I am often asked to tell the story of how my boyfriend Daniel and I began dating. So here goes.

We met through something we both loved, which was surprisingly culinary, considering most guys think cooking is for women. I was shy and he could see that. He tried to become my friend. I was reluctant to let him. He was very sweet. I hadn’t been attending this school very long and I was having a very hard time making friends. Most of the kids around me were bad news and I was scared if I let any of them in, I would become just like them. But I let him in. I didn’t see him too much during school, so I sent him a friend request on Facebook. I then messaged him, and slowly learned more about him. I liked him.

I soon shared my the news of my new crush with a friend. I thought she was happy for me, until she blurted out to him how much she liked him. I felt betrayed. I had shared my feelings about the young man in confidence. I didn’t understand why she would do that. I honestly didn’t think it would go any further. I simply finished school and went home. I tried to put it out of my mind until I saw them outside my workplace. She made eye contact with me then threw herself onto him, kissing him. My heart broke.

The minute I got to my car and closed the door, I cried. The next day was rough. I couldn’t look at either of them, let alone talk to them. But about six days later I got some nerve. Talking to him over messaging was a whole easier than talking to him in person. I asked him how his day was going. The elevation my heart gained as it soared out of my chest the moment I saw the words “we broke up” could not be explained. I was excited, but sad that he had been hurt. I didn’t want to make a move on him so soon after a breakup but I couldn’t help it. I slowly started working how I felt into our conversation. I explained many controversial topics about relationships with him and instantly found so many things attractive about the way he was talking to me. I was being treated like an adult. I wasn’t being treated like a little kid, even though he was much older. He was treating me like an equal and talking to me in such an educated way, nothing I had really experienced before. I was taken back by his knowledge of relationships and how they work even though it’d been a long time since he’d been in an actual serious relationship. He was all I dreamed of and more. Since my previous relationship hadn’t ended on the best terms and I was still a little broken from it, I wanted to take this slow. I had rushed into the last one and it ended in buckets of tears and some language I’m not too proud of. I could tell from the way he was talking about life that he wasn’t really into just a fun fling, he was in it for the long haul. It seemed like he was looking for a wife. After that long conversation I couldn’t get him out of my head. And suddenly I was seeing him everywhere. It wasn’t like in films where the girl imagines him places he isn’t, it was actually him. He came to classes I was in more and he even started face to face conversations with me. It was amazing. I wanted to be kissed by him and hugged and loved by him but that’s where things got moderately complicated. I was shy, as I said before and I couldn’t just outright ask him to be my boyfriend, but instead, I asked if we were gonna date. He responded with the question “Are we?” many times, until I got up the courage to say yes.

Now listen. Just because someone you like doesn't fit the mold you think is right, does not mean they are a bad person. Daniel is one of the meanest and scariest people I know, not to me of course, but he is also the sweetest and kindest person I know. His outer shell is a little misleading, so is mine. People put on a mask to save them from getting hurt. I've been with Daniel for a year and three months now and during this time I've learned so much about him. I think my favorite thing about him is how much he loves the people closest to him. If I hadn't given my heart a chance to fall for Daniel, I wouldn't be so happy.

I instantly felt my life change. It wasn’t a gradual change like normal , it was abrupt. I was happier and I started doing better in school. It was the fairytale I had been dreaming about since I was a little girl. Granted he wasn’t exactly the prince charming I had read about in my story books, but this is my fairytale. It isn’t in a castle and I’m not royalty but I am a princess to him and the way I am treated everyday makes me believe that true love isn’t about being by the book; It’s about saying ‘screw it’ to the book and making your own story. A story you're proud of and never want to stop reading. Because the best stories are lived through us everyday. And I wouldn’t trade mine for the world.