Our friendship remained steadfast and grew stronger as time went by. In time, I too had found someone and fell in love. We continued to talk on the phone and maintain contact in each other's lives, but my feelings for him were forgotten. I even felt secure enough to tell him of my previous feelings and was stunned when he said that he had shared the same emotions. It was music to my ears, but too late. The melody had no meaning for me now. I had other ties and obligations; I was no longer unconnected. I had commitments to others as did he. The revelation strengthened our bond, but it too was forgotten.

Bits of life continued bringing us in and out of each other's lives. Our hearts never forgot what had transpired between us; feelings only slumbered. At each juncture we were powerless to take control of our situations. We were separated by distances too great to travel. We could not see beyond the immediate present. We were blind to the future and its promise. We were oblivious to the possibilities yet to come.

In the span of many years, we continued to grow close, sharing our intimate lives on the phone and through the mail. When we needed a friend, it was to the other that we turned. We reached out to one another for comfort, confession and love. We began to contemplate the possibility of a future with each together. It was a picture that appeared as clear to one of us as to the other. This request did not seem foreign; rather it seemed natural and destined. We felt the light shine bright, pulling us closer still.

In the winter of my twenty-fourth year, I ventured south for a visit. It was to be our first meeting after an absence of three long years. I was afraid that I would come to the realization that I had been imagining my feelings for these many years. I was concerned that the love that sprang easily on the phone, would fail me when at last we did meet.

He arrived and saw me standing in wait on the porch. I saw him move towards me. He was pulled to me as if by some magic thread pulling us together; drawing him near. And then I was in his arms, warm encircling arms holding me to him as if never to let go. I didn't feel the years of absence from him. It was as if no time had passed at all. I could not believe that there had been any time apart from him, only that my memories were too few to fill the time. Suddenly, I no longer questioned if all of our spoken words and conversations had been imagined.

I felt a resurgence of all the suppressed feelings in that single moment. I felt my heart reaching out and connecting to his. Once again, time stood still. I felt something even greater pulling me to him; a sense of knowing washed over me. I had the sensation that I was coming home after a long journey.

We spent a magical day together, enjoying the other's company and space. Later, as the end of the day drew near, I felt myself holding him to me tightly. I could not bear the thought of saying good-bye. It would be too painful. I would feel that I were losing a part of myself. I could feel the light draining from me. I was no longer whole. He suggested that we continue our visit into the night, but I wasn't so sure that my friend would consent to such a plan. Fortunately, my friend was distracted by his friend and it was mutually agreed that we would return to Boca (where he currently lived) together.

That night we decided that this was no longer a fantasy, rather, it was the very essence of reality. We had been speaking of our love and intended marriage for almost five years, but in all that time, we had never had the chance to be together for longer than a week. Now in a day, we had realized that we both wanted to take that chance and truly explore the power between us. We were certain that this relationship would work and result in a most beautiful union. We shared a dazzling love. Now we were both willing to leave their current lives and move to be with their loved one. There was no person who could even touch me half as much as he did. With him, I finally became whole, one of a precious pair.

All of our lives we had talked about what could be; it was now time to stop talking and start doing. Nothing else had ever felt so right or made as much sense. We were no longer willing to be apart. He wanted me in his life as much as I wanted him in mine. We knew that this was meant to be for so many reasons. We were now ready to make the necessary commitments to give our hearts fully to each other. Our love would bond us forever. We vowed to give this relationship the chance it deserved. We were willing to give it all the patience and energy that was required. In their hearts, we knew that we would never be alone again. We had found our partner for life in each other. We would forsake all others. For us, all that mattered was each other, never again would our love be forgotten.

His First Impression...
It was hard for me not to notice Tracy. She was one of only two females in our architecture class. I noticed her beauty immediately, but ignored the effect she had on me because I had a girlfriend. Tracy acted very friendly towards me and I was naïve to her true feelings. My mind was too focused on Jen. As Tracy and I came to be close friends, I did secretly covet her, but remained faithful to my commitments. It wasn't until a year later that the truth came to be known, and when it was, I fell for her forever.

Her First Impression...
When I first met Jared, I was really attracted to him. He was very good looking and seemed really cool. I was so impressed with his architecture skills since he was much more advanced than I was. I was so upset that he had a girlfriend. I hoped that they'd breakup, but eventually, Jen and I became good friends. I used to joke to my friends that I was going to invite him over during winter break and seduce him. My plan was to get him to my house to work on our projects, pretend that there was a black-out so that we would have to use candles. With this ambiance created, I was sure that he would be seduced by my charms and forget all about Jen. I never had the nerve to invite him over, so my plan was never re-created. (Actually, it was. Sort of. See the proposal.)