[ Wp ] Tell me your love story

I can ’ t remember the exact day or time when she called, and I hope that doesn ’ t effect the story much. All I know is that it was a cool afternoon in August. The sun was peering through the tips of the pines as I drove along 17 with the North Carolina scenery passing me by. I suddenly felt my phone vibrate and I saw her face on my phone. Those piercing blue eyes, I always adored that picture of her. 
 
 Things had been hard for the last two years. Between a deployment and the difficulties associated with school and the military lifestyle, it was a demanding lifestyle to sustain, but for years we made it work. In hindsight there was more we both could have done to make things work, as best we could. But life had other plans for us both. 
 
 As cliche as it sounds, we met in gym my senior year. I was dating another girl at the time but I always found myself drawn to this girl I had met for the first time. She was beauty in every sense of the word. When we started talking the chemistry was palpable. I never had a reason to be unhappy when she was a part of my life. I found the courage to ask her to be mine on February 26th 2010. I remember the details of that walk with her by my side like it was yesterday. I remember my hands trembling in my pockets as I fell over my words and asked her to be my girlfriend, she said yes. 
 
 We spent nearly 3 years together. As I write this I ’ m holding one of our pictures from prom. One of the best nights of my life, fighting tears because I miss her. I could write a book on the reasons she made me smile in those 3 years. She was my best friend, my support system, she loved my flaws, she saw me as perfect. I was a broken kid from a broken home. I fought depression every day up until she stumbled into my life. She was home. A place I could rest my head, somewhere I could wear my heart on my sleeve, a place where everything was right in the world. I know how hard of a man I am to deal with, I was probably an even more troublesome teenager to deal with, but she stuck through with thick skin and fell in love. 
 
 One of my fondest memories was shortly after high school before I enlisted. I was working as a bellman at a local hotel, working all hours of the day and night. She wasn ’ t feeling well and couldn ’ t sleep so I wanted to do anything I could to help, even if it was something as simple as a phone call. She told me she wanted me to come over because she was home alone and not feeling well. So as soon as I got off I drove to her house and we sat on the couch watching tv until she fell asleep with my arm around her. I sat and let her sleep, and I couldn ’ t help but think about how in love with this woman I was. I just wanted to be beside her. she woke up about 30 minutes later and wanted to go to bed. So I walked with her up the stairs to her bedroom and I tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight and told her I loved her. 
 
 I learned more about life from her than I had from anyone else to that point. I wasn ’ t afraid around her, there wasn ’ t any anxiety, only joy. A sensation I didn ’ t know. I just wanted to make her happy in everything I did and I made an attempt to, but you can ’ t always be perfect and you can ’ t fix everything. May 22nd, 2011 I packed my things and left. I traded in a pair of dirty tennis shoes for combat boots, and a year later I was on my way to a foreign land to put my new knowledge to practice. 
 
 Nothing in the world could have prepared me for the next five months. As a result when I came home I was a changed man with a different outlook on life. It made nearly every aspect of my life 100 times more difficult for any multitude of reasons. A lot of relationships in my life suffered, including ours. It was one of the most difficult times, at least for me. But she stood tall and let me lean on her with all of my burdens and my weight. But you can only support someone for so long. 
 
 I ’ m not exactly sure where the change happened or if it was gradual over time, but things became different, We were talking less and less and our conversations became shorter and shorter. It was hard. It was lonely. To watch someone you love so much slowly fade away from you and there is nothing within your power to change it or fix it, you just have to accept it and hope that somewhere down the line things will be different, and who knows, maybe they will. Until then I ’ m left with the fondest memories of the best of times with my closest friend. 
 
 It was a cool august afternoon.
