First love can be magical, but it can also be excruciating. Here, our contributors deliver honest, heart-warming and sometimes painful stories about their experiences

What happens when you fall in love? Our contributors tell their stories. Picture: iStock

Rosemary Mac Cabe

I fell in love in burgundy polyester. A scratchy, knitted V-neck jumper, striped tie. Grey trousers that were described as unisex, but were really designed for boys. What’s more unbelievable, really, is that he fell in love the same way.

When I think about what love felt like then, it was more straightforward than it is now, two decades later. I found him attractive. He felt the same. We had things to ...