Love is a crazy thing. One day you’re 15 years old and you meet this person and they change your life. 15 years old; sounds crazy right? For two years that person became your safety, best friend, and the love of your life. Everything you felt, they felt. You did everything together. You fell in love… together. For 15 years you weren’t sure who you were supposed to be or what you were supposed to do. And then, all of a sudden, you meet this person and it all makes sense.
I’m only 17 years old, but that love was real. I believe in love at first sight. I believe in holding hands, forehead kisses, and late nights of talking about the future. You could say that’s cliché, but for some of us it’s not. As a matter of a fact, for some of us that’s our reality. For two years I loved a boy who said he loved me back, someone who promised me always and forever, and someone I trusted with my entire life.
I had a crush on this boy for so long before we ended up together. I saw him one day and thought to myself ‘I have to know this person,' and I did. Maybe it was his southern charm or big grin that drew me in, but I met him and I grew to love him. I have grown more in the last two years than I ever thought I would in a lifetime. It’s funny how falling in love can change a person. Because it did. It changed me. I learned what it was like to have something to lose; something you would go to the end of the world fighting for because that’s how strong my love for him was. He was so much more than anyone could ever see. He was contagiously goofy, kind, smart, caring, Godly, and most importantly, he was genuine. I loved this person with everything I had. I loved his smile. I love the way he smiles when he knows he’s being stubborn but doesn’t want to admit it. I love his genuine kindness and the way he cares for others. He’s a hard shell with a big heart, and only I could see it. People see him as the boy who owns the diner, but I see him as the boy that changed my world, and then became it.
You see, love is a special thing, and I feel lucky to have experienced it. We weren’t perfect. Hell, we were far from it. But we were perfect together. We argued, bickered, and sometimes wanted to give up on each other. Some people even said I might be better off without him, but I knew that wasn’t true because at the end of the day, we always knew that our love was worth holding onto and that no matter what happened, it would always be there.
But it didn't end up always being there. One day that boy that I had fallen in love with decided it was in his best interest to break my heart. And he did. It shattered into a million pieces. Being without him felt like a part of me was missing. Eventually, it got easier. One day I woke up and realized it really was his loss. He lost a girl that would do anything and everything for him. Someone who at any hour of the day would be there for him, and someone who loved him with every thing she had - and that is what is truly heart breaking.
