On a whim, my best friend Ailene decided that the two of us should embark on a seven-hour road trip to New Hampshire for a Shawn Mendes concert. I wasn’t thrilled about spending so much money on gas (sue me, I’m a college kid) or about the last-minute, last-row tickets, but I was thrilled to spend a weekend with my friend at the beach.
Before I really start, let me just say I’m going to keep this PG-13. I’m not E.L. James, and my father is probably going to see this at some point.
Ailene and I got all dressed up for the concert, though it didn’t really matter. As amazing as Shawn was, there was no chance of getting to him without VIP tickets. We were out of luck. But at least we still looked cute and could get an Instagram photo out of it. Ailene took my photo on the beach, and we swapped so I could take one of her. It was then that we met the four of them.
Vince. Felix. Francis. Sebastian.
It was Francis who came up to us, asking if he could be in our photo. We laughed. He was one of those guys I could peg immediately. He got the girls, not because of his looks, but because he had the most aggressive personality. It took time for Vince, Felix and Sebastian to strike up conversations with us. They were all Canadian, 21 years old with the exception of Felix, who was still 20 and could speak very-fluent, very-sexy French.
Francis invited us back to the boys' hotel room, which was when Ailene gave me the eyebrow. She obviously wanted to go with them, but I was more preoccupied with the chances that these boys were murders who would chop us into little bits, cook us into little French scones and eat us for dinner. Instead, I agreed to walk — just walk — back to their hotel. Not go inside. The boys brought down their gloves from the room, and Vince and Felix sat on the side lines, leaving Ailene and I to toss the ball around with Francis and Sebastian.
I’m going to spare you the unbelievable details, but Sebastian and I talked and he spoke French and I blushed and he laughed. And we danced in the parking lot of the hotel. Then, we broke into the hotel pool after hours and went swimming. I got to check off a first — my first underwater kiss.
It’s truly crazy how when you’re so attracted to somebody and their personality fits yours so perfectly you can feel fate working with you. The connection right away taught me one thing — you should never be in a relationship for the sake of having a boyfriend or girlfriend, you should be in a relationship because you want to be solely devoted to one person.
After that first night, I figured the feelings would fade. Nothing could possible stay that perfect forever. But the next day I met up with Sebastian, or Seb as I called him, and things were only more magnificent. We walked along the beach and laid down in the sand. He was beautiful. I don’t remember ever feeling that kind of bliss. There was sand in my hair, but it didn’t matter what I looked like. Nothing mattered except the moment.
When I remember my time with Sebastian, I’m always going to feel good and strong and happy. It was both a gift and a well-needed lesson. What I find craziest is that we will most likely never meet again. We’re from different countries, and we’re still growing up. But now I know the right guy is out there for me. No, I don’t mean soulmate (I’m not a big believer in that anyway), but there is someone out there who I can find love with. Who it can be as easy it was with as Sebastian.
I also believe you’ll never find love if you can’t be happy on your own. After our trip was over, it was just that, over. And as sad as I felt, losing the boy I just had two perfect magical days with, I also knew I’d be okay on my own still. I could be happy without him. Without any guy.
Even writing this now, it’s hard to put into words how it all felt. It just clicked. Instantly. Sebastian wasn’t my first crush or my first kiss or my first time. He was more than all that. He was just ... different.
I fell in love. Maybe it’s impossible to fall in love in two days. Maybe falling in love is something that happens in an instant. For what it’s worth, I believe it happened.
