Two Broken Halves Make One Whole #ModernLoveContest

Two Broken Halves Make One Whole

Jenna wasn't a bad person, although she wasn't an angel, either. She knew that. She didn't mind lying to get what she wanted, flirting around with more than one boy at at time. Always searching for something, she wasn't sure what, but it was just out of her reach. Take Teddy, they had been on and off again, for four years. Deep down, she knew she didn't love Teddy like he did her, that he was to good for her. She had broken his heart several times, yet he kept coming back for more. And she let him, because although she didn't love him, she didn't want to be alone. Selfish, Jenna thought to herself. Shrugging, she pushed it out of her mind. She was good at  that. A defense mechanism resulting from the abuse she endured in her childhood, she was sure.

Focusing on current surroundings, she tried to tuned into what her friend, Amber and her boyfriend, Jarod were saying. Just then, she saw Jared's "adopted" brother Rod striding up the sidewalk. His walk was purposeful, confident. His tan skin and dark hair set off his brilliant blue eyes. Jenna felt her heart jump in response to him. Ridiculous, she mused to herself. Rods eyes met hers and a look she didn't understand flashed over his face. Smiling, acknowledging her, he joined the conversation. After a while, Amber and Jared slipped off, leaving Rod and her alone. They began talking and before they knew it, it was dark. Hours had gone by. Rod offered to bring her home and they sat in his car talking for hours again.

Even though this was their first time to have a conversation, it was a deep one. They each shared things they hadn't told anyone else, Jenna about her childhood and Rod about how he came to live with Jared's family. The connection between them was instant, like two broken parts of a whole. They made plans for the next day. When Jenna went in, she called Teddy and broke things off for good. She couldn't explain it, but she knew she had met the one who she was meant to be with. It sounded stupid. Who believes in love at first sight? This isn't a movie, her mind mocked her.

The next day, Rod picked her up. They went to the store, goofing around, having the best time just being with each other. On their third day of hanging out, when Rod gently kissed her before dropping her off, Jenna knew for certain that what she felt when she laid eyes on him was true. This was what she had been searching for and hadn't yet found.

Two decades later.

Jenna sighed, reaching over across the king size bed to her husband of 20 years. When he turns to her and kisses her softly, her heart melts. She feels exactly the same as she did all that time ago. Love at first sight. Two broken halves, made whole.