Laura's Story. Devon, England.

I grew up in a small village in Devon, one of those where everyone knows everyone. My best friend throughout all of my childhood was a boy named Sam. We were the same age and he lived down the lane from us. The other kids in school always made fun of our friendship, taunting us about being in love and all the usual stuff that stupid kids say to each other. We always just laughed it off because we were best friends and neither of us had thought of each other in that way.

On my fourteeth birthday, my mum insisted on having a party, even though I told her that I really didn’t want one. I was going through a phase of thinking that everything was boring and that I was too cool to get involved with anything as mundane as a birthday party. So, because my mother always got what she wanted, we had the party in our back garden.

I was not in the mood to be nice to all of my parents’ friends and all the kids from my school that I really didn’t like that much. Sam was the only one who understood how I was feeling-he’d tried to get out of his birthday party a few months prior but his mum went ahead with it anyway. I think the mums in the village were in some sort of competition with each other to see who could humiliate their children the most. Sam and I spent most of the party up in my room listening to The Smiths and talking about how stupid everyone in the village was.

We were sitting on an old sofa in my room when he told me that he had a birthday present for me. I turned to him and he just sat there looking at me for a minute. I asked where my present was. He leaned forward and kissed me. I didn’t really kiss him back because I was so shocked.

It seemed like it was over before it started and we just sat there looking at each other afterwards. He asked me what I thought. I didn’t know what I thought and said so. I think I was in shock or something because I then asked him if he was going to give me my present. He smiled and told me that was my present. I told him that we should get down to the party because my mum was going to bring out the cake. I felt really mixed up and didn’t feel like talking to him about what happened so I avoided him for the rest of the party.

I stayed mixed up for a while and continued to avoid him at school. He tried calling me but I asked my mum to tell him that I wasn’t feeling well. I just didn’t know what to say. I think he took this to mean that I didn’t like him and after a while he started avoiding me, too. We started growing apart.I felt really sad about it and I tried to talk to him a few times but he was standoffish so I eventually stopped trying. It was pretty obvious that our friendship was over.

Things never got back to how they were and we eventually finished school and both went off to university. I always thought about him and really missed talking to him.

Durning my last year at university I met Paul and we fell in love. He asked me to marry him and I said yes. My mum decided that she would throw us an engagement party and of course she invited everyone in the village.

This time I didn’t hide out in my room and I was really surprised when I saw Sam walk in with his parents. We’d not seen each other since we left school and I was so happy to see him. I went over to greet him and told him to come find me a bit later so that we could catch up. He did, and we ended up talking the whole night. It was as if no time had passed at all. He told me that he was very happy for me and that he had missed talking to me all these years.

After the party, the wedding plans went into full swing. We had decided to have the wedding in Devon so I went back home after graduation to organise it while Paul started his new job in London. Sam had also come back home because he’d gotten a job in Exeter and was living at his parents’ house while he saved up to buy a place of his own.

We met up a few times in the local pub and before I knew it we were meeting up there every evening. We were having a great time together but when I mentioned it to Paul, he wasn’t very happy about it. He said that he didn’t feel comfortable about me spending time with another man, especially one that I had kissed when I was fourteen. I told him he was being ridiculous, that we were just friends, but agreed to cut down on the time I spent with Sam.

I really did try, but I couldn’t say no to Sam when he called the next day to ask if I was going to meet him at the pub when he finished work. Paul and I had a big fight about it and I started having doubts about getting married. It made me angry that getting married meant that I was losing my free will-I wanted to be able to be friends with whomever I wanted and didn’t understand why that should change just because I had a ring on my finger.

I told Sam about it the next night and he said that Paul was probably suspicious and that maybe he had a reason to be. I asked what he meant and he told me that he loved me, that he had loved me since we were kids. I told him I didn’t know what to say and that I thought I’d better go home.

I couldn’t sleep at all that night. I kept thinking about Sam and Paul and how I felt and what it all meant. I knew that I wasn’t upset by what Sam had said, deep down I think I always knew how he felt and it was starting to become apparent to me that I had always felt the same way but never admitted it to myself. I had to go talk to him. I waited until 5am to go over to see him at his parents’ house-his dad was a farmer and the family was always up early.

His mother was very pleased to see me and told me to go on up to Sam’s room. When I walked in, he jumped out of bed, walked over and kissed me. This time I kissed him back. When we finally came up for air, he stroked my face and asked me if I felt the same way. I nodded and tears started flowing down my face. I was very surprised to see that his eyes were tearing up as well. He told me that he had waited so long for this…his whole life it seemed. We luxuriated in our bubble of happiness for the rest of the day. Unfortunately the bubble burst when he asked what I was going to tell Paul.

That conversation with Paul was horrible. He was so angry but what could I do? I couldn't live a lie. My friends and family were surprised but understanding. Sam and I got married six months later and have been so happy together. I think we were truly meant to be together.

Have your love story added to the collection by emailing it to: thelovecollector@gmail.com

Artwork has been created by the amazingly talented and generous Valentina Ramos. Check out her blog: Feeling Inspired.