It all started when we were in the 4th grade. It was our first year in a new school. I lived in Lindon, and had come from Lindon Elementary and he lived in Orem and came from Northridge. Now we were both in our new elementary school, Rocky Mountain. We were not in the same class. I was in Mrs. Hooker's class (yes, Hooker) and he was in Mrs. Rawson's class. We knew of each other but didn't know each other well.
5th grade. We were both in Mr. Malmrose's class. This is were the one sided love started. I totally had a crush on him, he was so cute and nice. He was the one for me, but he thought my best friend was the one for him...BOO. So they "went out" which basically meant they never talked to each other and if something was said it was through their friends. Oh young love. This was the start of me always being head over heals for boys that could care less about me, oh well....in the end I win.
6th grade. I guess I kind of got over Chris. I found a new love Alex Lyons. He was the hunk of the 6th grade, but in a different class, with Chris. They had Mr. Bagley and me and my friends had Mrs. Gordon. I talked to Chris here and there. Mostly when I was so angry that every boy I liked the same best friend liked them too and because she was small and cute they liked her and not me....and I was kind of a bully. I think it was because I just wanted attention. Who knows I'm crazy....and I was like WAY bigger than all the boys. Totally went through puberty early. This was THE WORST year of my life by the way. I will not be showing you by 6th grade photo because it is horrific. My mother even laughs at it...that's how bad it is.
7th-9th grade. Junior High sucks, lets just make that clear. I don't really remember Chris in Junior High....like at all. He says we would say hi in the halls and such...but really don't remember much. Now looking back on these years it is pretty embarrassing. I was such a hopeless romantic...and I just wanted to be loved. I lost my best friends from 6th grade to the cheerleaders and popular girls, so I had a rough start in junior high, but eventually made some new good friends that I would eventually lose again,because we went to different high schools. My crushes in Jr. High ...still had some love for Alex Lyons, but the new one was Jake Hoyt. Poor Jake Hoyt was pestered by me all through Jr. High and even in High School. I'm really quite surprised how nice he was to me through all my craziness. He's a nice guy. I still to this day I have notes written back and forth from him somewhere in my parents house. They are super embarrassing to say the least.
High School. This is were the good stuff begins. Still as a sophomore I don't remember Chris being around much. But it all started when we were juniors. We had pre-calculus together and Spanish I don't remember a specific day were we all of a sudden clicked into being friends, we just did. We became like best friends this year, and it was awesome. In pre-calculus the teacher sat us next to each other in the back of the room, which was great for us, bad for her. I'm already super chatty, you put a friend my me and well I talk a lot. Luckily I was a really good student so I didn't get in too much trouble, but I don't think the teacher liked Chris too much.
In Spanish Chris had his good friend Jesse in the class and I had my good friend Christie in the class. Somehow they all got to sit by each other on one side of the room and I sat by myself on the other side. Super annoying. Chris would sometimes come over to my house to study for Spanish. I remember sitting on the couch in my front room going through flash cards with him. Now did I have a crush on him at this time...hard to say. We didn't really hang out outside of school too much. We had completely different groups of friends. I got my first boyfriend that year...which was a dramatic disaster to say the least. I'm so embarrassed by that all. I think this is when I really started liking Chris though because of how awesome of a friend he was to me when I was at my absolute craziest. At one point my boyfriend broke up with me, which was of course devastating, but he told me he would still take me to his prom (he went to a different high school), which was awesome because all of my friends were going to that prom with all of his friends.) Then he tried convincing me to have him take me to my schools prom, which I didn't want to go to. Come to find out, he wants to take his x-girlfriend (who's name is also Jessica) to their prom. Safe to say a was pissed, and crushed, and totally heart broken....and a complete wreck. I cried in school, out of school...everywhere. Chris was such a great friend through it all. I vented to him, he would stand up for me. During this time our Spanish teacher had a baby and the lady subbing was an idiot, she didn't know how to help us at all. Usually I'm very respectful, but because I was in emotional distress I was really mean and sassy to her and she put me on the bad list for when the teacher came back. When the teacher got back she called those on the bad list to her desk after class. I don't really remember if Chris was on the bad list too or just stuck around. But the teacher was really surprised I was on the list, and asked what happened. I think I started to explain, and then Chris stepped in and said something like, "She has been having a really hard time with some stuff lately." and I she didn't ask any more questions, just let me go, no punishment.
