Connection

You call it madness, but I call it love (Perrie)

When I was five my family's life changed, mom and dad sat ten-year-old Jonnie and five-year-old me for a conversation. What we didn't know was what a different future for us this conversation would bring.

"We're going to move to Italy" my dad said.

"What? What about my friends, school?" Jonnie asked, I just stayed observing.

"You'll make friends, pet, don't worry. This is a big opportunity not only for me but all of us, we'll have a better life, and we'll be able to give you and your sister, all the things you always wanted but couldn't have." my mother said while stroking his hair.

Jonnie wasn't happy at first with the change, but as all of us, he ended up loving Italy. We ended up moving to Novara, which is a small province in Italy. Mom and dad work in Milan, which is thirty minutes away. I used to live in Milan as well when I went to university, but I came back to Novara to stay closer to my family.

I have a tight-knit group of friends that I've had since childhood, and we are always there for each other. My career has been going well, my family is close, but I still felt something missing in my life - the companionship of a romantic partner. It had been a year since I broke up with my last girlfriend, I didn't miss her but, yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing out on something.

When I started talking to Jade, I was so worried that it would be a one time thing, and we would never speak again. In just hours of speaking to her, I felt such a strong connection, I was so happy that we had the same interests, hobbies, sense of humour. We seemed to be like the perfect match.

When we started talking on Instagram I got a little worried that she would change her mind, when I saw her pictures the first thought in my head was like "Oh my god, she's hot". Luckily, the more we got to know each other, the better it got. It may seem crazy to anyone else, but I had a feeling she was the woman of my life.

As much as I wanted to meet her in person, there was a part of me that was scared. What if we didn't have the same connection in real life? Despite my fears, I knew I had to take the plunge. I had to meet her, to see if what we had was real. My longing for her was greater than my fears, and also deep down I knew that there was no way that we would feel any less for each other when we met in person.

We continued talking non-stop, day and night, we stayed on video call for hours upon hours until I had to sleep because of our different time zones. The first time we called, I was so nervous, I didn't want to mess anything up. I wanted to make a good first impression, but I quickly realized that the best thing about talking to her was that I could be myself. She was the first thing on my mind when I woke up and the last thing on my mind when I went to sleep. I was completely infatuated with her. Our connection was undeniable, and it felt like we had known each other for years.

I told my friends all about her, I introduced Jade to all my friends through video call, and they all liked her. My best friend Claudia suggested, I asked Jade if she wanted to try having a long distance relationship. If it was anyone else, I would never phantom this idea, but Jade was not everyone else.

One night, as we were talking, I couldn't help but feel a burning desire for her. I wanted her in ways that I had never wanted anyone before. The way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she twisted her hair between her fingers, her sexy voice, it was all driving me crazy. I knew I had to tell her how I felt, but I was scared. What if she didn't feel the same way? We had flirted and even sexted before, but I didn't know if it meant to her as much as it meant to me.

Finally, after what felt like hours of nervous stuttering and stumbling over my words, I mustered up the courage to tell her how I felt. "I know this may sound crazy," I began, "but I need to ask you something.

"OK babe, you can ask me anything" she said.

"Do you think we should try? Like see if this leads to something, like if we should start a long distance relationship" she paused for a second before replying.

"I do, I think we can make it work. I talk to you more than I have talked to anyone else in my whole life, even the ones who live close to me" she said with a chuckle. " I think we can do it, I want to do it. What about you?" she said.

"I'm so happy to hear that, I was so nervous you would say no. I feel the same, I think we can do it". I replied, smiling happily.

"OK, so now you are officially promoted from my Italian friend to my Italian girlfriend." she joked. Since I grew up in Italy, I had a strong Italian accent that I disliked, however Jade found it to be the cutest thing in the world. She also liked sending me dreadful Italian recipes just to pull on my heart strings, she thought my reaction to them was the funniest thing.

This happened right before Valentine's Day in Brazil, and it was a day that I would fully commit to my memory because it was really special to me.

"It's Valentine's Day, and you're not here" Jade whined. We were apart, and both of us knew how much it hurt. I wished I could be physically with her, celebrating the day in person, but, for now, we had to make do with our virtual rendezvous.

"I know babe, I wish I was. Happy Valentine's Day babe" I said with a big smile."

"Happy Valentine's Day, baby"

"The cool thing is that when you will come here we will celebrate Valentine's Day twice per year" I said excitedly.

"Yes, also we started dating basically on Valentine's Day which is cute" she replied.

We both smiled at the thought. Then, out of the blue, I suggested something that made her jump in excitement: "Babe, I was thinking about looking into flights, so I can go to Brazil."

"Yes! Oh my god. When?" she asked, practically vibrating with anticipation.

"I don't know, when will you be free?"

"Well, next year I will have graduated already, so it's only work, in February there is Carnaval and since it's holiday I won't work for a couple of days"

"I'm sad I won't be there for this special day, but I'll be there with my heart. Send me the dates for Carnaval, and I'll see if I can get a flight".

" Awn, babe, thank you so much. You're so cute, I'll send you lots of pics from my graduation".

"Yes please, I don't want to miss it"

"I'll ask Karl to record it"

"How do you think he will react? Like about us".

"He'll be cool with it. He will like you for sure when he meets you because we are basically the same person, and he loves me" she joked and I laughed.

"I will be so anxious honestly"

"You don't have to be babe, he's really cool and nice. And I will be there to calm your nerves the whole time".

I took a deep breath and nodded, trusting her judgement. "Okay, I'll trust you on this," I said with a small smile.

Jade's eyes lit up. "You won't regret it, I promise!"