Subtle Reminders

The memory of when I met Joey Sullivan constantly replayed in my mind. One morning, as I patiently waited for homeroom to begin, he strolled into the classroom, and into my life. I had seen him around but, until that moment, we never actually crossed paths. Everyone knew him because of his remarkable talent on the baseball field. His name was always mentioned at school, as well as in the local newspaper. A sudden alarming wave of nerves unleashed in my chest as he sat in the desk directly in front of mine. No one had ever affected me that way. Convinced he was a typical player, I purposely kept my distance. My heart was entirely too young to be broken.
As the days turned into weeks, it became obvious I had it wrong. Joey turned out to be a decent guy. He was sweet, considerate, and smart. Not at all the bad boy I assumed him to be. His extraordinary skills didn’t make him self-absorbed or conceited in the least. For a while, we were pretty close friends, even partners in crime. Eventually, I could no longer contain my growing feelings and allowed him to kiss me. That was it. From then on, he completely owned my heart, and I didn’t want it back.
We were together throughout high school and into college. Not many people could say they wanted to be with their first love for their entire lives, but we did. That was our plan. Joey constantly spoke about getting married, living together, the children we’d bring into the world, the memories we’d make along the way. Neither of us dreamt of anything else. Our future looked so promising.
Until one night changed everything.
Joey always protected me. There wasn’t anyone or anything more important to him than me. It used to be one of the many things I loved most about him. Who knew it would also be the reason I had no choice but to let him go?