“How long have you been dating your boyfriend?” is the common question I get when I tell people I am in a committed relationship. I receive the same jaw-dropping reaction every time when I reply, “Six years.” It’s true, six years is an extremely long time for such a young couple, especially since in this day and age, most young people have more then one partner by age 18. Vinny and I officially started dating when we were in seventh grade. I still remember when he asked me. We were at a middle school dance and he came up to me, put his arm around me, and said, “Wanna go out?” I chuckle at the thought of 13-year-old-me being love-struck by such non-romantic words, but boy was I crazy about him.
Dating Vinny was pretty complicated from the start; not because he was a bad boyfriend, but because we were so young. First, we did not attend the same school, so seeing each other as much as we wanted to was almost impossible. Second, it was rare to find another couple at our age, so some people did not understand. We would often find ourselves in quarrels with our peers over seeing them and seeing each other. It was hard to balance friendships, and our relationship when not all people around us were supportive. However, we wanted to be together more than the stars and the moon, so we did what we could to make it work.
After balancing friendships, time apart, and our relationship, it was time to face high school. Freshman year was difficult because he moved to another town and attended a different high school. Although we already knew how to handle a relationship with separate lives at separate schools, I was hoping we would be able to experience high school together. The summer before sophomore year, Vinny surprised me and told me that he would be transferring to my high school. The feeling was truly a dream come true. The next three years of our relationship we spent exchanging “Good morning,” holding hands in the hallways, and made memories with the same people. High school is when Vinny really became my best friend. We had so much in common, but we also introduced each other to new things. We each provided each other with something we were missing.
After high school, it was time for college. Vinny chose a school four hours away from home and I chose a school three hours away in the opposite direction. Although it is difficult to not have each other as a part of our everyday lives, we knew it was better than not being in each other’s lives at all. Freshman year was not easy, but we learned a lot about ourselves and about our relationship. We supported each other, we encouraged each other to get involved on campus and meet new friends, and we tried as hard as we could to see each other any opportunity we had.
In November, Vinny and I will celebrate our seven year anniversary, and I cannot wait to continue to learn and grow together as a couple.
