I was looking at the camera waiting for our picture to be taken. I glanced down and I saw his hand awkwardly hovering over me so I took his hand in mine and gently placed it on my waist.

I gave my crush a confident smile, but internally I was blushing. I looked up at his face, trying so hard to hide the giddy girl inside of me, and there he was smiling back.

Sometime in between this moment, and countless unforgettable memories, I fell in love with him.

Soon enough, like many other couples, we dreamed of our future together. When would we get married? What would our first home look like?

What kind of dogs were we going to have? I’m embarrassed to say this question almost resulted in a legitimate argument once because it’s the one thing I’m stubborn about.

The older we got, the more real these childish dreams became, and we neared the reality of adulthood. I started to question everything.

Here was a guy that would listen to the random songs I would make up, laugh at my random dance moves, and best of all, do these things with me.

I felt like I was in the honeymoon phase for the entirety of our relationship. I would do the cheesiest things and I wouldn’t care who saw.

Like when we would go the rec together, I would run on the track on the 2nd floor, and he would lift weights on the 1^st floor. Every time I made a lap, I would find him in the crowd, secretly swoon at the sight of him lifting, and occasionally blow kisses for him to catch. It’s cringe, I know.

I wanted to marry this guy, but at 21 years old what did I even know about life?

Where were my priorities? At a time when I should be working on myself, I was spending so much time with him, and even if it was happily by choice, that didn’t sit well with me.

That was why I left. I am my priority right now, and that’s the way it’s going to be until I have my own family.

I’m going to pour my heart and soul into me first because then, no matter who comes or goes, I’ll always have my accomplishments and know exactly who I am and what I want.

Yes, you can grow and experience things with someone by your side, but I would argue that it’s completely different doing it on your own. And personally, I want to do this on my own.

I loved this guy, but the reality is, I love myself more. Letting him go made me incredibly sad but it's something I needed to do which is why I don't regret it.

It’s not that I don’t like commitment or I think I don’t need a guy. I love boys, I love being in love, and I love being that committed to one person.

All that stuff is great, but it’s pretty damn great being single as well. You’re free in every way possible and you can make decisions based on nobody but yourself.

Until the day someone puts a ring on it, I think you should always be your #1 priority.