782 Miles of Love: Chicago Trip-Danielle

The weekend started off awful for me to be honest. The journey to Chicago wasn’t very pleasant at all. By the time I got to Chicago, I was running on little sleep, no food, and zero patience. I walked outside and those freezing cold temperatures hit me and I almost cried, but obviously I saved that for later. The entire morning was spent making wrong turns and getting even more lost than before. I think once I got into my hotel room and actually sat down, it all came flooding over me. I wanted to shower, but I didn’t want to move an inch. I wanted to sleep, but I felt like throwing up. So I called my mom and cried my eyes out like a baby. I even went as far to say that I wanted to come back home. I was so overwhelmed, I had never been alone in a big city like Chicago and it was terrifying to me. Despite all of that, the moment I saw you walk towards me at OTC was worth every moment of stress I went through. You looked around the food court and the second you saw me, your face lit up. I could replay that scene in my head a million times. Every doubt, fear, or pain I felt was completely gone in that moment. All I felt was that raw sense of happiness and love that only you bring to me. I wish I could describe the way you make me feel and put it into words. I wish I could bottle up all the emotions I have for you and splash it onto this paper. I was physically next to the guy I see on Skype every night and that is something I can’t describe. Every moment I spent with you that weekend was magical. It was flawless. It didn’t matter that we changed up the plan because I was next to you and that was all that mattered. Lying next to you was comforting, feeling your lips against mine was overwhelming, and touching your body was intoxicating. I felt a sense of safety and security that I’ve never felt before. I proudly linked my arm into yours and put my hand into your;s because I knew you would protect me. I knew you would protect me from any person, place, or thing. I knew you would protect me from myself and my insecurities. I’ve never felt that way about anyone other than you. You overwhelm me and complete me, Joel Lima. There’s not a word in the English Language capable of expressing the hurricane of emotions I feel when I think about our love. I just love you.

I love how you can take my tears and turn them into laughter. I love how you can take my freezing cold hands and warm them up. I love how you can take away the negative in my life with your kisses. I love the sound and feel of your heartbeat, it's something that I'll never forget. I love just looking at our phones and apps together, laughing at funny things for hours. I love how you were willing to lose your gloves, give up your jacket, and face the crazy cold for me. I love your oversized snow boots that kept me laughing all weekend. I love how you braved multiple hours of shopping with me even though it’s not your thing. I love how you pulled me close every time I turned away. I love how we got on the wrong bus and ended up eating at some random KFC and watching hockey (GO HAWKS!) I love spending the entire day in OTC’s food court despite there being nothing to do in that place. I love Gumby and your jacket and that rubber band ball more than anything a store can sell me. I love every touch, every hug, and every kiss. I even love the moments we spent clinging to each other before you had to walk away to catch your train. I am so in love with you that it hurts like hell to go on the trips because I know it has to end. I am so in love with you that I’m crazy enough to go through it all over again in the spring. I am so in love with you that I’ll spend the rest of my life waiting on you if I have to. I will spend the next 10 years waiting on you if it means I get 50+ years of what that weekend was like. I can’t wait to see you again during Spring Break. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life tangled up and completely in love with you. Until then, I’m counting down the days, stressfully planning the trip, and replaying the memories in my head.