Sweet Like Honey

17. (pt 2)

"I applied to NYU, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Princeton, Columbia, Harvard, and Yale," Lennen replies. She watched Jonas' smile fall. All but two were located on the East Coast, which she had been hundreds of times, and had fallen in love with it. For the past twelve years, Lennen had separate boards dedicated to Stanford, Harvard, and Yale. Those were her top three choices, but she wasn't sure which her heart wanted more. 

"Have you narrowed down the list?" Jonas asks, hopeful that Stanford would be the one she ended up at. Their relationship was new, but Jonas had been in love with Lennen for two years and he wasn't sure if he could handle her living on the opposite side of the country. 

"Yeah, I'm stuck between Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. Those colleges have been my dream since I was five and at one point, I told my parents that I was going to attend all three at once, but I know now that it isn't possible." Lennen was incredibly happy with Jonas, but she wasn't sure if she was going to let him be the reason she didn't attend college on the East Coast. Though, they hadn't been together long enough that it would be fair for her to go to school on the East Coast without giving their relationship a real chance. "I might choose Stanford because it's the closest to home and I know that most of my friends are staying in California, which is an upside, but I'm not going to lie, I am stuck. All the schools are amazing and any one of them would be an amazing opportunity, but I don't know which one my heart wants more." 

Jonas was right, picking your future was like asking a parent to pick what child they like better. Lennen thought she knew what she wanted when she was set on Stanford for a few months, but then she went back to the East Coast and was reminded of everything she fell in love with. 

"Any of them would be lucky to have you," Jonas responds, trying to be hopeful that Lennen was going to choose Stanford. He knew Lennen was under a lot of stress, just like he was, but he didn't want their relationship to end. Call him selfish, but this girl was what he had been waiting for. He knew he was young, but he could see himself spending the rest of his life with this girl. She was the only person he wanted to be with. 

"I just don't know what I'm going to do." Lennen looked up at the stars, something she always found comfort in. She knew space was never ending, and that's what really mesmorized her. She was in love with the fact that there could be so many things out there and we have yet to discover them. 

"Seems like we're in the same boat." Jonas follows her gaze up to the sky, then rests his eyes back on her, as she still stared into the sky. She was so beautiful, and yet so unaware of it. Jonas knew he was the luckiest guy on Earth when he landed Lennen. A girl like her was rare, and when you find a girl like her, it would be ridiculous to let her go because a girl like her will change your life for the better. She was the type of girl that is permanently etched into your heart.