Eventually though, we had to grow up. Daniel went to Auburn to become an engineer and Natalie went to Birmingham to pursue medicine. And thus began our long long long journey of distance.

So much growth did happen but we never grew apart. We developed our own interests and became each others cheerleaders. Natalie knows all the crappy professors Daniel had and would nod and smile whenever he tried to explain complex math to her. Daniel knew all the drama within the honor's college and how Natalie became a raging caffeine addict.

But still, the ache of missing each other worsened every year. We made it work. We saw each other at least once a month. There was a guarantee that every time he came up to Birmingham, we'd get Surin and walk around the city. Once a year, we'd spend a weekend in a cabin in the mountains. Sometimes visits were only a few hours. But we soaked up every second with each other.

The best part of COVID was that I was shipped back to Opelika for months. Daniel and I were able to see each other more than we had in years. Because everything was closed, our dates were at home, eating take-out, movies and puzzles on the couch, or testing obscure curry recipes. We got to see glimpses of our future together and fall in love with each other in new ways and found our new love languages. Natalie particularly loves to cook for Daniel (so long as Daniel does the dishes) and Daniel loves how Natalie can make any room feel cozy and peaceful.

Our goals were forming into realities. Daniel was accepted into Auburn again for his PhD in Chemical Engineering. Natalie was accepted into medical school in Mobile and with that, added another hour of distance between them. But now, our love had weathered storms that crumple many. At this point, we'd been in love for 7 years. We continued to choose each other and remain patient for the life we'd build together (and everyone, Natalie especially, remained patient for a ring).