A very interesting subject.
Growing up, I never thought I would truly be able to have a relationship with anyone, at any age. In my teens, I felt many attractions for my classmates, but never did I act on those attractions. Instead, I hid my attractions and instead sought out companionship from people for who I held no attraction. I did it because it was what was expected of me.
You see, I grew up in a time where it was not acceptable to be openly gay. Being a teen, and being flooded with all these hormones that drives one to seek out a person to share a close relationship, certainly didn't make things any easier.
I did have a crush on someone when I was 14. He was the only one who really paid me any attention, owing to the fact that I tended to keep to myself most of the time. Every time I was with him, though, it was as though a heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders. Here was someone, I thought, who I could truly be myself with. That was, until the terrifying day when he was killed on his way to school one day. Right in front of me. Even now, two decades later, I still remember the times we shared together. I can remember the many days we talked as we walked down the halls in school to our next class, or competed against each other in chess club, or collaborated on a project for the school newsletter. This was no mere crush. I realized that I truly did love him. I have to admit, I still do. I probably always will.
Someone on here said that it is unlikely for a person that young to fall in love. But I know from my own experience that this isn't so. We human beings are sexual creatures. A part of our sexuality involves our feelings for other people. We are just as capable at 14 of falling in love as we are when we're adults.
I knew I was in love back then. It wasn't sex that made our relationship what it was (which we never had anyway), it was the tender moments we shared and the feelings of contentment we both felt when we were together. It was no simple infatuation. It was love. As powerful then as it is today, even though he's gone.