“I truly love you too.” Sophia said honestly as she looked into my eyes.
I’ve never felt my heart beat faster than it currently was at this moment. I loved this perfect little girl with all my heart, but I worried every day if she felt as strongly for me as I do for her. Being a sophomore guy I never realized that such feelings existed, love is a whole new world for me. Sophia’s had other boyfriends before me, she’s had experience and has had time to figure out these feelings... I haven’t. Sophia’s my first girlfriend, and if things went my way in the future, my only girlfriend. I just wish there was a way to see into her mind and figure out if she felt the same way.
“Brayden, do you know what I was thinking about earlier?”
On our way home we had stopped by a nearby park and started to swing as we held hands. Sophia’s blonde hair flew out behind her every time she descended and it made her look even more beautiful.
I pondered her question a while before I responded, “About… what outfit you’re going to wear tomorrow? I don’t know what girls talk about!”
“No silly!” She said smiling, but then more seriously added, “I was thinking about us, about last year.”
“Sophia…” I started.
She interrupted me midsentence. ”Don’t Brayden, I understand I promise, it’s not you’re fault.”
Beginning of freshmen year we had bonded instantly and started going out, it was wonderful really but whenever I saw her I would get all weird inside and it scared me. We had been going out for 3 months when one night she told me she loves me over the phone. Not knowing what on earth to do I awkwardly said bye then hung up the phone. I had these crazy feelings about her but I didn’t know if I loved her, and that thought scared me to death. The next day I had to make the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, I needed to break up with Sophia. I needed to clear my mind and see if these feelings were real or some weird medical disease. I felt absolutely awful about breaking up with her, which is why I asked my friends too, I just couldn’t bear to see her get hurt, especially by me. I should’ve done it myself, I should’ve talked to her after that, I should’ve been there for her… but I wasn’t. I was stupid and immature back then, I made decisions I still regret today.
I didn’t talk to her for months, I thought for sure she hated me for what I had done to her. I deserved her ignorance though, it was my way to punish myself. Finally one day months later we were placed on the same bus for a field trip, a god send really. I was to nervous to utter but a couple words to her, but what I didn’t know was that my friend had put my number into her phone without my knowing. That night she texted me and slowly over the next few months we began to reconnect. It was slow and painful at first, I knew she didn’t like me anymore, I mean who would after that? So I stayed closed off and tried to be as good as a friend as I could be. One night we were talking and she said that she still had feelings for me, I mean wow, was she being serious? I thought it might be too good to be true, and to be honest I was caught of guard. I replied with something short and to the point, and then she asked me if I liked her too. I just simply said yes, it wasn’t a pour my heart out answer, but it was definitely most certainly the truth.
After that I decided to ask her to the Homecoming Dance and to my surprise she said yes, still I was skeptical that she was actually forgiving me and moving on. We started going out very soon after she said yes because we figured that it would be better if we went as a couple, to me it was so much more than that. Our relationship steadily got better, we started hanging out every weekend, she came to all my football games, I came to all of her dance performances. It was perfect really.
I thank God for Sophia every day, it’s almost to good to be true. Sophia is the type of girl who could get any guy she wants, she beautiful, she’s smart, she’s well liked, and she’s even on the Varsity Dance Team and on her way to becoming captain. Out of all the guys in the school I still don’t understand why she choose me, but I’m incredibly grateful she did. Sophia means the world to me, I just want to protect her from everything bad, I hate it when she thinks she's not good enough in this way or that, because in my mind, she's absolutely perfect. What I love most about her is her personality and her determination. I would say she's popular, a lot of people like her, but she doesn’t let what anyone thinks of her affect who she is. Sophia is the most real and genuine girl I know, and those are very admirable traits.
“What are you thinking about Brayden?” Sophia said pulling me out of my thoughts.
I pulled Sophia gently into my arms, entwining our swings.
“I was thinking about how I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have you.”
Sophia snuggled in closer, closed her eyes, and through the dim light of the sun setting I could see a smile forming on her smooth lips.
