THIS LOVE

For as long as I can remember, the idea of turning eighteen was the most thrilling thing since I got my first iPhone. In my mind it was a right of passage. It signified the transformation from an adolescent into an adult just like a butterfly leaving its cocoon.

The day I turned eighteen I woke up feeling different, new and blessed with the knowledge that I ultimately knew absolutely everything there was to know about what matters most; Life, Love, Happiness, Finances and last but not least, Men. It also meant that I no longer had to hide the fact that I enjoyed a fun party and a great romp in the hay, with as many men as I wanted. I no longer had a curfew nor did I need my parents permission to do as I pleased. The greatest gift I received when turning eighteen was freedom, or so I thought.

I'll never forget the Friday on a chilly day in late November when I first met Micah Cole. Nor will I ever forget the way that he saved me from myself and what would have been a future that would have left Mother Teresa cringing and Gandhi speechless.

A spontaneous and romantic dinner of the best Chicken Parmesan I've ever had in my life and a night in the arms of a man I'd just met, opened my eyes to see that by turning eighteen, I hadn't seen anything yet.... But I was about to.