All For Love

Love is...Real

It's 10:32 p.m. and I am sitting in a bathtub filled with ice cubes, naked and alone. I have been crying for hours. It's not because of the breakup or my failed relationship. The reason I am here, sitting in this tub, is because of something much more important: a life decision.

I don't know where to begin, so let me start by telling you about the night I met Mandy. It was the first day of school at UCLA. I had just finished my first class when she came up to me. She looked like someone who would be friends with everyone. Her hair was long and straight, and her eyes were brown. Her smile was wide and bright, but there was something different about her. She wasn't just pretty; she was beautiful.

"Hi!" she said as she approached me, "I'm Mandy. What's your name?"

"Gaz," I replied shyly. "Nice to meet you."

"Are you new here too?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered, "I'm a freshman."

"Me too!" she exclaimed excitedly, "I can't believe we both go here."

We talked for a while longer before deciding to sit down together on the grass outside our dorm building. We spent most of the afternoon talking about ourselves and getting to know each other better. At some point during the conversation, I realized that she was actually interested in me.

"Do you want to get coffee sometime?" she asked after we'd been talking for a while.

"Sure!" I responded without hesitation.

The next day, we went out for lunch and then got coffee afterwards. Afterwards, we decided to walk around campus together until dinner time. When dinner came around, we sat down at one of the tables near the entrance of the cafeteria. We started eating our meals when suddenly, from across the table, Mandy leaned over and kissed me on the lips. My heart skipped a beat.After dinner, we walked back towards the dorm buildings where we lived. As soon as we entered our room, Mandy turned off all the lights and pulled me close to her. Then, she whispered into my ear: "Gaz...I love you."

I didn't know what to say. I was speechless. All I could do was stare blankly into her eyes while thinking about everything that happened between us earlier that day. Eventually, though, I found myself saying, "Mandy...I love you too."

And then, just like that, we kissed again. This time, it felt even more amazing than before.

* * *

Now, twenty minutes later, I found myself sitting here in this tub filled with ice cubes. My hands were cold and numb from touching the icy water. I was shivering uncontrollably, but I refused to leave. Not yet. There's still something left unsaid between us. Something very important. Something that needs to be done right now. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. Then, slowly, I opened them again and stared directly ahead.

"Gaz...are you okay?" asked my older brother Dib. He stood next to me in the bathroom, watching me intently. His eyes were filled with concern.

"No," I answered honestly, "not really."

"Why?" he pressed.

"Because..." I paused, trying desperately to find the right words. Finally, I spoke again. "Because tonight was supposed to be a date. But, y'know. This guy named Piff took her interest away. And...he did it again. Just like last night."

"What does that mean?" asked Dib curiously.

"It means," I explained, "that Mandy has been seeing another person behind my back. A guy named Piff. And last night, they were going to meet up. And then today, they went out again."