Forever and Always

They'd known each other for years but had never really spoken. Neither of them thought much of the other until the day that Jadyn decided she was going to Olivet Nazarene University. She added Daniel on snapchat and he added her back almost immediately. Following a storm in Bourbonnnais, she took the chance to reach out to him. She asked him if he was okay, if he weathered the storm, and he said he had. What began then was the spark of something. Neither of them knew quite what, but they knew whatever this relationship was going to be, it was going to matter; they both felt it. First was friendship. Daniel reached out to help her prepare for campus life and set up for classes in the fall. What started as professional turned to real friendship, even just over text. They both felt a connection that they couldn't explain. Then when Jadyn finally came to Olivet for classes, they both realized. They both realized that they had feelings for each other. They had quickly grown feelings that they had never felt for anyone else before. They both fell hard and fast, but were afraid of move to the next step. They were friends, first and foremost. Friends who shared everything; shared their traumas, their insecurities, and their flaws. They built a relationship on integrity and openness. It wasn't long before they both said "I love you." Daniel said it one night over the phone when she had fallen asleep. Jadyn had said it to him in the dining hall but he didn't hear it. There wasn't much that they were afraid of sharing or talking about. They talked about expectations of the future; careers, children, and family. It was a fast realization that in their values and their desires in life, they were one for one. They both knew. They both knew that there was no one else they wanted. No one else made them feel so safe, so loved, and so seen. It was a love built on friendship and honesty. They couldn't ask for better.