Yesterday Jesse and I celebrated 2 years of being together. I know it's cliché, but I honestly cannot remember what it was like to not have him in my life. The past 2 years have been filled with adventures that I never in a million years would've expected but I can honestly say that 2 years later, I wouldn't change a thing.
Jesse and I met 2 years ago right before my 20th birthday. My roommate had met Jesse and one of Jesse's friends the night before and invited me to hang out with them in Jesse's dorm room. She told me they were total rednecks who loved country music and despite hating both of those things, I decided to go upstairs because it was Thursday night and I didn't have anything else to do.
The first thing I remember was seeing Jesse's coat and thinking to myself, "oh my god, I'm meeting the guy with the coat" because I remembered seeing him around the dorm from time to time. We sat on his futon and talked for a few hours and the conversation just flowed. Usually I get really tongue-tied around boys but with Jesse, that awkwardness went away. I remember we had a lot in common and I went back to my own room after midnight not thinking too much about what just happened.
Two days later I turned 20! My friends threw me a surprise party and had even invited Jesse! I remember making eye contact with him throughout the party and he was just looking at me differently. I don't think I'll ever be able to put into words the way he was looking at me. It was the most kind and gentle look I've ever seen and 2 years later, I can still see it.
My friends dragged me off campus to what would be my first official "college party." It was loud and there was lots of beer, kissing, and yes, sex on the toilet. I was really uncomfortable with the whole situation and my roommate texted me to tell me that Jesse kept asking when I was coming back. It was, in that moment, it all clicked. I realized that all I wanted to do was see Jesse so I got my coat and my drunk friends (never walk alone at night on a college campus ladies) and made the long trek by foot - in 6 inch Jeffrey Campbells nonetheless - to Jesse's room where he was waiting for me.
The next two weeks consisted of cute text messages, flirting, and joint dining hall dinners. Our first official date was with my roommate and Jesse's friend. We went to picturesque Portsmouth to eat. After dinner, we walked around town and Jesse put his arm around me. That night we went back to his room to continue the date and we talked past midnight. We were holding hands on his futon and we kissed and the rest is history!
That summer we were four hours apart. Jesse would visit as often as he could and those visits meant the world to me. I spent the summer going to appointment after appointment with the goal of finally having surgery to remove my septate hymen. By the end of the summer, we made a promise that next summer we would be together someway, somehow.
Fall 2013 was the hardest semester of my life. I felt pressured by my (now ex) best friend to go out and make new friends which didn't allow for me seeing Jesse a lot. I constantly felt caught in the middle of two things I should never have had to choose between. When given the ultimatum from her, I chose Jesse. Our friendship deteriorated fast after that.
Last year at this time, Jesse and I were searching for apartments so that we could live together. I worked two jobs and saved every penny I earned for furniture, rent, and groceries. We looked at one apartment, a tiny one bedroom located just up the street from Jesse's old apartment and we signed the paperwork that night! We moved in together at the beginning of April and started life together as a cohabiting couple.
Cohabiting meant sacrifices. Instead of going home and seeing my family for the summer, I stayed here and worked. Money was always tight. When we weren't working (or commuting in Jesse's case), we were doing housework - organizing, cleaning, doing laundry, etc. Last summer was a lot of hard work but nothing beats waking up to the person you love every morning. :)
Well, here we are! These past 2 years have been quite a journey but I wouldn't change a single thing about our relationship. Last night as we sat across from each other at the restaurant, I couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate the past 2 years. Here is the boy who has done so much for me between driving four hours to visit me that first summer, holding me as I cried about surgery, co-starred with me on MTV, listened to my endless rants about e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, and helped me make life decisions. All the while he was eating silently from the other side of the table, unaware that I was admiring him. I'm so lucky to have met someone as caring, loving, funny, and supportive as Jesse. I am forever grateful that I decided to walk upstairs that night 2 years ago.