By the end of our junior year is when I think I started falling for Chris. He was just such a good friend. I felt so comfortable with him, and loved spending time with him. I asked him to go to a dance with me, and he said yes. I asked him with starburst and spelled out my name in those glowing stars on his bedroom wall. His mom told me later that my name in stars stayed up in his room until she took them down when he went on his mission. Cute? Forgetful? Either way, he looked at my name every night before going to bed. :)
The summer between our junior and senior year was the best. We hung out all the time. We went to movies together (we saw Napoleon Dynamite together, so funny), we would stay up late talking about anything and everything. And because we didn't share the same friends it was usually just the two of us. I did go with him to Jake Hoyt's house once, and almost died that night. It was a bunch of boys and me, with roman candles....bad idea. It never really came anything romantic....we were simple just best friends, and loved being together.
Side Note: Chris told me after we were married that sometimes when he would leave his friends on nights there were boring and go to hang out with me that they thought I was like his booty call! Messed up! Totally not like that!
Our senior year started. It was kind of hard because in school our relationship wasn't quite the same. He was really popular with a lot of friends, girls and boys. He was just like the nicest person ever, so everyone liked him. That was kind of hard for me because we had an awesome summer together, and now I wasn't really number one. My locker was in a really lame place and his was in the ideal place. I asked him if I could share with him and he said yes...but then like 2 other guys wanted to share with him...so that never happened. Homecoming was at the beginning of the year and I REALLY wanted him to ask me. I was asking his friends about who he was asking...trying to drop hints...but didn't really know if he would ask. Then my doorbell rang one night, I opened the door and there was a big basket full of goodies sitting there. I knew what it was, and honestly the first word that came out of my mouth were...."Finally!"
Last minute I kind of decided I wanted to be in the homecoming pageant, I don't know why...that really isn't my thing. The only club I was a part of was Drama, so I dropped some hints and they let me be in it. It was actually really fun. I bought this beautiful dress, that I felt amazing in. I rocked my skit in the pageant, but totally didn't win anything. But I got a lot of positive feedback on it though, so that was good. One of the popular football players that had never talked to me before complemented me on my skit, so I felt pretty cool.
Going into the homecoming date I was feeling like I may like Chris more than a friend...but I didn't really know, it was complicated. After the date, I had a great time, I loved being with him, but I kind of got the feeling that it was a just friends type of thing.
I think we only had one class together that year, health. Chris had a bunch of friends...mostly girls that he would often sit in the back corner with when he came in late, it always made me way jealous. But if he got to class on time he would always come sit by me....I loved it. Seriously nothing would make me happier. We were extremely friendly and comfortable with each other. One class period we sat on the front row and I had my legs resting up and over his. Sounds weird....but it just wasn't. We were best friends. The teacher then made some comment about it that kind of embarrassed us.
My senior year I was into a lot of guys, older guys, younger guys, guys in bands with mo-hawks that were white and blue. The youngest was 2 years younger than me, my oldest was I think 6 years older than me. I had a lot of fun...nothing got too serious with any of them that year. Chris knew about every single one of them too. A while after Homecoming he came to my house to drop of the dance pictures and we swapped kissing stories. Mine kissing a 15 year old, on a bus, with all the drama kids, with my mom on the bus too....his a not so great experience in a car in a restaurant parking lot. We laughed, we talked, we were best friends.
Honestly I would have loved Chris to have asked me to Prom, that would have been pretty awesome. But he didn't, and another really nice guy asked me, and I had a lot of fun. But I still wish he would have asked me. Chris had I always wrote each other long love letter in each others year books. It was our thing. We would fill up a whole back page. He wrote in one of them, "Jessica when are we going to have our first kiss? I hope it is late one night in the rain." Swoon. He ended it, "Jessica you are my oxygen and my very life, if I am your carbon dioxide tell me to leave."
That summer after our Senior year was hard. I started really falling for Chris. I had loved him as my best friend for a long time, and I always wanted to be with him, and kind of see if there was more. One night we layed on his trampoline, bundled in blankets, chatting like always, cuddled up to each other on a cool summer night. He told me that he had kissed this girl...I younger girl at this party. That wasn't unusual, we always shared that kind of information, but I was totally falling for him, and we were cuddled up on the tramp together, and I was just crushed, I was so mad. Of course he didn't know why I was mad, I tried walking home by myself that night and he followed me in his car begging me to get in all the way down the street until I finally got into the back seat. I'm sure he was so confused, he knew how crazy I was, but usually I wasn't crazy to him. Through text messages I told him that I really liked him and he basically said, "Sorry, I have this thing going with this other girl." I was sad and mad. And I stopped talking to him.
