Indelible Love - Emily's Story Read Online Free Page B

Max and I were naturally drawn
to each other like the south pole of a magnet attracting the north
pole. We marveled at how much we had in common and how we felt such
a strong connection from the moment we met.
    As the days passed us by, our
connection only got stronger. We spent every waking moment together
when we weren’t in class. Picnics on the grass, study sessions in
the library—if we could have, we would have stayed up every night
catching up on the eighteen years we had missed out on in each
other’s lives. It was a strange bond that couldn’t be
denied.
    Our physical bond was equally as
strong. The urge to touch and explore scared me. Such a strong
desire went against the core of my belief. I wanted to stay “pure”
till I got married. Max, of course, had other ideas and thought I
was crazy. We argued and fought constantly. Being the tearful one
in the relationship. I hurt easily and cried readily. Max accused
me of being way too sensitive. He was right, of course—though he’d
never get an admission from these lips.
    Maybe it was our age. Maybe it was
because this was the first real relationship for both of us.
Whatever the reason, we just couldn’t hide our emotions from one
another. Every disagreement set us off for days. We’d quarrel, not
speak, then go right back to our relationship as if nothing
happened. I didn’t know if we had ever resolved any issues. In many
ways, it didn’t matter, because we just wanted to be
together.
    Our typical date started with a casual
meal and then a movie. Some days we’d ride our bikes and picnic on
the beach. Many times we cooked dinner together at Max’s apartment
and studied. On occasion, we’d go watch a musical or go out for a
nice dinner. Neither of us had much money so we couldn’t do
anything extravagant. This didn’t bother us as long as we were
together.
    On winter breaks, our usual group of
friends would go skiing. We’d rent a cabin, with all twelve of us
cramming into whatever sized cabin we got. The girls took care of
the food for the week while the guys were in charge of evening
entertainment. We’d get up early, have breakfast, ski all day, come
back for dinner then play crazy games till the wee hours of the
night. Those were some of the best days of my life.
    Sarah and I considered ourselves best
friends since the day we met. A tall and pretty brunette, her
endearing personality helped me through my most difficult days,
post breakup. We met as freshmen in college, assigned to the same
study group in calculus, and we struggled.
Limits…derivatives…integrals…none of it made sense. Every chance we
got, we went to each other’s dorm rooms and studied math. Failing
out of school our first quarter wasn’t an option. We had to make it
work.
    Charlie Abner, Sarah’s boyfriend since
high school, was better than your average guy. He stood slightly
taller than Sarah at six feet tall and boasted a booming
personality. High school sweethearts, they met when they were
sixteen and loved each other more with each passing year. Charlie
was probably waiting for the perfect moment to propose, though he
wouldn’t dare tell me when. He knew all too well I couldn’t keep a
secret from his love and my best friend.
    Our gang of friends, Peter, Will,
James, Charlie, and Max, roomed together all through their college
years. They lived in the same disgusting apartment since sophomore
year and in all that time, they’d never cleaned their apartment.
The most memorable year starred a two-week-old, half-eaten birthday
cake, ants, maggots, cockroaches, and an extermination crew. This
event evicted an entire apartment building for two days. It was a
wonder they didn’t get permanently evicted. Indelible memories were
made not only for me and Max, but for all of us as friends and as
an extended family.
    Very different from Sarah and
Charlie’s relationship, Max and I survived day by day. Max’s
awkward expression of love made me question how much he cared.