Where Time Stands Still

by N.S. Perkins

It was the kiss. The one that makes you feel like the earth has stopped spinning. The one that makes you wonder how you ever thought kissing someone other than them was nice. The one that could make anyone do something stupid.

“God, how can you not see I’m so in love with you I can hardly breathe?”

However, they never mention that doing the right thing can also mean feeling like the world is crashing down on your shoulders and burying you six feet under.

I know I’ll never get over him. Simple as that. He’s been the only person I’ve ever let myself develop feelings for—let’s be honest, let myself love—and he’ll be the last. I’ve tried sex. It was wonderful, and I’m never doing it again. Not after the way being with Aaron and having to let him go has broken me.

“And what I’m sure of is that I’d much rather have the certainty of you than the possibility of something I might never want.”

“I don’t care that you don’t love yourself enough to believe I’d be lucky to be with you.” A kiss is pressed to the crown of my hair. “We’ll work on that, and in the meantime, I’ll love you enough for the both of us.”

Maybe not all love stories need to last a lifetime. Maybe the most beautiful ones are the ones that develop despite the fact that they won’t.

But by loving you and being loved by you, I learned to love myself too.”