When I was in university, I was in a long distance relationship with a girl called Steph for 2 years. We had been together in school and wanted to keep the relationship going even once we went to universities that were about 500 miles apart. Though I didn’t know it at the time, she began cheating on me about 6 months in, and as her feelings for the guy developed she grew more distant with me and she dumped me by text message. Believe it or not, they’re married now, so I can’t be too bitter.
One of my friends at the time, Maria, had feelings for me. She spoke to me about it, told me she really was into me, but knew I was with Steph and nonetheless wanted to stay my friend. She was cool, fundamentally. She was Italian, and was studying her subject in the UK. She had short, square cut black hair and green eyes that looked huge behind her big glasses. She smoked frequently, and usually the instant she left class had a rancid cigarette dangling from her pale pink lips. She hated the climate and always wore thick jumpers and multiple layers. Our friend group would get together to play board games, and she would lose at every one, swearing furiously but enchanted by the game. Like I said – she was cool.