Call it love, call it a crush, call it a simple reaction... whatever it is, I've certainly had it. Maybe it was stronger sometimes than others, but it was there.
The first one I fell for was, quite honestly, the girl living next door to me. She and her family was the latest in a series of renters we've had in that house next to ours, but we really enjoyed having them around. Thing was, I didn't notice her or start to feel something for her until it was too late (we even were in the same Confirmation class together, and I still wasn't hooked on her!). Unfortunately, by the time I had squared away my feelings, her family moved back to Louisiana and though I've friended her on Facebook, we've never spoken since.
The second was at college. She was the roommate of one of my best friends, who I'd known all through high school. Again, I fell in love rather late, and then discovered much to my dismay that she already had a boyfriend. This became a pattern for me, unfortunately.
I tried to tell another girl how I felt about her, but she overrided my chance when she asked about a friend of mine, whom she began to date almost immediately afterward. I finally did tell one girl that I was in love with her, trying to be as respectful to her feelings as possible when I did, and I felt no shame at all when she told me later that, though I was a nice guy, she didn't feel the same way.
I'm not bitter, though. I just think the person I'm looking for is still out there, and when the time is right, we'll come together. Call it true love, call it finding a mate, call it animal instinct, but it'll happen.
