In haven’t posted a blog in a while because I simply have been so happy and in the moment that I completely forgot to write the moments down for my website. A lot has happened over the course of my freshman year at college, but all of the most important memories I have, link back to a boy named Zachery King.

Up until college I spent my whole life dreaming about love, I’ve always been an extreme romantic. I believe in fairytale moments and movie scene feeling adventures and laughs that you swear you only see or hear about in story books. I know it is rare but something about me decided at a young age that I was never going to settle for anything else and that I was determined to have my happily ever after.

I saved myself, not for marriage, but for love. All growing up I watched as my friends slowly started to have their fair share of “firsts” but for some reason I felt so horrible every time I’d hear another story. I slowly started to realize that not many people were in it for love, or friendship, or even for good company. All the experiences my friends had with guys left me feeling as though my friends were being used as experiments for all the crappy dudes we were surrounded by in my home town. So I made a pact with myself a long time ago to never let my fairytale ideology fade. The biggest lessons I learned hearing these stories was that I would never put myself in situations I didn’t want to be in just because it was considered normal… Thank God.

I never caved, but my mind set became toxic for the men I had grown up with after seeing how they treated all the girls I went to school with, so I never let any of them close enough so they wouldn’t have the chance to do the same to me… I had gone all high school without ever having a first boyfriend, a real first date, a first love, a first anything.

I couldn’t feel more accomplished looking back and giving all my firsts to Zach King.

I met Zach on Instagram. It was the day after college signing day for athletics, and I had seen Zach’s signing pictures posted to the schools instagram, and when I tell you my jaw dropped, it literally fell wide open. I immediately knew when seeing his picture that this boy was going to be the one. I don’t know how to describe the feeling that rushed into my body but for those thirty seconds I sat there, mouth open in aww, staring at this beautiful boy, I felt a feeling of comfortability, faith, and honestly love, I was infatuated with him just with one glance.

I messaged him on Instagram saying I was also playing sports at MBU and that he seemed pretty cool and I would love to get to know him, something I have never done for a guy. I was so nervous but in my head there was no other choice, I had to reach out… That night we messaged for hours learning each others humor and personalities and adding each other on all our other social media. Not a day has gone by since that I haven’t thought about Zach.

Let me describe Zach for those of you who aren’t lucky enough to know him personally. He is unapologetically himself, saying whatever he feels when he’s feeling it, never afraid to speak up or stand out if it’s for something he is passionate about. He is so caring, he consistently would check in on me, watch over me, protect me, and love me and made it known he would always do that for me. He is out of this world funny, he makes me laugh so hard it hurts and let me just say he has never sent me a video that wasn’t funny, perfect for meme supplies. He is so smart, he managed to makes dean’s list without ever missing one party or group hang out and with out ever losing time with me. He is so passionate, when he thinks of something he wants, even if it’s as small as an overpriced jacket, or as big as pitching in games even though he was badly injured, if he wanted it, he’d find a way to get it. He loves his family so much, he always made sure to let them know how much he loved and appreciated them everyday, he is just so unbelievably kind. I admire so many things about Zach and hope that over these 8 months with him I acquired some of these amazing traits.

Once we got to school we faced a bumpy road, with me trying to force my love story to finally play out and him hesitantly realizing that this was bigger than he thought it was going to be. We went from DMing every night to spending all our past time with each other. There was drama and hick ups all along those first few months of getting to know eachother at school and settling into our new lives as freshman, and I can honestly say I learned the most about myself in those 4 months than I had ever learned before. He taught me what jealousy was, what true sadness was, what heartbreak felt like, but he also taught me what passion felt like, what it was like to trust, and what it was like to love.

I told Zach I loved him first. The feelings I had for him were too strong and not saying it out loud got harder and harder each passing second, I WANTED TO SCREAM IT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO HEAR. I had never said it before but once I realized thats what I felt, I couldn’t hold it in. He was thrown off when I told him. It was a night where I had gone to a party with another male athlete, I had gone strictly as friends and with a group containing him and two of my teammates from the womens soccer team. I had a couple drinks and Zach was staying with his parents in their hotel room down the street. He had texted me asking if I would meet him outside of the hotel and leave the party because he wasn’t comfortable with me there with a ton of guys drinking and he wasn’t there to make sure nothing happened. I, being the in love freak I was, agreed.

