not have that feeling. I see her every now and then. Occasionally we get together when she comes to town but even that has gotten far and few between. My heart has been broken for over a decade now. It has never fully healed but I have lived my life and she has lived hers. Something that should have been never came to be.