I wasn’t expecting that...

A couple of times in your life, it happens like that. You meet a stranger, and all you know is you need to know everything about them.

Four months ago, this stranger came crashing into my life and for the first 96 hours we'd message constantly trying to find out everything we could about each other. Work and school were put on hold and for those first 4 days we opened up to each other in a way I never knew was possible. He shared it all with me. There wasn't a whole lot we'd missed talking about in those first 96 hours.

When we met for the first time it had felt like we'd know each other in a previous life. We were both so comfortable and there was never a moment of awkward silence. We laughed. He had the best smile and the kindest eyes. We ate the messiest food you could ever have on a first date and enjoyed hearing each other’s stories in more detail. The hours went by so fast as we talked into the night. about our families, our relationships, my health issues, his children, everything.  Neither of us wanted to sleep and as we laid there next to each other it was crazy to think that only 96 hours previously that this stranger had come crashing into my life and that the very first thought that came to my mind was, I wasn’t expecting that. 

It was important to me that we went on dates and spent time with each other. We’d have little 3-hour McDonalds dates or dates at the movies. Sometimes we’d go away to Paihia, dates were important to me and I’m glad that he wanted to date me as much as I did him. As cheesy as it is almost 2 months in, we confessed our love. We were happy and wanted to spend as much time together as we could. We would drive to see each other and spend weekends together. Every time we had to leave it got harder. 

A few weeks back we had a date in Paihia. I never knew then that it would be one of the last dates we’d go on. It was by far our best date ever. We checked into our motel, had drinks and had an amazing awesome relaxing spa together drinking on bubbles like we were living some fancy lifestyle. This man made me happy. He made me smile and I didn’t want the date to end. We went to dinner, laughed, had fun then we went out on the town like some young couple in love and had more drinks. The next day we checked out had breakfast before parking up in front of the beach laying together talking and crying and just enjoying being with each other. I didn’t want to leave but we knew our date had to come to an end and we needed to go back to our “normal lives”. As hard as it is for us to leave, we always had that thought of “we would see each other again soon then”. 

Things went south last weekend when we went away, and it was then that I knew I needed to get out. Not because he was hurting me, or because we didn’t love each other but because it was the right thing to do. I nearly left when he was sleeping because I couldn’t deal with the fact that we were about to hurt each other by ending our relationship. I left him sleeping packed my shit and sat there watching him sleep trying to find the courage to leave. Trying to be brave to just walk out and not have to deal with the aftermath of what was going to happen. I couldn’t do that to him and I couldn’t do that to myself. Why would I want to put either of us through that? Instead, I could just leave, and we’d never have to see each other again. I could do that, and it would be easier.  At the same time, I knew I couldn’t do that. I knew we needed to talk, and I couldn’t just leave. I woke him up and so began our rough, crazy, sad, hard, every emotion under the sun weekend. 

For the next 36 hours we’d spend it doing a mix of laughing, crying, having fun, watching the rest of a TV show we’d started together, cooking together, enjoying the view from the deck. I struggled, and I could feel my heart slowly breaking with every passing hour knowing that once I left, I wouldn’t be coming back. I never knew I could cry as much as I did in those 36 hours. I loved being with this man yet at the same time I knew it was about to end and that hurt more than I thought it would.  I always said from the beginning that if meeting me helped him in some way that I would be okay with whatever happened with us. I was, and I am okay I just thought we had more time. It wasn’t meant to end like this. We were supposed to have more time. We still had things we were meant to do but we knew we couldn’t keep going. We knew it would only hurt us more if we did. 

Neither of us knows what will happen but right now in this moment this is the right thing to do for him. I love him enough that I can let him go. As much as it hurts me and makes me sad, I want him to be sure that he’s making the right choice for him and if he chooses to walk away from the things that have kept him where he is now then that is on his terms. Not because of me, or because of other people’s choices but because of him. He needs to go on this journey without me and as much as I would have loved to have gone on it with him I can’t. He is stronger than he thinks, and I would like to hope that in some way I helped him become the stronger person that he is today. He is an amazing man and I’m lucky that for the last 4 months I got to spend time falling, loving and being loved by him. My heart hurts and it will still hurt for a while, but we have memories and we are still friends. We didn’t end our relationship on bad terms so while it may have just been easier to hate each other and get out of each other’s lives for good we decided to be there for each other as friends and see if we can’t get through this together. Yes, it may sound fucked up because why go through the hurt of that, but I honestly think that for the both of us not having each other in our lives would hurt more. 

It’s been 3 days since I last saw him, and it has been the longest 3 days of my life. I know that the both of us are emotionally and physically drained, but we are trying to get through this. We can’t go through what we did and just end it all as if it didn’t happen. As if it meant nothing. We’ve continued to message and chat when we can, but he’s been away for work which makes it easier and difficult all at the same time having to try and deal with the motions of everything. 

I really have no idea what will happen, but I do know that I don’t regret any of it. I knew what I was getting into from the beginning I just didn’t know how deep I would fall. I fell in love with a man who was himself. He didn’t have to be anyone else but himself and that was the man I fell in love with. A man who made me smile, laugh, feel good, and who loved me for me. A man who loved with all that he had. 

If he chooses to stay where he is and make things work or if he chooses to leave and pursue something different my only hope is that he makes the right choice for him. Not for his family, his kids or his work but for him. Despite everything we’ve been through, the hurt and sadness he still deserves happiness. I’ve always said I would be here for him as a friend and even though it’s hard to believe, my opinion and advise to him won’t ever be clouded by my emotion. I want him to be the happy that he deserves. The MJ happy. 

Not everything is supposed to become something beautiful and long-lasting. Sometimes people come into our lives to show us what is right and wrong, to show us who we can be, to teach us to love ourselves, to make us feel better for a while or to just be someone to walk with and share our lives with. That is us. We came into each other’s lives for a reason and even if it wasn’t meant to be, we can be grateful for what we’ve given each other already.  

Maybe we are that couple who met the right people at the wrong time and that’s okay too. Life has a crazy way of throwing us curve balls and no one really knows what life is going to throw at us. We can only hope for the best and take what we can from this and either choose to be bitter or be grateful for the experiences it has taught us. 

I can’t speak for MJ but regardless of what happens next week, next month or a year from now and despite how cheesy this is there will always be a corner of my heart that is always his. Not for now or until I find someone else, I mean forever. Whether I fall in love a thousand times over or once or never again there will always be a small quiet place in my heart that belongs only to him. I loved him with all that I had, and I still do BUT I also love him enough to let him go out on this journey of self-discovery. To figure out if this is the life he wants. The love that he wants. I can do that for him because even though it hurts me I love him enough to let him go.