I didn't know what love truly meant until I met my current boyfriend. I realize how bold that statement is, but I feel it to be true. Yes, I was in a high school relationship, but that was more of a partnership rather than a romantic relationship. Two and a half years of holding hands, going to prom together, kissing in the car next to a ski resort; it was all fun and I really cherished it.

I eventually broke off that relationship because we were both seniors and I was traveling across many states to go to school. He also didn't want to do the long distance thing. I didn't want to either.

Then came my first college boyfriend. I won't go into much detail here, but it was not fun. At all. That was one of the hardest months in my life. I left that one after a month. I spent a month being single, feeling like there was something wrong with me. This was when my on and off depression really hit me for the first time. I clung onto the idea of being in a relationship because that was what I was used to. Being single? I've never consciously known what it's like to be single. I felt scared. That was, until, by pure chance and luck, I found my current boyfriend.

We fell head over heels for one another; always trying to make the other happy. We are cut from the same cloth, and he’s there for me even throughout my angsty teenage rants. He values me, which is something I personally I thought I would never find after my previous relationship. To be in a relationship where someone truly respects your being is an incredible feeling. I realize it should be a standard, but I got a bit of it in high school, none of it in my first college boyfriend, and a boatload of it in this one.

Throughout all of this, I have learned that love is a very individual experience. Everyone has their own unique definition of romantic love, which is shaped and formed by their experience with it. Of course, I am young. I haven't had that much experience with romantic love; my parents only let me start dating when I was 16. But if I had any advice to give you all, it would be this: take your time. Truly get to know the person. You will see every aspect of that person; good or bad. Let who they are truly sink in before you make your judgement on them.

If you’re dating a person thinking that you will marry them, then you're in it for the wrong reason (in my opinion). You should be there in that relationship to truly experience what is it like to be with another human being in that closeness, not for a ring on your finger. Enjoy that company, because not many people are going to find that. If it works out, great. If not, there are plenty of people out there. You’ll find your partner in life eventually. I may not have found mine yet, who knows? Only time will really tell.