Have you ever seen a cookie and wanted to eat it, but knew that you'd get more if you were disciplined and could wait it out? Maybe that's the reason we sometimes stick it out in situations in which we know other people would not.
But what is love when we talk about a long-distance relationship? It's the feeling that makes you feel alive and even though circumstances are not ideal and you have to social distance, there's hope one day you will be able to hug the one you love without fear of losing them. It's the space between the moment you last saw each other and the moment you'll see them again face to face. It's the pain and despair between holding on and letting go. It's the money that needs to be set aside to visit that person. It's the sacrifices, small or big that need to be made.
It's the euphoria that hits you when you hear their voice, see their name popping up on the screen, or when you hear their laugh. But most of all euphoria hits you when you see them face to face after a lot of time passed since you last saw each other and you're finally able to hug and touch each other.
It's the feeling that despite the distance and time between you there's something bigger than you in the universe that connects you, an unspoken bond sealed ages ago. An understanding among you two that few people can understand, but you are not entirely sure other people could understand. You do and that's more than enough.
And even though time and space tried to keep you apart, you somehow always found your way back to each other. There's always the question "What if?" You can ignore it and live your life as if it wasn't there in the first place. In games, you can play multiple times and if the outcome of what you've planned or envisioned goes wrong, you can just skip the progress and not save. In life, unfortunately, that's not possible. You just throw yourself into the game of life and hope for the best outcomes, hoping the odds would ever be in your favor. And even though, there are certain warning signs we choose to ignore them despite our rationality. Love makes us all stupid in some way. And when it hits you hard, even the most guarded and rational person can lose her mind.
Loving someone long-distance requires a vulnerability you never knew you had or needed, faith, and a plan in order to transition from a long-distance relationship to a normal one, where you both live in the same city and you no longer have to face the pain and uncertainty a long-distance relationship bring. And there are moments when you don't want it to end and moments when you feel like you can't go on because something that was supposed to be pure and beautiful ends up becoming a headache and a pain in the butt. The worst part is no matter what decision you end up taking, there are no guarantees it is the right one.
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"Hello, honey. How are you?" Josh softly asked Johanna. She fidgeted on her chair. "Not that great. It's June and it's already very hot. Also, my neighbors are out in front of the flat I live in. They and especially their kids make a lot of noise. And as if it wasn't enough, a neighbor took out his dog and is walking him. And sometimes the dog won't cooperate and go home and he needs to yell at him and swear. Not sure the dog cares about what he says, but I have to listen to everything. Hope you can still hear me despite the noise from outside. I had to open the windows due to the heat in the house. How's the weather there?"
"It's getting warmer and warmer, but it's bearable. "Brace yourself. WE have summers with temperatures of 36 degrees. This is going to be a hot summer." she replied and smiled in a dirty, mysterious manner. "Summer's nice, but not when it's too hot outside. I hate heat. But we can spend time and do inside activities and luckily there's air conditioning that's going to help us survive this period."
"I miss you. Can't wait to hug you again in person." "Me neither." Josh replied. Johanna looked at the brick wall and bed beside him. Today it wasn't made. She assumed he woke up shortly before talking to her and did not mention anything regarding it. "How have you been lately?" "Okay, visited some metal concerts. It was pretty crowded and some people lost it, but all in all, it was a nice concert."
"That's nice. Do you also listen to other music genres except for metal?" "Yeah, sometimes rock. It also happens that I sometimes hear a song on the radio that's unrelated to metal and I like it. But it's rather rare. How about you?" "I listen to almost any genre, except for two." Johanna answered while she was untangling her headphones'cable.
Johanna smiled." "What do you smile about?" "There's so much kissing, hugging, and spending time and exchanging ideas and thoughts we have to catch up on." Suddenly moans of a woman and other questionable noises could be heard. "What's that?" Johanna asked him. "Do you have some women sleepover?" she smiled wickedly. "Ah, no, my porn just suddenly launched without forewarning. "Josh, lunch is ready!" "I have to go!" "Bon appetite!" she told him " "Love you, hug!" "Love you!"
Johanna crossed a few more days off the calendar and looked up online some dresses and skirts she planned on buying. Summer was approaching and she wanted to make sure this was going to become an unforgettable summer. And indeed an unforgettable and hot summer followed….