The Perfect Guy: A Modern Day Love Story

Twelve years ago, I met a boy in homeroom.

I don’t remember a lot from freshman year, but I do remember being extremely anxious and self conscious that first day. And I remember seeing him. Long skater boy hair with cheesy blond highlights. Tall. Quirky, but cute. Really cute. He was the perfect guy. *cue heart eyes emoji*

That was August 2007. By September, I was crazy about him.

Of course, as a teenage girl I was boy crazy about pretty much any cute guy I met. But this guy was different, and I could tell even back then that there was something special about him. He was so goofy, constantly making me laugh and smile at stupid jokes that only high school kids would find funny. He was also so sweet, truly the kindest soul I had ever met. I connected with him on so many levels. Literally, the perfect guy in my eyes.

He read my poetry; all the pieces of my soul that I poured into my private journals were exposed to him willingly. And he wrote gentle, encouraging words in response to the difficult times I endured. He was the first person I called when my grandmother died that September, and he was always there to help me deal with my depression.

I looked forward to homeroom – which we only went to once every few weeks – and I mostly got to know him as we ran into each other in the halls between classes and hung out near our lockers.

We were close freshman year.

But as we both got wrapped up in new relationships and different class schedules, we spoke a lot less sophomore year. Junior year I switched homerooms and we almost never saw one another. Then senior year came, and we were in homeroom together once again. Thank god for that, because senior year was the hardest yet and he became my rock.

Early senior year – fall 2010 – I lost a close friend to a car accident a few days after the passing of my grandfather.

Saying senior year was rough is a massive understatement. But I found comfort in the early morning walks around the building sharing headphones with Sebastian as he introduced me to new music. We became inseparable; he was the reason I made it through the year despite my depression and anxiety disorder.

When I went off to Virginia for college, things ended on a sour note.

We cut off all communication fairly abruptly about a month before our one year anniversary, and didn’t speak again except to exchange belongings a few weeks later. And then? Silence for nearly eight years.

That silence turned out to be exactly what we both needed to grow.

We have both been through many trying times since freshman year when we met in homeroom; most of the struggles we encountered while apart those eight years.

It’s funny how people talk about Facebook bringing up ads for things they’ve thought about but never spoken aloud… because that’s exactly what caused us to reconnect earlier this year.

Despite not speaking for so many years, I would *occasionally* Facebook stalk Sebastian. By that I mean maybe once a year I’d search his name and see how he’s doing, who he’s dating, if he seems happy. And he did seem happy for a while. I readded him at one point only to end up removing him months later because it still hurt to see him with someone else.

But this time was different.

Though I had thought about him a few times, I did not search his name. Instead, he popped up on my suggested friends. I investigated a little and saw he was single. It was like Zuckerberg knew, I swear. Something inside me stirred – those feelings I had been in denial about for the better part of a decade were rising again – and I sent a friend request. And then I went to bed with my heart racing, trying not to give myself false hope.

And, well, you know what happened next!

He accepted my request, I sent a message, and a month later we got engaged. Sounds so fast, but when you know, you know. And a part of me knew freshman year that that 15-year-old skater boy was something special. 😉

I am incredibly lucky to spend the rest of my life with that same boy. He has grown into the best man I could ever hope for; he truly is the perfect guy for me. It’s been twelve years since we met and we may have spent eight of those years apart, but that spark never left. And I have the comfort now of knowing I never have to face another challenge alone because I have him by my side unconditionally as my life partner.

I’m sharing this story today because today is a special day: Sebastian’s birthday. Happy birthday to my soon-to-be husband. You may not be perfect, but you’re the perfect guy for me. Life truly wouldn’t be the same without you. I love you always.