JUST LIKE ANY STORY
There Are Always Two Sides…
HE SAID:
It was week one of Freshman year and Liv had kindly agreed to drive one of my newfound friends and teammate to Target for a futon. Not only did she drive but she even helped carry the extra-large futon box into the dorm. All of us football guys living in the same dorm came to say hi—to be polite, of course.
SHE SAID:
I frankly didn’t (and still don’t) remember him from the futon delivery, just a group of unidentifiable walk-on football players at the time. But a few weeks later, I was on my way home from a fraternity party when I ran into those same guys. They were trying to convince me to step into another fraternity house, instead of going home. My agreement, though reluctant, may have been the force of fate. Halfway through a Busch Light, I couldn’t help but notice that there was only one guy that made no effort to say hello—clearly not interested in me. And what do you know, he was the only guy I had any interest in.
I asked his friend Joey to introduce me. (Don’t forget, I didn’t recall meeting him before.) Joey told me that Alex didn’t want a girlfriend, which was true, but…
Spoiler: That didn’t last long.
HE SAID:
No it didn’t. My priorities for college were clear: School and football. Though somehow, I couldn’t resist her. Before long, we were a thing and I was constantly reminding her that school and football came first.
SHE SAID:
Maybe I did make the first move, but he noticed me first—don’t forget that! Up until this point, however, this story could be like any other early college fling.
Another spoiler: It wasn’t.
College was tough. On top of the typical school/athletics/social life balancing act, my mom was sick, and I was learning to cope with that, too. Many know that we lost her way too early when she passed away Senior year. While Alex and I had our ups and downs, he was the calm and steady force that helped me through the worst days. In short, I don’t know where I’d be without him.
HE SAID:
Look, the timing wasn’t right for me but turns out…it was perfect for us. Looking back, my own stubbornness almost cost me. Luckily, Olivia's stubbornness wouldn’t allow for that!
