4,600 Miles to None

If someone came up to me two years ago and said to me that the boy I would fall in love with would live 4,600 miles away from me, I would laugh and say that would never happen. See my past relationships were quite rocky as I was cheated on by all the boyfriends I’ve ever had. So just after March 2016 I was starting fresh, I spent more time with my family and myself to create a thick layer of love and passion for everything around me. I was starting to enjoy myself and who I was becoming. I was excelling in school and spending time with the right people.

On a late night in May I noticed in “the people you may know” tab on Facebook there was a boy sitting on a sunset colored orange bike. When I clicked on his profile, I was shocked to see he was from England. I was interested in how he knew a friend of mine that was an exchange student in my Sophmore year. Me being the wanderlust fanatic, I was so interested in learning about the contracts between the two countries we lived in and took much interest in his accent. After several months of video chatting we became best friends and had plenty of moments where we laughed so hard we could barely breathe.

When I started to notice my feelings developing I was scared at first, asking myself thousands of questions and keeping myself up at night at the possibilities that I could get hurt yet again. Then one morning while video chatting he started to get ready for bed after a long day at work. When I blurted out a joke he laughed and said “I love you”. My heart stopped and then raced when I noticed I wasn’t speaking and didn’t say anything back. I asked him how he felt about me, I noticed he became shy but brought up the courage to say he liked me but didn’t want to put me in a situation that could take a lot of work and trust. All I said was “I trust you” and that’s how our relationship started.

Fast forward three months and Corey and I really would like to meet. The only difficulty was Corey worked and I was attending school. Luckily we both had a couple weeks off in December so we planned to meet at the Sea-Tac Airport on December 26th. Counting down the days became real the day Corey bought the ticket on September 14th. As the days and weeks dragged on the stronger our relationship got. The conversation never got quiet and there was always laughter about. Although our relationship was solid there was always criticism. My family and friends didn’t want to see me hurt again. When December 26th came and I caught his eyes while he was coming up the escalator, his bright smile melted my heart and I never wanted to let that sight go.

He spent two weeks exploring where I lived, what I ate, and introducing himself to anyone and everyone in my life which won the hearts of them all. We were finally able to eat together, wake up to each other, look into each other’s eyes, hold hands, kiss, and do all the things that couples take for granted. We cherished every second and when the time came to depart back home, the tears flooded but with a hug that lasted a lifetime kept my heart snug knowing that we would see each other again.

My birthday was coming up in March and not only was I celebrating my 18th, I was celebrating a year of loving myself and who I had become. Corey and I planned to see each other again during Spring break which did mean he would miss my birthday but he would be there the Saturday after. On the day of my birthday, I completed a school day with a bang and was super excited to get ready to see all my family at my favorite restaraunt -The Cheesecake Factory. I dolled myself up with my younger sister and was excited to see my grandparents, my older sister and her boyfriend when we arrived. Of course the wait for our table was an hour but the building is so beautiful I could look at for several more hours. We were looking at menus and waiting for my aunt. Everyone started getting weird and blocking my view to see my aunt and then I saw my cousin which made me so excited because at first she wasn’t able to come and she then said “I brought you something”. She looked behind her shoulder my eyes fixated on only one thing. Corey. My cheeks started to hurt at my big smile and my body became weak as my heart was fluttering. He came up to me, handed me a card and said, “you didn’t think I’d miss your birthday, did you?”. The rest of the night was pure bliss, my family was gathered and I had someone so special sitting next to me.

The week with him was short but a week that was full of laughter, dates, and just being in each other’s presence. A week that was and will be forever cherished. Again when it was time to go, we hugged and high-fived knowing confidently that we would see each other again and it would be just as lovely as both times we’ve been together. I watched all the way till I couldn’t see him, every last look was precious.

Fast forward to his 21st birthday, our one year anniversary, and my graduation. So many things we hated to be apart for but knew it would be worth it. After graduation I took up two jobs and saved-saved-saved. I knew it was my turn. Corey did so much to see me and this was my chance to go out and explore the country that I’ve wanted to see since I was a little girl. On July 1st, my wonderful parents helped me pay for my ticket and the countdown was set for me to leave August 18th. Now I did my research and knew I could stay in the country for up to six months so I decided not to buy a return ticket for now and just spend time with Corey and see how I like it. Working made the countdown go by so much faster and the day of my flight, I was so excited. My parents and both sisters came with me to the airport to say goodbye. Flying by myself for the first time was nerve wreaking but the guy next to me was so nice and introduced me to his wife and kids. Landing in England was hard to grasp but I was excited to see Corey. And when I did, I was so happy. There he was with open arms and asking me if I was alright. I couldn’t believe it, I was in a different country, I was with my love, and I was about to go home and experience his lifestyle.

Fast forward three months and here I am. Sitting in his room as if I’ve been here for years. His family is so lovely and have brought me in as one of their own. I’ve experienced and learned about all the differences including currency, food, housing, drinking, architecture, and so much more. This has been the best thing I’ve ever done and I’ve been by Corey’s side through it all. We can finally do the normal things that couples do without a time frame or distance between us.

Now we are setting up Corey’s plan to move to the US with me and start our lives. We know it’ll take some time, money, and effort but we are ready to do so. We are stronger together and can accomplish our goals and dreams with the help of one another. Long distance has its hardships and critics but if you just focus on the each other and understand that patience and trust is the key to keeping it all together, it’ll become a huge success. It was 4,600 miles down to none.