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They say every great couple has a great story. While this is undoubtedly true, it’s rare that the story plays out as though it were written for Hollywood. A tale of high school sweethearts, long lost loves, best friends who became something more or just simply soulmates. But what if I told you I had one that wrapped each of those storylines together, yet still landed on forever? What are the odds that two people would find themselves living out these stories simultaneously with each other? Firstly, let me tell you this is a very abridged version, the full length story could be a novel. With that said, let’s start at the beginning. I first met Karlea in the fall of 2005. Stepping through the doors of the fire and rescue cadet program was a defining moment for me. It was the beginning of what would end up being my career for a portion of my life. However, something more important was waiting behind those doors. Sitting near the back, giggling with her friends, sat an angel with emerald eyes. Eyes that then, and to this day stop me in my tracks. Looking back now, that’s the moment I fell in love. That year would be a whirlwind. We became friends, then became inseparable. We partied, we danced, we sang, we swam, we drank…..a lot, and eventually, we kissed. We became ride or dies before it was a thing. We spent every weekend together, every free night, every free day, every minute we could find, we were together. This is also about the time she almost got me shot…but you’ll need to ask for that story. And then, as fast as it all had begun, it ended. We drifted, as kids do. Nothing more than a flash in the pan as most would see it. But me, I was in love. Love so deep, so undeniable, so intrinsic, that I wouldn’t feel it again until my first son was born. From there, our main characters went their separate ways. Karlea graduated, I did a year later. She went onto a career in the 911 center, and I became a firefighter/medic. I got married a few years out of high school to the eventual mother of our son Wyatt while Karlea was engaged and building a life of her own. Through all of this though, I was still in love. It was hidden, buried deep in the far corners of my mind where I was certain it was destined to live for the rest of my days. Then, as life has a tendency of doing, everything changed. Wyatt was born in August of 2016, his mother left in December. The life I had known for nearly a decade was over. I liken it to taking the video game out, blowing out the dust and hitting the reset button. Luckily, fate wasn’t done with me yet. Time went on and I adapted to my new single life, probably a little too well at times. I spent time with my son, rediscovered who I was, and discovered who some other people were…yes, that’s an innuendo. But suddenly, a familiar name showed back up, Karlea Ann. I will tell you, I’ve never had a wingman as good as my toddler aged son. We met up one temperate night, sat on her patio and drank until our feelings were falling out of our mouths. We laughed a lot, cried just as much and bared our souls. I confessed my love for her, to which she replied “I know”. She admitted she thought of me often, missed me more often than that and then said something that echoed in my head for months-”The day I heard you got married was the worst day of my life”. At that moment, I knew I had a chance. Luckily for her, I never gave up hope. It would take nearly 2 more years to finally convince her to follow her heart. You see, Karlea can often be found letting reason stand in her way, but all she needed was for someone to show her what life was supposed to be like. So that’s what I did. As often as I could I would show her something she had never seen before; true, unconditional love. And finally, after a decade and a half, the walls finally came down. Finally, she stopped running and let me love her the way she deserved to be loved. If you ask her, she’d tell you I am obsessed. If you ask me, I’d tell you she’s right.