love is real.

It's funny how sometimes things actually work out. When we're least expecting it, a fairy tale happens directly in the middle of our ordinary lives, and whether we're the actual princess or maybe just the maid of honor, the fairy tale reminds us all that love is real.
I have a friend who, back in high school, dated a very cute boy. But like most young very cute boys, he was flighty, noncommittal, and kind of an asshole. Shortly before they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, he walked away from my friend, and the two year relationship they shared. The thing is, it was high school; a lot of dumb things happen in high school with relationships and boys and the birds and the bees, but most of us, by our twenties, have long forgotten those high school sagas. Or at least we only laugh about them now. But my friend, she never stopped loving her high school boyfriend, and in her heart, she just knew that one day they'd be together again. Mind you, the broken couple, separated five years ago and have not spoken to each other since (sans a few drunk texts or light emails here and there). Most of us would roll our eyes at her "hanging on" behaviors or at least tune her out when she talked about his texts, sexts, or facebook messages. But the thing is, she is not a dumb girl.
Over the past few years, I have come to the conclusion that us girls, we always know what's going on with our boys. We might not want to believe it, and we might make dumb choices, but in our hearts and our minds, we know what's going on. We know if he doesn't really like us, or if he's cheating on us, or if he's hiding something. Point blank, we know if the relationship is not going to work out. So we fret and complain and whine and hope we're wrong, but we're never actually wrong. Boys aren't cruel (or smart) enough to pull the wool over our eyes, but sometimes we're brutal enough to pull the wool over our own.
The odd thing is, my friend had the perfect intuition; it was just not the typical. While most of us believe that the relationship is going no where or that he's an asshole, my friend always believed that they were suppose to be together. And, the other day, he confirmed her intuition. He called her; she answered, and after years of not speaking, he told her he was ready to be her boyfriend. He did everything he needed to convince her that now he was ready to be with just her and to work everything out. He explained that he'd been thinking about her daily for years but never called because he wasn't sure if he would hurt her again. He told her that she mattered; he told her he was sorry; he told her he wanted her. And all she had to reply was, "I know."