A Chance encounter with a friend led me to write this post. Back when I was 18, I had never really had a gf. I was very shy and timid and didn't really know how to talk to girls. I decided to go into AOL chat rooms (yes this was a while ago lol). I met this one girl who's screen name I still remember to this day. She had a bf at the time but we talked so often and had never actually seen each other. Eventually they broke up and then we decided to meet up. I fell for her the moment I saw her. She had beautiful eyes that I couldn't stop looking at. From that moment on we were always together. She would skip school to see me for an entire day (not wise but I always helped her with hw she had to catch up on). I ended up going to college while she finished high school. Although long distance was hard, we ended up making it work. We ended up being together for almost 8 years. When I say we went through everything together that's really an understatement. We were broke and in love. We had our own apartment. Not much inside but i always made sure she had everything she needed even if it meant me sacrificing on things that i wanted. I would always try to out due myself when it came to her birthday or Valentine's day (our anniversary). Every year I came up with creative ideas to show her how much I loved her. And I always surprised her. Seeing her smile made it all worth it. We had our ups and downs but we always found our way back to each other. We ended up breaking up 3 times during those 8 years. We dated other people but we would always find each other somehow. I asked her to marry me during my junior year in college in 2006. We wanted to fulfill our dreams together. Shortly after this we realized we were fighting more than usual and realized we had just become too comfortable with each other and we weren't growing as a couple. Eventually we both realized that we needed time apart in order for both of us to grow alone as opposed to with each other. She ended up moving away to Maryland where she ended up going to school and finding a great job. I was heartbroken but I knew it was the best decision for both of us. We still talk to each other. It's been 3 years since I've seen her and almost 5 years broken up. I think about her everyday. We still talk everyday if not every other day. She will always be the one that got away. She is my best friend. We have dated other people during that time. And we are at the point where we can talk about our relationships with each other and even give advice. At the end of the day I want her to be happy, whether it's with me or someone else. I'm so proud of what she has accomplished on her own and where she is heading. She is studying to go to law school. We have both changed so much during our time apart. I've actually become quite a social butterfly and enjoy talking to and meeting new people. I enjoy going out which is something I didn't really like to do when we were together. I know I've grown as a person and she has as well. We are both different than the last time we saw each other. Maybe one day we can grow as a couple again. And make all those plans and dreams we talked about come true. Until then I'll keep loving her and support her in anything and everything she does. I love you jannet.