It has been the topic of many songs, poems, and high school conversations. It drives you crazy yet keeps you sane. What is love? Give it whatever definition you will, but love is not just one set thing. It is different for everyone, but it has rules, and this is the story of how I broke them every one.

Rule #1: Never fall for the bad boy.
I am getting out of my car at the public library and I step in gum. I am not talking a little piece of gum; this person must have chewed the entire pack of Zebra Stripes. I made terrible faces as I pulled and pulled and pulled at it with a paper towel from my dash. Finally, I ventured on into the library with my book bag over my left shoulder, hot coffee in my right hand. As I went to push open the heavy glass doors they instead pushed open into me. My coffee went all over me. It looked like a volcano of sweet caffeine had erupted all over my yellow tank top.
I was enraged. I wanted to cry and scream all at the same time. My body was burning and I dropped my book bag onto the pavement. Somebody better start apologizing, fast.
“My bad darlin’”
“Yeah, it was definitely your bad. Now I have to go all the way home and change my stupid clothes and come back to do this…” I stopped mid sentence and looked up. I had no idea what I had planned on finishing that sentence with because I was pretty sure Orlando Bloom himself had come off my wall and was standing right in front of me.
His dark hair was curly, and tousled in that “I just woke up” kind of way. I looked down at my clothes, making sure I hadn’t changed into a swim suit and dove right into his baby blue eyes. Nope, the coffee stain was still there, but I wasn’t as mad anymore. Then it hit me that I was just standing there gawking at this stranger, like a moron.
“No way am I going to let you go all the way home to change, I’d feel terrible! Here, I have an extra t-shirt in my car if you don’t mind smelling like a guy.” He smiled a half smile, but you could tell he amused himself. I still stood there with my eyes wide, not saying anything.
I think I mumbled “sure” or “okay” because he jogged off to his pick-up truck and came back with a dark gray t-shirt in his hand. He handed it over and shoved his hands in his pockets. The silence was becoming awkward.
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“Hey, it was no problem. It was the least I could do after I burnt you. Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine. Thanks again.” I desperately wiped at my shirt, hoping I had ended the conversation, but he stuck around.
“So, my names Reese, what might yours be?” There was that stupid half smile again. Please remember your name, please remember your name.
“Anna. My name is Anna.” Thank you J***s.
He reached out and grabbed my wrist, gently, then pulled a pen from his pocket. As he was scribbling on my wrist I snapped back into reality. Who did this guy think he was? He had just spilled coffee all over me and now he thought I wanted his number! I jerked my wrist away.
“Who do you think you are writing on my wrist? Did you just assume I wanted your phone number because you were nice to me? Thanks for the shirt buddy, but no thanks.” I shoved the shirt back at him, went straight to my car, and drove all the way home angry. As I was getting out of my car I glanced down at the coffee stain and then at the writing on my wrist.
I already had every digit memorized.
?

Rule # 2: Never give in too easily.
It was two weeks before I saw him again, but when I did relief filled my body. I hadn’t called to apologize, I hadn’t called at all, yet the number screamed at me from my memory every day.
I went into the market on Main Street and was looking at a People magazine when I saw him. He didn’t see me at first, so I took advantage of the time I had to study him. He was truly gorgeous. He was the kind of attractive that you saw in Hollywood with paparazzi following their every move. He was suave, and every girl turned their head and tried not to stare when he walked in. I sunk down behind my magazine and prayed he didn’t see me.
A few minutes passed. I peered above my magazine and he was standing right there in my face; like he had been standing there just waiting for me to see him.
“Well hello there stranger.”
So much for prayer.
“Hello,” I casually said, and turned a few pages in the magazine. I pretended to be really interested in a page about calorie intake. He put his hand on the magazine and pushed it away from my face.
“So, since you never called I thought I’d just come find you.”
“You did not come here to find me. There is no possible way you could have known I’d be here today; I didn’t even know I’d be here today!” I ranted.
“Okay, so you caught me. I have been thinking about it though, and I think we should go on a date. How about it?”
“How about nothing, I don’t do dates with boys like you,” I spat that line out with hopes for an insult, but it ended up sounding like a compliment in some weird way.
“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it. I’ll pick you up at 7:30 tonight. If you don’t like me after tonight, I’ll leave you alone and spill coffee on some other girl. Deal?” His signature half smile appeared and I couldn’t help but smile a full one back, teeth and all.
“Deal.”
I wrote down my address and he went about his way. I sank down into the magazine rack and closed my eyes, when I opened them he was standing against the next aisle down with a pleased expression. He had me right where he wanted me, and he knew it.
?
Rule #3: Don’t date a friend.
I was a frantic mess when the doorbell rang. My hair was wild, falling in half straight half curled pieces down my back. I couldn’t find my left shoe, but my poodle did. He was chewing on it in the corner when I answered the door.
“Just a minute,” I held up one finger, taking a much needed deep breath. I ran though the hallway, changed shoes, and sprayed on a sprits of Vera Wang: Princess, then I went back to greet Reese.
He was standing over the kitchen island, flipping through the newspaper when I found him.
“Man, that Garfield is something else.” He chuckled, and I offered a toothy grin his way.
“We better leave before I change my mind.”
“You won’t change your mind.”
He drove his truck with the windows down and the music at a reasonable level. My hair blew in the summer breeze, and I just let it. It couldn’t make it any worse than it already was.
“So, where are you taking me?”
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” he winked, and I melted right there into that leather seat.
We drove in silence for a while, enjoying the summer sun. Then finally, he turned down a small dirt road that I never knew existed; if you didn’t know it was there, you’d never see it. He drove to the end of the road, and I saw a small dock on part of the lake I had never been to before. A sad looking row boat was tied to the dock. I was getting nervous; no one said anything about a bathing suit.
“Come on Princess,” Reese gestured for me to come with him as he got out of his truck.
“Why did you call me that?” I laughed a small laugh. He didn’t know me well enough to give me a pet name yet.
He reached into the back of the truck and pulled out a picnic basket, “That’s what perfume you are wearing, right?”
I froze getting out of the truck. I heard the door slam, but I didn’t remember doing it. I was dazed. He knew what perfume I had on? I nodded a faint nod as he took my hand and led me out onto the dock.
“We aren’t going out on that are we?” I looked warily at the pitiful boat, and took a seat beside Reese on the dock. He shook his head.
We began to eat the food he had packed, and talked about school.
As we stood up to leave, he shoved me into the lake, clothes and all; so much for looking good on the first date.
“I’m afraid of fish you idiot!” I screamed. He helped pull me out, and I felt like a drown rat.
“I love fish, I’d love to work at an aquarium or something.”
After two hours of talking and then talking all the way back to my house, I realized Reese was pretty cool. I enjoyed hanging out with him, and I now considered him a friend.
For three weeks after our lake date, I kept telling myself every night when he called that we were just friends. But four weeks later, that friend became my boyfriend.
?
Rule #4: Love without holding back.
This rule, I did not break.
This rule, I held very close to my heart.
And this rule, is the rule that has held Reese and I together for four long years.
Love is not just one set thing, it is different for everyone. But it has rules, and sometimes you have to break them to find out what love is for yourself.