She'd always run form the Love of anyone outside of her family. She had seen her loved ones induldge on the companionship and affection of others, like small, greedy children in a candy store. She had also watched as they were crushed into a thousand peices when their relationship didn't go according to their plans. She's watched as some of the happiest people she had ever known sobbed, shuddered, and screamed because of a loss or lack of Love. Because of the tears and the cries, Love became her phobia.

She began to spend so much time avoiding affection from the opposite sex, that she soon started to obsess over it. Sometimes at night, she would let her mind wonder into a place where it was free to think and ponder whatever it wished, without limitation or opression from herself or from others. Often when she did this, her mind would focus on the lack of affection she had in her life. She would try, desperately, to rid her mind of these thoughts, terrified that her heart would catch on to the messages her mind tried so urgently to convey. Luckily for her, her heart didn't seem to understand, or so she thought.

For many years, she fooled herself into thinking that she was content being lonely. She filled her time with books, television, music, and her small, but close, circle of friends. To all, including herself, she seemed normal and happy with the empty and meaningless life she led.

As she grew, she became agressive and at times rather violent. Her friends were afraid of her and hated making her angery because of her well-known, and explosive temper. The years kept flying by her, much to her dismay, and eventually her anger subsided and she took to a life of blissful silence.

Durring these years, she simply felt as if she had nothing left to say. She felt irrelevant and awkward and had a hard time relating to her peers. All of her social anxieties and shortcomings stemmed from her lack of confidence in herself and her thoughts, which was directly related to her self-inflicted lack of Love and affection. She started trying to hang around larger and louder groups of people, and much to her liking went unnoticed for some time. Then she met Him.

When they first met, His heart belonged to somebody else, but she adored Him none-the-less. She'd allowed herslef to have crushes before, never acting on them of course, and they always went away, especially when she found that they were taken, but not this time. A few months went by and He belonged to another no longer. They started to talk more and more. On the phone late at night when the service was free, at school whenever they got a chance, and on the computer durring the day when they were apart.

On June 21st, she finally went against everything she stood for. She cast aside her well-maintained walls and threw caution to the wind, and asked Him to be hers, and hers alone. When He said yes, she felt a strange feeling errupt from the depths of her soul. She had so much Love to give, but for 16 years, had no one to give it to.

Months later, they stood together, arms wrapped around eachother in a calm silence. There must have been hundreds of people surrounding them just then, but neither were aware of anyone else.

She pressed her head against His chest. That moment, she felt happier then any time before that she could remeber. She remained motionless so as to better soak up His physical and emotional warmth and to better feel the gentle thump of His heart beat.

She pulled away a bit so she could look up at His perfect face and drown forever in His deep brown eyes. She could look at them for the rest of eternity and not notice that time had ended. So brown they were, with small, green, glass-like shards exploding from His pupils. Neither of them could help but smile as they pulled back into a hug. This time her head rested on His strong and sturdy shoulder, but she hardly noticed the change.

She breathed in deeply so as to allow His intoxicating aroma to flow through her veins, through her one and only beating heart. As she exhaled, slowly though it was, she whispered three little unmistakable words. He pulled her forward so He could get a better look at her. "What!?" he asked, clearly baffled at her sudden confession. She stood before him, knees growing weaker by the second, and said it again. "I love you," she whispered slightly more audible then the moment before.

He beamed at her. She had never seen someone smile like He did at her just then. He pulled her closer then before, which she hadn't thought possible. "I love you too!" He whispered excidedly, His voice slightly muffled by her hair.

She let out a sigh of relief. She knew with ever fiber of her being that He meant it, and so did she. To this day, she still celebrates that moment, knowing it to be her biggest accomplishment. On that faitful day, she had conquered her biggest fear, and knew in her heart that she would forever reap the benefits of her bravery.