Remember When

[3]

pet names

You used to give me so many nicknames and pet names. You viewed them almost like an experiment about which would get you what reaction from me. You could call me almost anything, but only a few of them actually stuck.

You called me 'babe' for the first time when we weren't even dating. I remember blushing for at least an hour as you continuously, awkwardly apologized for it. The good thing was that we were going to the movies so we weren't left to try to talk to each other, and you couldn't see me blushing bright red.

'Babe' kind of become the norm before we started dating, almost to the point where our friends stopped asking if we were dating and just assumed that we were. It didn't take much longer for us to start dating, though, so the timing worked out fairly good, I suppose. It was the first pet name you ever gave me, and the only one I ever gave you. I was always more awkward when it came to giving you nicknames that I always just stuck to 'babe', while you thought up the best you could.

You went through a phase where you called me 'love' whenever you had the chance. I don't really know where it came from, but you loved to say it, and honestly, I loved hearing it. It didn't last for very long before you stopped and moved on from there. 'Love' was actually the first one your parents heard and I can still see your mom rolling her eyes in the most exaggerated way.

'Darling' was also a personal favorite of yours. You used that whenever I was sad or in a bad mood. For some reason it always made me smile more than other names you called me. 'Darling' just seemed like such a softer name. You also used it ironically sometimes, which I supported one hundred-percent. If there was any thing I loved more than you, it was irony.

Sometimes your names somehow got you in trouble with me, if I was in a bad enough mood. I started a fight once about how you refused to marry me after saying that I was your perfect other half. The argument between us getting married or not was an age old argument that I hated and so did you. To me, if I was truly your other half, you should want to marry me. I know that's not how it worked, but I thought about it a lot. Probably way too much.

If I had to pick a favorite, though, it would be the rare occasion of 'my everything'. It came up a lot whenever you got extremely thoughtful or a little drunk. You could ramble on and on about how important I was to you and that you would be nothing without me. I did hate when you said that because to me it was the complete opposite. I couldn't do anything without you. I wish that at some point I had told you that you were my everything.

"You're everything to me. Absolutely everything, you know that right?" You used to ask and I would have to nod my head because you would usually argue if I answered 'no'. You constantly wanted to make sure that I knew just how much I meant to you. I knew and I still know. I'll never forget how much love you had for me, even during my annoying agitated states.

One time after I had the absolute worst day and my self-esteem was at an all-time low, I was sobbing in the bedroom before you got home, but as soon as you entered, you found me and held me for what seemed like forever. When I had calmed down enough for you to talk to me, you complimented me about absolutely anything you could. You whispered to me that I was your entire world and how much you loved me. You slowly led it in to tell me jokes and make me smile, and that's when I realized that even though I might've been your world, you were definitely my sunshine.