I got this new boyfriend, that summer, he was a year younger than me so he was still in high school, a different high school. He was the quarterback and pitcher on his football and baseball teams, so naturally I thought he was a hunk. We really liked each other, we spent all our free time together, and had a lot of fun. Then one night he told me he was going to dinner with his family and that he would call me when he was done....I waited and waited and waited. I worked at Winger's, I wasn't working that night, but went in to talk to my friends while I waited for my boyfriend to be done with dinner. It was getting kind of late and I hadn't heard anything from him, so I headed home and made the small detour to drive by his house on the way. That is when I saw him standing outside....really close to another girl. Like kissing hugging close. I was LIVID! I have never screamed and cried so loud in my car. I seriously surprised I didn't crash me car. I couldn't believe it he was cheating on me! I went back to work where I had just came from, to tell my friends what I saw. I left a mean voice message to my boyfriend. And then I just didn't even know what to do. My friends had to work and I just needed someone to talk to, vent my feeling to, make me feel better. Chris, I needed Chris. But I had't talked to him in months because he had denied me when I told him how I felt. But I needed Chris. I called outside of Winger's as I was getting in my car. "Hi Chris," sniffle, sniffle, "Are you home? Can I come up?" Chris: "Yes, of course, come up."
I drove straight to his house. He had no idea what was going on. I had not talked to him in months. I got out of my car, he met me on his front lawn and wrapped his arms around me. Just what I needed. We went down to his basement and I told him everything that just happened. I cried I was angry, and he just listened, then cracked some jokes to make me laugh. But totally validated my feelings and made me feel a lot better. We watched some crazy show about people in the Amazon...and it was so nice to be friends again.
It was the end of summer now. We both started college. Me and BYU, Chris at UVU. We had our own lives, but we still spent time together. I wanted something so badly to happen between us, but the timing was just bad, he had a girl friend, and was going on a mission soon. I remember him coming over to my house late one fall night after he was done hanging out with whoever, I was home in my PJs. We just sat on my porch and talked. I distinclty remember wrapping my arms around him, and squeezing him tight. I was so happy he was there. It was late so he had to head home. I did not want him to leave. I wanted him to stay forever. Chris and I had never kissed. We hugged all the time, but there were no kisses. I wanted to kiss his so bad, but knew that wasn't going to happen. I stood at the curb as we said our goodbyes that night. I hugged him so so tight....and then....I kissed him on the cheek. I thought it was a pretty bold move on my part. Honestly I wanted him to just scoop me up and kiss me all night. But he didn't. He got in his car and drove away. Looking back. I think that is when I can say I was in love with Chris. I didn't know it then, but looking back now. I was totally in love with him, but he was my best friend, you love all your friends right?
Chris got his mission call, Long Beach, California. He had his farewell on New Years day. Leading up to his farewell we tried multiple times to get together, but it kept not working out. I didn't know why. I kind of felt like he was avoiding me. I went to his farewell alone and sat in the back on the metal chairs. I was heartbroken. I did not want him to leave, but knew he had to. The closing song was The Spirit of God, and I cried through the whole thing. My best friend was leaving me. I was crushed. I didn't go to his house after. Again, I wasn't friends with any of his friends, and I would have just felt out of place. I don't think we even really talked much before he went into the MTC. He just left. I was really sad for the first few days.
I wrote him in the MTC. He wrote back and said sorry things were awkward before he left and that they wouldn't be like that when he got home. But the important part was the very last sentence, word for word it said, "I love you Jessica." Way to leave me! He wrote me again in March when he was in Compton, CA. He again ended his letter, "I LOVE YOU!"
We were not dating at any point before he left, I didn't really even know where we stood, or how he felt about me. So...I went on with life. I started dating this great guy that was quite a bit older than me, he was smart, studying accounting at BYU and the elders quorum president. I remember talking to my cousin about this new boyfriend, and things had not gotten too serious yet, but I could kind of see them going that way. I told her that night that I don't think I could get married before Chris came home. I just had to wait and see what was there with him. Luckily that relationship didn't work out, and he thinks I'm a psycho now, but who doesn't'? A girl with a broken heart gets a little crazy. He still didn't need to say those mean things about me that totally got back to me.
I didn't write Chris very consistently, maybe once every month/couple months. After the first few letters we emailed. Spring of 2007 I started dated this guy, then went to Hawaii for a couple of months. I got an email from Chris that said this, "So i was wondering Why i haven't heard from you in like a month, and I decided that its gotta be because you have some new boyfriend! So tell me who is he? How old is he? And he better be good! Because jessica I'm not at my house right now and you cant go there late at night to talk to me." He knows me so well. He ended most emails with either, "I love you Jessica!" or "You are my favorite!" One said, " Jessica I still love you even though you have a boyfriend." (Oh my heck I love him so much!)
Well that next fall my relationship with my boyfriend went to crap. Horrible toxic relationship, but I just couldn't see it while in it! I'm so annoyed with myself. I didn't write Chris that much toward the end of his mission. He wrote me the beginning of December telling me he was coming home Dec 14th and not in January. I was so excited! I told him I did not have a boyfriend anymore, and that I wanted to see him that weekend he got back, and that I would totally be at his homecoming....well come to find out he never got my email, so when he got back he still though I was taken.
