What is "Real Love" To You?

Along with the question I've posed about the subject, I'd like to ask whoever stumbles across this: How many times have you fallen in love? 

I've fallen in love twice in my lifetime, and the contrast between both of my relationships showed me that there's someone for everyone. I met my first girlfriend over the summer working at a camp. It was typical teen romance with almost constant intimacy, even to the point she'd whisk me away on the job to make out with me (which looking back on it was crazy lmao). While we both definitely loved each other, we had our various Ups and Downs. I'm more of a homebody, and she'd drag me to small parties full of people I do not know just to get high and drunk she would constantly hang things over my head and manipulate me by ghosting me to the point where it felt like talking to her wasn't out of a want but more of a way to delay the next problem she'd have with me. I always thought despite only being 17, I'd be too old to let added stress affect my life, but I ended up in this toxic relationship and eventually ended things with her. I wouldn't put the blame entirely on her I wasn't the best at communicating, I made mistakes when I tried to please her, I overslept on a date we were both excited for overall while we tried to make things work with the way we both conducted each other and lived our lives it was bound to end soon if not ending when it did it would have definitely not have lasted during college. 

One thing I noticed almost a week or two after we ended things was that I was noticeably happier. Which was confusing to me at the time, but not having to deal with the emotional rollercoaster that was my ex allowed me to enjoy the simple things in my life, like time with friends or being able to expand on my hobbies. She was a weight on my shoulders that was finally lifted. Despite how rude that is to simplify her existence down to that, it really felt like she held me back. 

Now, I want to regale the relationship that made me want to reflect and continue past the pain and lessons I learned from my ex. My beautiful partner and my rock Ace. I had feelings for Ace when we met at the end of my junior year before that summer started, but I didn't act on them due to both my own nervousness and believing that they were already spoken for. Over the months, Ace and I got closer and closer, and later, we became inseparable. They helped me break it off with my ex and after that we spent all free time we had with each other and eventually my feelings for them were at the forefront of my mind and eventually we talked about our futures and how we change our names and move to France together and eventually I told them that I loved them and they loved me back. I'm summarizing our love story because I really want to tell you that Ace is the best thing to ever happen to me. Ace is my one and only. If I let that hopeless feeling take over my mindset, I would have never let Ace come into my life and changed my whole worldview. 

If anyone gets to this part of my very long-winded rant, the main takeaway I'd want you to get from this is that love and happiness are in every corner of life. While it's easy to let your misery rule over your thinking keeping a open mind and knowing both that it is healthy to be sad and that your sadness will not be permanent or define who you are. 

I also wrote this as a sort of companion piece to my other entry "Im bisexual and I love you" which I do vaguely mention my current partner Ace and While I will love everyone around me Ace is and forever will be the one for me. <3