BOOK 1 of The Getting There Series
When a clumsy first encounter leads to Aiden and Natalie unexpectedly spending time together, will sparks fly or will their brewing relationship dwindle?
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Natalie Dawson wants nothing more than for high scho...
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." – Dr. Seuss
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[Three years later]
Love – it's such a strange concept.
It's difficult to understand, difficult to explain, and even more difficult to measure. But, when you do fall in love – you fall hard and all at once.
At least I did.
For about a year and a half, everything was great for Aiden and I. Well – as great as it can for two people on opposite sides of the country who only saw each other three or four times a year.
I like to think that I saw Aiden as being the one, but ultimately things didn't work out the way I expected them to.
At first it was the canceled trips, the missed FaceTime calls, and then the rare texts. It got to the point where we'd go days without talking, and that just didn't feel like a relationship anymore. We tried fooling ourselves that we could make it work for as long as possible, but in the end we both decided to just call it quits and stop stringing one another along.
There were no harsh words, no fighting – just a mutually agreed upon breakup.
The summer after senior year of high school, I spent every waking moment with either Brooke, Caroline, Lucas or Aiden.
The five us were practically inseparable.
And Aiden – well he was perfect. He was still cocky and arrogant as fuck, but he was a true gentleman and made me feel what no other boy had made me feel.
At the end of the day, all any of us want is to feel is special – and Aiden did that for me. Every time I was around him, I felt like the center of the world. He made me feel what no one else had, and showed me what adventure was like.
As much as I hate to admit it, Aiden made me feel like a real life princess. What was once a pesky nickname turned out to be so much more. He showed me what it was like to be unconditionally loved, and every time I was around him it was like I was the center of his world.
But unlike all fairytales, ours was not a story with a happily ever after.
There is a part of my heart that will always belong to Aiden. He may not have been my first kiss or the person I lost my virginity to – because let's be honest those firsts are cringy as fuck – but he was my first love.
The first time you fall in love, it's strange because from that moment on, no matter how much you try to get that one person out of your head – they'll always hold a special place. But that doesn't mean that you don't move on.
Or at least try to move on.
Glancing up from my Econ textbook when I heard the bells above the door chime, I was immediately met with a warm pair of hazel brown eyes. When he spotted me, a smile spread across his lips as he made his way to the back of the cafe where I was sitting.
"Hey babe." He leaned down and pecked my cheek before pulling out the chair directly across from me.
"Hi." I smiled, allowing myself to get lost in his smile.
Sometimes the best thing that you can do is let go of the things you can't change and move on.
