I haven’t written much in a while, but I think I’d like to write this down today so I remember how I felt at this moment.

Last night, my boyfriend and I were hanging out with some friends that we’ve known for a little while. But, we met this one girl who was a new transfer from a junior college somewhere in southern Virginia. We aren’t really the type of couple to display any PDA. When in a group setting, we might hold hands, but often times when we’re with friend we don’t mind sitting apart from each other or doing our own thing. We pretend to hate each other (jokingly) and never admit to any types of cuteness to our friends. Anyway, this new girl (we’ll call her Darling), had been hanging out with us for a couple of hours now and asked if I had a boyfriend (or as she would say: “boughfran”). We all laughed as I pointed at Ian and said “Yeah, it’s been a little over two years now.” She seemed quite stunned. I guess if you didn’t already know Ian and I were a couple, you wouldn’t really pick it up! I like that.

Later, Darling had a little too much to drink and cried about boy problems. She said something to me that made me feel sad for her. She said “I try so hard for him to love me. But he doesn’t.” She has been in some sort of relationship where she loves but isn’t truly loved back, or so it seemed.

Ian and I were able to talk to her alone. I told her that she shouldn’t have to try so hard for someone to love her, she shouldn’t have to try at all. Ian and I looked at each other and told her that loving someone you really love should be really easy. The work it takes for a relationship to keep going strong, however, is never easy…but that’s a different story. 

She seemed really set on wanting to spend her life with this guy and wasn’t willing to look much further. Ian and I told her that she should do her own thing and she might just meet the one for her. She wasn’t too sure that we knew too much about that, but we had told her we were seeing other people when we met…and here we are. We told her that before we met, we thought things were supposed to be hard. We thought the way she did…that you had to try hard for someone to love you. 

It made me realize how simple loving someone really is when you’re loving the right person. I hadn’t really thought too much about it. I hadn’t realized that when I met Ian, everything came together so easily and beautifully. 

During the car ride home, I randomly told Ian how much stronger our relationship has become. We have come such a long way and have gone through so many things both in our relationship together and in our separate lives. I’m proud of us, really. Looking back on it, there could have been several times where going our separate ways may have been easier; but, I think we both realized that though the easy way out seems appealing, it’s quite rare to love someone so easily and be loved back so unconditionally in return. Once you find the diamond in the rough, why would you want to let it go?

I know this was a long, sappy post (and quite hypocratic to what I said about not liking to demonstrate any PDA), but I guess I wanted to share and write this all down so I can look back on it and register the same incredible feelings that I did last night.