The warm air of the Atlantic Oceans Caribbean breeze floated gently past my cheek. The beautiful August day came to an end as I glided across the glossy blue ocean on a cruise ship. Watching the sun set on the horizon on the final night seemed calm and relaxing just like a vacation should. Eventually a vast of stars stretched across the universe in the night’s sky. Everything felt unreal, like a dream. The dream suddenly stopped when it was time to say goodbye to you.
It was the start of a new beginning. I didn’t know it yet and I was in for a surprise. I awoke in the morning excited for the trip ahead of me. Checking to make sure I had everything packed, I couldn't get over the excitement of summer vacation. My brother Jordan and I were jumping out of our seats in the car ride to the sea port. “Are we there yet? Are we there yet!” we both screamed over and over. Finally we arrived. Even more anxious now, I remember waiting in the longest line. It seemed like we were waiting for hours watching everyone pass through security. Finally it was our turn! We stepped on board and everyone bombarded us with pictures and welcomed us aboard. I knew this was going to be a great eight days ahead of me.
Being thirteen and Jordan being fifteen at the time, we were in the same age group together. We joined the kids group and attended the party that night. Everyone was so kind and we made a group of friends. Three of the kids we met were from England, and we were so fascinated by their accent. Towards the end of the cruise we even picked up on it a little bit. The ship set sail for 8 days. Each day our group of friends became larger.
It was around the fourth day when my world completely changed forever. I was swimming in the nice cool circular whirl pool with a friend, when some stranger also entered the pool. He was a boy around the same age as me. He had dark brown blackish hair and brown eyes. My friend had met this guy on one of the previous days of the ship so she introduced me to him. His name was Mike. From the moment he said hello I knew we would become friends. For the rest of the duration of the cruise we hung out almost all the time. As the days went on, we grew closer and closer. Every time he smiled, it lit up my heart. I had no idea that I was slowly falling for Mike.
The days and nights continued, going by like a lightning bolt. It was hard to believe how close I was getting to Mike. We would act silly, by running around the ship, and making prank calls to other cabins. We were having fun, not trying to be troublemakers. We would change the clock’s time in the hallways and stay out of our cabins past curfew. Something I will never understand is how we loved riding the elevator up and down, literally almost all day. We would greet people and sing songs to entertain other guest who went up and down for the ride. Mike had made me feel free and excited. I was like a turtle stuck in my shell before I met him, and then I started to peek my head out. He made me enjoy every minute I had with him.
The butterfly feeling was new to me. I had never really had a crush on a boy before. I felt flutters in my stomach. Even though I had only known him for a few days, something inside me knew that I couldn't let him slip away. We watched movies under the stars as he put his arm around me and held my hand. Moments like these last a lifetime.
As we reached the last night, all was silent. We knew we had to say our goodbyes, for vacations are only temporary. A feeling of sadness came over me that I've never felt before. My heart was breaking. Every friend I had met walked me to my cabin. It was a long walk down the narrow hallways. Tears were filling my eyes but I tried to hide it. We finally made it to my doorway and it was time to say my goodbyes. We had all exchanged contact information so we could all keep in touch. I hugged everyone one by one and they each went off to sleep. My last and hardest goodbye was mike. We stood there for a good ten minutes hugging in each other’s arms. Internally I was thinking are we going to kiss, but I held back and held onto him tightly. Everything I wanted and everything I needed was right there in that moment with him.
A moment is something special that needs to be treasured forever. Everything in a moment makes time stand still. I try to imagine what my life would be like if one thing had been different. What if I had never entered that pool, and never met Mike. Where would I be right now? My whole world would be totally different I cannot even picture my life any differently. As he left my doorstep I stood there wishing he would turn around and come back but he disappeared into the dark. I shut my door and curled up into my bed still fighting the tears in my eyes. My brother had already been sleeping so I silently cried myself to sleep.
The morning came and I had no motivation to get up. I did not want to head home. My eyes were all puffy and red from crying all night and I was very emotional. Leaving the ship was not fun, as it was to get on. All of my energy had been drained. We left the ship and eventually made it to the car for our ride back home.
I had been tired from getting little sleep so I decided to take a short nap for the car ride home. The nap was interrupted when I received a text. It was him, it was Mike! Seeing his name pop up on my phone made me smile. Maybe it wasn't goodbye after all. We continued to talk all the time, calling almost every day. Over time we realized that we really didn’t live that far from each other so I was able to visit from time to time. He turned into my best friend and then we fell in love.
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( go into detail on how be became a couple)
Love can find a person in many ways. For me, it was my best friend that I met in the middle of the ocean. I would not change a thing. Memories, moments, friendship, and love all shared together with that one special person is perfect. In the end it was never a goodbye. I had entered the start of something beautiful. A love that will last forever.
