*Cues up sappy music*

So I'm not one to discuss relationships all the time because let's be honest, ain't nobody tryna' hear how in love others are but this is the exception. My boyfriend and I have been dating for almost four years. Whew, that's a long time and my parents are trying to figure out how he managed to make it this far. When my boyfriend and I first met it was in the sixth grade and I know. Cringe. I was rocking Aeropostale, everybody, thinking it was cool and socially acceptable. I remember the exact moment I saw him.

Fifth-period Spanish class.

I thought he was so cute. Mind you, we're both in sixth grade, so of course, looking back now I wanted to scream because we both looked a HOT MESS! Eventually, he and I became friends all throughout middle school but once we got to high school we fell off from each other's radar. He was in an accelerated program and I was in honors so our paths never crossed freshman year.

When sophomore year hit, we started seeing each other a lot more. A lot more. We had four out of seven classes together and throughout the first semester of 10th grade, he was dating other girls while I was single as a Pringle.

I was learning lines for theatre and he was conditioning for baseball. I always thought he was cute but never really thought of him as boyfriend material. But everybody else was planning our wedding date before we even started dating.
Later into 10th grade, we started hanging out more and more and before I knew it, he asked me if I would like to be his girlfriend.

WHAAAAAAT??? Me? Courtney? Courtney with the uneven eyebrows, nappy head, no makeup wearing Courtney???

I was ecstatic! I was doing flips and everything! I even got up early to do my makeup, which then consisted of bb cream, an old mascara my mom gave me and some old blush from 2005.

When we started dating it just felt right. I don't know how to possibly explain the science behind it but it felt like we were meant to be. Even though the turbulent times, we always found a way to get it together and figure it out. I don't know if it had something to do with the fact that we were friends for so long or that we literally shared homework all through honors chemistry (to be frank, my boyfriend literally carried me and my grade from a C to an A in Chem). It just all made sense.

The icing on the cake was senior year of high-school. Every year, our mythology teacher took a group of kids to Europe for 2 weeks in March and we decided to go together. We thought it would be a nice trip with some of our closest friends and our favorite teacher.

After a full day of walking around Paris and wandering around the Eiffel Tower, he surprised me and asked me to prom under the Eiffel Tower, in the midst of a light show. I couldn't believe it. I was floored. Everybody else had "promposals" in a gym or outside in the parking lot with balloons but mine was under the Eiffel Tower.

In the back of my head, I came to this conclusion: "He could very well be the one."

My boyfriend and I have had good days and bad days. We've argued, yelled, not talked, apologized, cried etc. We've called each other out on our BS and we've helped each other through our darkest of days. Not only do we love each other but we respect each other as individuals.

We grew into early adulthood and dealt with things like death, depression, anxiety and transitioning into college. We saw each other at our highest and lowest moments.

His success is his success and my success is mine. We don't let our love block our pursuit of higher education.

Some days, we don't talk because we're so busy but we know it's going to be like that. We don't get jealous or insecure about the other's successes. We treat each other a human being and not just this title of "boyfriend/girlfriend." Yes, we're usually joined at the hip on some days and other days we're on completely different schedules. No matter what may happen to us, he will be considered my first love and my first true friend. Maybe that's what makes him the one.

Long before we said "I love you" we would share laughs in class. Friends before love and friends after.