Destiny Pearliea month agoMy boyfriend (21M) and I (20F) have been together for almost four years now. We go to the same college, but he’s about to graduate in one semester while I still have two to go. After graduation, he plans to go to grad school at a university that will make our relationship long-distance for the next five years. We’ve been medium-distance before, especially in the beginning of our relationship, so we know we can handle it. Still, I know we’ll miss each other terribly since we’ve been so fortunate to be close for so long. I often spend the night at his apartment, and without fail, I always cuddle with this one plushie he’s had for as long as I’ve known him. It’s the perfect size and squishiness, and it’s always felt special to me because of how much it reminds me of him. Flash forward to Christmas Eve. He brought the plushie to my house, just like we sometimes do when we exchange our "children" (the plushies we’ve accumulated over time). I didn’t think much of it at first; I assumed he was just leaving it with me for a few nights like usual, then would take it back to his place. After we exchanged presents, my boyfriend stopped me before he left, staring into my eyes for a moment. I could tell he was wrestling with something internally, and then he took the plushie from my bed and told me it was mine now. He said it would "keep me company" when he left for grad school. I couldn’t help but cry when he said that. This moment brought back memories of when he left for college for the first time, and I felt the weight of how much he must love me to give me something so precious. This plushie has been with him since he was a freshman in high school (around 14 years old) and is from one of his favorite video game franchises. It meant so much for him to give it to me, and I knew it wasn’t an easy decision. As if it couldn’t get more thoughtful, he sprayed it with his cologne and promised to do so every time he could. I told him I couldn’t take it, knowing how much it meant to him, but he reassured me with, "It’s not like I won’t see [the plushie] again." It made me laugh through my tears because, of course, he was right. We still have one semester left where we live close to each other, and even after he graduates, we’ll visit each other regularly. So, no matter what, he’ll still see his beloved plushie.135
Destiny PearlieDestiny Pearlie