Boy meets Girl… the fairytale.

Once upon a time, on the same date as this though many moons ago a boy and a girl went on a date with fate.

He was a fresh faced youngster just 2 months shy of 18 while she was no more than a girl, yet hardened and cynical for her mere 17 years.
The boy had admired her from afar for quite a time but the girl had no desire left in her practical heart for such foolhardy things as love.

She dreamed of travel, the pursuit of adventure and of leaving a trail of broken hearts in her wake.
The plan, so she imagined, was to graduate from her studies, acquire a working visa and run away to distant lands where nobody knew her name.
He merely hoped for an opportunity to meet the lovely young woman and see if the chance for love could thrive within them.

When they finally met it was in the corniest of settings, (a double date no less) and only after much goading from mutual friends of the time that the girl did relent and agree to meet the boy whom she had so vehemently denied for a full year.

What harm could it do, she wondered, to simply enjoy a date in the company of friends?
No one was asking her hand in marriage, she would allow them their pointless excursion, put the boy out of his misery, take advantage of a free meal and would make no apologies for her ruthless attitude towards him.
That, my friends, is precisely what she did.

She rattled on about plans to escape the dreary suburbs of her current home for the azure waters of Greece and the vastness of America.
She was blunt when he asked for her stance in relationships stating that if and when she chose to give herself over to someone she was neither into the games people her age played nor in having her heart played with. That she was steadfastly loyal and committed to those who deserved it, would trust wholeheartedly until proven otherwise and would by no means ever put up with lying.
Trust, she had discovered, was a foundation upon which all relationships in life were built and without it, she concluded, you were better off alone.

The boy listened intently, both resonating with her admirable morals yet sensing deep within that here stood a girl who had been wounded and would not be won over easily.

She ate and drank at his expense, she even flirted with another male at the bar and talked much about herself but the boy saw something special in her that night, he could see right through her nonchalant manner, locating the fragile light that flickered deep within.
He played all of his cards right, stayed cool in his demeanour but warm in his conversation, behaved chivalrously at all times and conducted himself with poise and devoted attentiveness.
This was something the girl had never experienced in a boy their age before and her mind began to question her hearts true motives.

When the night drew to it's inevitable close the boy stated his gratitude in having spent an enjoyable evening in the girls company and expressed his desire to see her again soon.
With a kiss upon her cheek and a slip of his number in her hand the boy departed into the night leaving the girl full of questions; her heart in a haze of intrigue yet her head adamant to not give up on her dreams for the guise of a seemingly good guy.

As the weeks passed by the girl found herself more and more within the boys company.
This isn't forever, she reminded herself, all good things must come to an end. And when they did she'd be ready. Thoughts of distant lands were never far from her mind.

After 4 months they had begun to fall in love.
Tentatively at first but with a growing passion that threatened to consume them.
Days and nights were spent in each others arms and on the eve of her 18th birthday they had decided to present their love to the girls family and traditional old world parents.

Where do you see this going? The girl often asked.
There's no knowing, we don't have a crystal ball, was the boys instant reply.
With this in mind, rather than creating expectations they made a mutual decision instead; So long as we're having fun, not hurting each other or ourselves lets see how far this love can go.

That oath was made 11 years ago around the time the two were married this very year and I'm pleased to announce while things may not always be fun and games in this grown up world we have entered, the good still outweighs the bad and we are, mostly, very much on each others side  :)

<images found here and oddly enough here>