"I wasted so much time on people that reminded me of you."
~
Lydia Martin hadn't meant to fall in love with Stiles Stilinski.
When Lydia first entered high school she dreamed of having the perfect boyfriend. During this time her idea of the perfect boyfriend was someone who was good-looking, athletic and popular. Which is how she wound up dating Jackson. He fit the criteria perfectly, with his blue eyes and blonde hair and being the captain of the lacrosse team which put him high up on the social ladder. Together they were the picture-perfect couple. But, he only seemed to care about having sex with her and he constantly verbally abused her. He didn't make Lydia feel all warm and fuzzy inside whenever she was with him. He didn't make her feel special or loved. He didn't make her feel the way she thought she was supposed to feel when she was with her boyfriend. It was obvious that Jackson didn't love her and she began to wonder if she really loved him or if she just loved the idea of a relationship with him. Then, Jackson turned into the Kanima, broke up with her and moved to London, so that relationship was over.
This is when she met Aiden. He was the new guy in town and had this mysteriousness and bad boy vibe in him that intrigued Lydia. Not to mention that he wasn't unattractive either. Considering Lydia was still slightly hung up on Jackson, it was no surprise that she began to fall for Aiden. Their relationship was entirely physical and Lydia didn't mind that too much. She just needed someone to take her mind off of everything. But then Lydia discovered that he was a part of the Alpha Pack who had been terrorizing her friends and once again Lydia couldn't help but think that this wasn't the kind of relationship she wanted to be in or the kind of person she wanted to be with either. Aiden had been a part of Boyd and Erica's deaths and Lydia began to see that he was a bad guy. After helping to save someone's life, Lydia knew she didn't want to be with a bad guy anymore. She still tried to make her relationship with Aiden work since he had saved her life and started to fight with Scott's pack. But of course, Aiden had to die. This left Lydia heartbroken even though their relationship wasn't good for her in the first place. So, that relationship had ended as well.
After Allison and Aiden died, Lydia found comfort in Stiles. He understood how it felt to lose someone you cared for deeply and he was constantly there for her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk to. Lydia found herself enjoying his company and she began to spend more time him, often studying in the library together or watching a movie in Stiles' room. Stiles became someone she cared for deeply and he was no longer just the slightly dorky and sarcastic boy who had loved her since the third grade. She felt happy whenever she was around him and knew he would always protect her no matter what so she tried to protect him as well.
Around this time Lydia began to change for the better and so did her criteria of the perfect boyfriend. She no longer cared about looks or popularity. Instead, she wanted to be with one of the good guys. Her boyfriend needed to be someone who made her feel happy and loved, someone who cared about her. He also needed to be someone she enjoyed spending time with and could have endless conversations with. This was also when she discovered that Stiles matched the criteria perfectly. Plus he was pretty cute with his messy chestnut brown hair and the moles scattered around his face and his beautiful golden-brown eyes that could make her melt. He was everything she wanted in a boyfriend and more. She soon realized that she had been falling in love with him the whole time. Lydia began to notice all of Stiles' cute little quirks, like how he pursed his lips the same way she did while he was thinking or how he'd scratch the back of his neck whenever he was nervous, she loved every single one of them. She loved how he could make her laugh until her stomach hurt and how he made her feel warm and happy inside whenever she spent time with him. She especially loved how his hazel eyes shone brightly whenever they met hers. She would smile whenever she thought about him and her heart would begin to beat faster whenever he was brought up in a conversation.
Lydia finally knew what it was like to truly be in love with someone. She knew she was completely in love with Stiles Stilinski and hoped that maybe he was still in love with her too. So when he smiled at her as they stood with the rest of the pack discussing weekend plans, she couldn't help but smile back. Lydia hadn't meant to fall in love with him but then again, you don't choose who you fall in love with.
