Enemies To Lovers

Ravi Patel: 

I sighed before walking through the gates, still disappointed not to have any friends in my class. Stumbling my way to class, just before the bell rings, I take the only spot left. I hesitated before walking to the seat. I took one look at her as all my feelings came rushing back. "Not again,'' I groaned. I quietly sat down next to her, avoiding eye contact. "Hi,'' she quietly whispered. I was lost for words, I knew if I looked back at her all my feelings would come bolting back. I quickly waved and gave her a quick smile, I glanced at her as I saw her face lit up with the warmest smile I had ever seen. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach as I began to blush. She has the most gorgeous eyes I'd ever seen. Her smile got me spiralling back to the time we first met. It wasn't exactly love at first sight, but it was something like that. The first time we spoke, I felt it. An ache. Like an electric burn, I felt my life change. 

After endless glances, the bell finally rang. I quickly got up and rushed to the nearest toilet. I stood in front of the mirror for a while, staring at myself, "How did I let this happen'' I thought. It took only one look for all the memories to come flashing back. I picked up my books and saw my hands had gone all sweaty. Looking back up at the mirror, my face was drenched in sweat. All this happening just because of one glance, one smile, one wave. I couldn't go on like this. This obsession had taken over me, it was all I could think about. She was a thief, and I was a beggar. She had stolen everything from me: the air from my lungs, the heart in my chest, and all of the thoughts within my mind. The entirety of what she had stolen is hers, and I keep begging her to take more. 

I hurried out of the toilet only to bump into Seb. I tried not to be jealous of Talia's only friend, but sometimes I wish I were him. When they laughed together, worked together, I wished it was me. Jealousy is a funny thing. I'm not jealous that she gets along with him better than she does with me, I'm not jealous that she gives him more attention than she gives me, I'm not jealous that she seeks to have more conversations with him than me. I'm not jealous. I just envy that she can't seem to have that with me. It makes me feel that I'm not good enough. Or that I don't have the qualities he does. I get jealous of the thought that she will never love me as much as she loves him. It's the thought of her always treating him the way I begged her to treat me. I get jealous because I know she would choose him over me instantly.

Talia Thompson:

I walked into school thinking about the fun times Seb and I had. Holding back my tears, I walked through the gates, unaware of my surroundings causing me to bump into someone. Hiding the pain in my voice, I quietly said sorry. I looked up as my heart skipped a beat. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. We both stood there for a minute, staring at each other. The silence finally broke when he said, "Good to see you". My face finally lit up after weeks of misery. Tears rolled down my eyes, but this time, tears of joy. With my mouth still open, I quietly whispered, "Seb," as he pulled me in for a hug.

For the first time this year, I had a smile. Walking to class just in time for the bell, I take the only two seats left. Someone ran up behind me, panting frantically. I look up to see Ravi. I sighed quietly, preparing myself for another year with him. I decided to say hi. He rapidly waves and smiles at me. Something about him feels different this year, I feel myself unable to stop looking at him. Something about him pulls me in. I quickly pull myself together. "Talia, this is Ravi we're talking about, the guy you've hated forever. You can't possibly be falling for him,'' I thought nervously. I have never truly fallen in love with somebody alive, only characters in books. I didn't want Ravi to snatch my first love, but I couldn't help myself. I always thought love only belonged in fantasies, never for me to grasp in the real world, only on ink and paper. But still, I read books upon books, pages upon pages, just to get some semblance of what it would be like. I'll fall in love again and again, with characters from every story, because I know, the only way they could ever break my heart is by living inside my head. I know Ravi is just like every other guy. He'll break my heart and leave, though I couldn't help myself.

I love books, mainly romance, especially Enemies to Lovers. What is so beautiful about enemies to lovers? A standard answer is. Hate and love are two sides of the same coin. That one emotion is just a form of the other. But when I look at it, I think, ''That is not where the beauty lies''. The most consuming trope of all is seeing two people despise everything about each other, their dynamic poisoned with bitter hatred. And yet, they are still able to work through it. They cure themselves of the poison that consumes them. They see the ugliest parts of one another and yet still learn to love them. So every time I see enemies become lovers, I think to myself, "I hope that somebody, someone, will see the ugliest parts of me and still love me for who I am''. I've hated Ravi for as long as I can remember. I've seen the ugliest parts of him and eventually have come to love him. I just wish he would see the ugliest parts of me one day and love me too. 

My mind was all over the place with Ravi, I couldn't tell anyone because Seb, the only friend I have, hates Ravi. So I'm all alone. Whenever I feel alone, I tend to write poems. Poetry is my ticket out of this world. When I'm writing, I am at peace. I started writing love poems, writing and writing, I couldn't stop.

You are the ocean, serene and living free.

While I am the tide drifting along the sea. 

The ocean is fine without the tide, a fact you can't disregard. 

Yet I do not know who I am without being by your shore. 

The tide cannot exist without the ocean. That so much is true. 

So yes, I may be a part of you, but you are all of me. 

A week had passed, I had this aching feeling to tell him I loved him. All week I had been drowning in thoughts, imagining what it would be like to be with him. In classes, he would give me glances thinking I wouldn't notice. I thought he loved me too, but I convinced myself I was being delusional. But this feeling had eaten me, and I knew It couldn't be like this, so I decided to shoot my shot. I printed my poem out and snuck it into his locker. All day, he hadn't said a word to me. Suddenly he snuck up behind me and whispered in my ear. "Meet me here at lunch". At lunch, I walked back. When I got there, he was standing there, smiling. And there we were, standing before each other, completely unaware of what would happen next, what should happen next. We could both feel it erupting within us, I loved him, all of him. I looked at the eyes that confessed they loved me back, then to the lips that revealed to me that they wanted this, and down to those cold hands that reminded me they'd always be there to hold me. I knew then that I wanted him, not just in that moment but for a while. Maybe even forever. That's when I felt genuine love for the first time. 

Me falling for him was unique. I barely knew him. I barely knew the sound of his voice or the comfort of his touch. But I fell in love. It's not one of those things that words can explain. He just felt different from the rest of the world. He had this spark about him that no one else did, Something that precious couldn't be ignored. So I fell in love with him. I fell in love with the light he gave me. I fell in love with the way he made me believe.