This Is Us

When I was younger, I really wanted that “once upon a time,” “happily ever after” relationship. I wanted a “prince charming” to sweep me off my feet and love me unconditionally. I wanted a man who would be patient and kind, just like the Bible says.

And I got just that.

I mean I didn’t find him automatically. I obviously met plenty of “frogs” prior to meeting Aaron. But I learned a lot about myself through those experiences.

Aaron and I met on a cold January night—January 24, 2014 to be exact. I was going to a diner with my friends after a night of clubbing. Aaron was coming out of a bar and that’s when we crossed paths. He was wearing white, that’s what I remembered. I stoped to talk to him and asked if he had an Instagram—by the way, when I went into college I only gave guys my Instagram because if I gave them my number, I would be obligated to talk to them. Anyways, we exchanged social media names and from there we just kept in touch. Some nights we would meet up and sit in his '95 Honda Accord just so we could talk for hours. I never asked him to come up to my room or anything, and he never made any moves either. We really allowed ourselves to become friends. He took me on my first dinner date to Bravo, a very busy Italian restaurant in Greensboro. By the way, we both really love Italian food. I had penne pasta and he had spaghetti. We walked downtown a couple of times and took tons of photos. I even invited him to an art show for my organization. He was the only guy I ever brought around my friends, at that point I thought we were "exclusive." He also took me to watch the stars one night. I was in complete awe. I didn’t think that guys like him existed.

I know everything I said seems like perfection, but there were some flaws throughout the beginning of our relationship. Aaron and I maintained our friendship throughout my second semester of freshman year and that summer. The only thing that kept us from furthering our relationship was his indecisiveness. Aaron was in this on again off again relationship when I met him. Just to be clear, I never crossed the line, I never tried to make move. I was my true self around him and I guess that is what brought us back together every single time we parted ways.

It took Aaron and I a while to get where we are now. But third times a charm, right? We have had a few bumps in the road and our relationship is far from perfect. Some of the problems in our relationship were due to my insecurity and others were because of Aaron’s uncertainty. But it took a lot of communication and compromising to fix our relationship. He is the most patient man I have ever met, especially through my most emotional moments. He has been so supportive of my craft, helping me become a better artist, and he has helped me grow as an individual.

My biggest goal is to show our son, Alexander, what love really is. How a man is supposed to love, respect, and support a woman. Genuine love. I don't want to force it, and luckily, we don't have to. Our relationship is still constantly growing everyday—just as fast as we are. And I wouldn't have it any other way.