No Such Thing As Perfect Love (A Christian Romance Novel)

Perturb

"I just don't understand the point of having fifty pairs of shoes," I argued.
Six months.
Olivia looked extremely offended.
"If you don't have multiple pairs, how can you have one to match every outfit?" Olivia countered.
Six months passed since Luke and I started dating.
"Why can't you get a pair of nice black shoes? They would go with aything."
Six months of Luke and I continuing to get used to one another.
Olivia gasped loudly.
"I feel oddly out of place in this conversation," Luke spoke up from beside me. "Men don't have this problem."
Six months in which our relationship had progressed bit by bit.
I laughed sarcastically.
"You're kidding, right? Do you know how many guys I see with $100 pairs of fancy athletic shoes," I responded.
Six months of debates like that one between the three of us before school started.
"Fine, I'll agree with that," Luke replied quickly, "but not all men buy those shoes."
Surprisingly, Olivia was not usually the third wheel.
"Just like not all women are obsessed with hair, makeup, and jewelry," I add. "Men seem to lean onto that stereotype."
"Stop flirting," Olivia interrupts.
Well, she does tend to add in sarcastic comments, which we ignore.
"I will agree with that," Luke told.
"What, that you guys are flirting?" Oliva asked innocently.
But we love her anyway.
"What do you think, Liv? Do men often draw women into the stereotype?" I questioned.
"Yep. All. The. Time. Women sometimes, too."
"Alright, then I guess how many pairs of shoes you own depends on your personality," Luke decided.
"Exactly. Chloe is an extremely dull person who is devoid of a personality; therefore, she owns three pairs of shoes," Olivia offers.
"Is she starting to perturb you as much as she is me?" Luke wondered.
Olivia laughed and said, "Perturb. That's a funny word. Perturb. Perturb. Perturb."
"Trust me, she is," I agreed.
"Perturb. Perturb. Perturb."
"We should probably head back to our own classrooms," I announced, standing up.
"We should."
"Perturb. Perturb. Perturb. Perturb. Perturb. Perturb."
Since we were in Olivia's classroom, Luke and I left together.
"You know you love me!" Olivia called as we walked out the door.
"Don't make me regret it!" I yelled back, and she replied with one last, "Perturb!"
"That immature child," I muttered before parting ways with Luke.

With a sigh, I sank down into my couch after another day at work. My cat, Ellie, hopped up onto my lap, so I stroked her soft fur.
At lunch, Olivia had decided that it would be a good idea to recite the definition of perturb and then continue to repeat it; everyone ignored her. She told me before I left that she managed to add that word into her lesson at least once per class.
I believe her.
It was unbelievable how much I found out about Luke in the last six months. We may have many things in common, but we have our differences. For example, Luke tends to be open with his emotions while I hide mine away. Sometimes, he can't control his temper or his sadness while I seem to control mine too much. In addition, Luke is a generally goofy person. As for myself, I am always serious, which I dislike.
Still, there was so much for us to learn; even a few months feels like nothing in a relationship.
It occurred to me that I realized I loved Luke shortly after I met him. It almost doesn't seem possible, but I felt like it was God's will. Who am I to judge?
My cat curled up on my lap and fell asleep. Me, too, Ellie. Me, too.

The next morning, Olivia was the last one to show up for our debate, which was held in my classroom.
"What is today's topic?" she asked excitedly.
Today is Luke's pick.
"Is five greater than four?" Luke questioned in a serious voice.
"That is the stupidest topic I have ever heard . . . I love it!" Olivia praised.
"The answer is yes," I told them in a bored voice, knowing I would spark up an argument right away.
"What if four doesn't want to be less than five, huh?" Luke pushed.
"Then, four has to deal with it. Not everyone is a winner," I decided.
"I am always a winner," Olivia chimed in.
"Besides, just because Olivia doesn't want to be less awesome than I am, doesn't mean she is not," I explained.
"Really? That sounded like something I would say," Olivia pointed out.
"I think four at least has a chance at being greater than five," Luke argued. "If it doesn't, then five would always be a winner."
"No, it wouldn't," I countered. "Six would be greater than five."
"Whoa, this just got deep," Olivia commented.
"What number is the greatest?" Luke interrogated.
"What do you say, Olivia?" I said. "You are a math teacher."
"If you want to be technical, googolplex is the largest number with a name, but the key words there are with a name."
"Look at you being all smart and knowing stuff," I teased.
"Thank you, thank you," she announced, bowing a little bit.
Mr. Reynolds popped his head through the door at that moment.
"What are you guys talking about?" he wondered.
"Whether or not four is greater than five," Luke replied casually.
"Okay . . . have fun."
He escaped as quickly as he could. When he had disappeared, we burst into uncontrollable laughter.