Have you ever experienced a perfect moment? A moment where time seemed to stand still, if only for a second? I have.
It was the spring of 2009. I was at school, shooting hoops with the guys- Tariu, Tallen, Liam, my friend Raiden, and my crush James. Actually, we were more like mucking around than playing ball. It was a perfect day, sunny and breezy, and I guess I was feeling restless. I grabbed one of the basketballs from James and ran, and he chased me to the nearby back fence of the larger courts. Realising I couldn’t outrun him, I held on tight as he tried to pry it away from me. Then he grabbed my hair.
It didn’t hurt, really, but it made me loosen my grip, and he grabbed the ball quickly. Lost in the moment, I grabbed his hair in return. That was when time seemed to stand still.
I can still remember the feel of his hair all these years later. It was silky and smooth, and just amazing. He still had hold of my hair, and neither of us was pulling away. Our eyes locked. I had two thoughts in my head.
The first one: Mmm, his hair feels so nice…
The second one: Oh my god, I’m touching James’ hair!
The air seemed to shimmer between us as a breeze blew the sounds of the playground and the basketball courts back to us. We dropped our hands, mine briefly lingering in his golden tresses before reluctantly stepping away. He looked at the ball, and I remembered what had brought us here in the first place. As he walked back to our small court, probably completely unaware of what had happened, I trailed slowly after him and caught the next ball that was thrown at me.
It seems silly now that one of my best memories is touching someone’s hair, but it truly was a special moment in time, one that I will never forget.

Love you, James.