He came home on a Friday and I wanted to see him so bad! But I didn't hear anything from him. So I had to wait two whole days til his homecoming on Sunday. I went to the homecoming with my friend Christie. I was so nervous and excited, I couldn't handle it. I just had no idea how it would be to see him again. He gave an amazing talk, and told some amazing stories from his mission. After sacrament meeting everyone went up to the front to welcome him home and chat with him. I stayed back til the very end...I wanted my time, I didn't want to be rushed through the line. I stood there by the benches just watching and waiting....and then the people cleared. He looked at me I looked at him and we both smiled so big. Then we embraced in the best hug in the entire world. It was a big, long, tight hug and I didn't want to let go.....and not to be cheesy, but if I hug can be magical....this one was. So magical. I piece of me was finally home, and it felt amazing to hug again. We talked for a little big and then he needed to get home to all his friends and family.
As I was thinking about Chris being home I kind of started to panic. I realized that he would probably be dating girls and eventually getting married. That broke my heart. If Chris married another girl we couldn't be best friends any more. I wasn't ready to lose him as a friend. I knew at that time that I either had to marry Chris or find someone just like him to marry.
Monday I went to school as usual. I was totally anxious the whole day, I wanted to see Chris so bad. I didn't know if he had my number though, and I didn't know if he had a cell phone yet. I had planned to just go straight from school to his house. On my way home my phone started ringing. I looked down, and it says Chris Mitton, AH! It was Chris! He had the same number as before. I told him I was on my way over! He said great. I spent that night eating bagels and locks with him and his parents just talking, then we went to the singles ward FHE together. There was definitely some flirting happening that night. I loved being with him.
I don't think I saw him for a few days after that. I think he was going on dates and hanging out with some other friends. On his birthday I was having a dinner with all of my high school friends and asked him if he wanted to come. He came. It was weird though. I didn't want it to seem like we were on a date...but what were we?...it was weird. After that we spent a lot of time together. One night I was over had his house watching a movie and we were cuddled up to each other. I went home so confused. I didn't know what was happening. It was like all of a sudden he liked me, really liked me and I didn't know how to deal with it. I texted him something about it, that totally confused him. Something about him dating other people, but still making time for me. He told me that I "was his number 1 priority". Swoon.
Nothing changed much we still spent a ton of time together. One night in the middle of January we were hanging out in his basement. I was laying on the couch, he was laying on the floor below me, and we were just talking, and flirting....something had to happen. What was going on here? It was super confusing. It was getting really late. We walked out to the car to go home, and it was raining....in January. It was late one night in the rain.....sound familiar (Yearbook)? We were standing really close just talking, with it sprinkling rain, and he just grabbed me and kissed me, then kissed me again. I just didn't even know what to think?! I think I was honestly in shock. It was like a dream....the guy I have been in love with forever just kissed me...but he was my best friend, is this going to ruin everything?...I didn't know. I'm going to be honest here it was an awkward first kiss, at least for me. Just because it was my very best friend kissing me!
He took me home and kissed me some more....I still didn't know what to think. I was in complete shock and confusion. From that night on, Chris did not stop kissing me. He kissed me at any moment he could. We were in church one Sunday and went into a room after church to put some stuff away in a closet and he grabbed me and kissed me. I was like, "Christopher! Not church." He just smiled.
I even told him at one point that he had to stop kissing me. He just had to. I had to figure out what was going on. Then I told him that we should definitely date other people he just got home from his mission! I told him that we were both getting dates for Saturday that next weekend. I got date....not to sound full of myself, but it was pretty darn easy. I was in the business school at BYU where 98% of the class was male. Easy shmeezy, flirt a little, and it was a done deal. Chris was planning on asking a girl out in one of his classes...he never did. So I was the jerk. I went on the date, came home as early as possible and spent the rest of the night with Chris. I only wanted to be with him, who was I kidding?
Never again did we try to date other people. We were best friends, we were in love, and we were going to get married. I still was trying to wrap my head around the fact that he was actually in love with me and wanted to be with me. We had been friends for so long, I had been in love with him long before he came home from his mission and now he actually loved me? Could it even be possible? It was like a dream. I really really great dream.
Everyone always says you should marry your best friend, and I am lucky enough to have done just that. There is no one that I trusted more. There is no one that knew me as well as he did. He knew exactly how emotionally crazy I could be, and he still wanted to marry me.
We got engaged in May married in August, just 8 months after he got home from his mission. It seemed really fast and out of the blue for most people, because they just didn't know the whole back story. We didn't have this love at first sight experience, where we were absolutely crazy about each other right away. It was slow, over many many years, amazing, just slowing falling in love, the best love in the whole world.
So even though I didn't get him in the 5th grade, I got him for eternity.
2 comments:
Super cute and one great love story!
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