We ended up fighting in my car that night, bad. I don’t remember why, all I remember is it slipped. It wasn’t the story book moment I had always dreamt it would be. He asked me why I always come back to him even when he messes up if it bothers me so bad and I couldn’t hold it back and said “because I’m so in love with you.” After saying it he said he needed to think, got out and walked back into his hotel. I sat in my car for three hours crying wishing I hadn’t let it go, but at the same time feeling so relieved that he knew. I had seemingly been rejected but I couldn’t help but feel so content.

Thankfully that thinking he did lead him to the conclusion that he was ready to settle down and take a chance with me, he was in love too.

I remember the night Zach told me he loved me so vividly I swear it happened yesterday. We had gone to the baseball Halloween party together dressed as cop and inmate and the whole party Zach was bragging about how beautiful his date was and telling everyone how much he was in love with me. I obviously had no idea he was saying these things until my best friend came up to me screaming and saying “do you hear what Zach’s telling everyone, he’s saying he’s your boyfriend!!! did he ask you out?!” I instantly met eyes with him across the room. I told her I’d be right back, grabbed Zach’s hand, and took him back to my dorm room to talk. He told me he had been feeling it for so long but that he didn’t want to say it until he knew what he wanted.

About a week later he took me out to dinner at our favorite place, buffalo wild wings, I know, so romantic, and after he drove me to a “scenic view overlook” on the side of the highway, sounds weird but it was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. he then whipped his phone out and sent me a text asking me to be his girlfriend. I didn’t get it at first but then out loud he said “well…?” and I said yes. It sounds so stupid that he would do that but it was so perfect to me. He made the moment special, funny, and unique to us. I had finally gotten my fairytale moment. That night I fell asleep next to him in tears, I was so happy for the first time in my life, I had no complaints everything felt right.

Theres one memory I have engraved in my mind that I don’t think I will ever forget, the first time Zach came home with me to the beach. He spent the weekend at my house with me and for the first time we had complete privacy and a space to ourselves for a while. We explored the beach, I showed him all my favorite surf shop and restaurants, and I watched as my family and friends fell in love with him just as quickly as I had. It was literally perfect. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole weekend. we watched sunsets on the beach and laid under blanket in the sand with only us and the moon still out that late. We got late night donuts and had deep talks about music and life. I got to know every little detail of Zach. I had never felt like I knew anyone better. And for the first time I was one hundred percent comfortable around a guy, I felt so safe, so loved and overwhelmingly happy. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weekend.

Everyday I have spent with him feels like it has s fairytale love story playing in the background, It really is just so perfect everyday, it’s everything I’ve ever wanted. The strong love I felt after one glance at him has never faded and I still spend all my days feeling like the luckiest girl in the world, sounds far-fetch, but I mean it.

Zach has been the most perfect first love I could ever ask for. He treats me so good, reminds me of my worth, makes me laugh more than anyone else can. He never rushed me, never pushed me into uncomfortable situations, always asked if I was okay, comfortable, and happy.

I hope anyone reading this is inspired, I know that sounds horribly conceded and selfish of me to say considering I’m talking about my own relationship, but I mean it. I hope that every girl finds the one person who will completely change their life for the better, I hope that every girl get their perfect “first time stories” like I did and that they can carry those stories over to tell their kids one day, I hope you all have no regrets with your past and that you can find the peace I found in him, I want everyone to feel what I feel when I look at Zach with their own love.

I will never forget Zach King for as long as I live. even if there comes a time where we are no longer Kaiden and Zach, together, I think the Kaiden I am now, is part Zach. I will never be the girl I was before him, and I never want to be again. He made all my worrying over boys before him worth it. He made life worth it. He made waiting worth it. He filled the shoes of my prince charming and gave me memories I will never look back on and regret, EVER.

I can say confidently that Zach is the best things that has ever happened to me.

I will always love you Zach King.