Rom-Coms Don't Prepare You

Sarah and Cam had feelings for one another for a long time. Neither of them realized how strong their connection was until they were older. As children, they would chase each other as kids do. Sometimes they would push each other down, but mostly they got along really well.

When Cam was eight, he fell while trying to ride his bike down a hill. His bone broke in two places and he had to have surgery. Sarah stayed by him all the time, helping him get around or bringing things to him. She even learned to make tacos, since those were his favorite.

Cam would return the favor two years later, when Sarah broke her arm falling off a trampoline. She was double-bounced and flew off the side, landing on her arm. Cam ran to help her and stayed with her while they cast her arm at the hospital. During her recovery, Cam used all the change he had saved up to buy her grape soda and Cheetos at least three times per week. They usually shared the soda and Cheetos, which would make their lips orange and purple.

The two shared so many memories together. There were countless games of hide-and-seek, numerous birthday parties, and a few trips to amusement parks. When Cam was fourteen, he shared with Sarah that he liked a girl named Kim. Sarah was excited. Cam had never liked a girl before, so she got to hear all about it. Sarah already knew Kim because she was a friend from a few houses down, but until now, they were just friends.

Cam told Sarah he really wanted to kiss her, and Sarah told him he should just do it one day.

“Don’t ask, dumbo. Just wait until a moment where you know she wants you to kiss her, like in the movies.” Sarah said.

“No, I couldn’t. What if she doesn’t want me to? That would be embarrassing.”

“She likes you too. I know she does. She looks at you like the girls in the movies, look at the guys in the movies.”

“Do you think you watch too many movies?”

Cam laughed at her jokingly, and Sarah laughed too. They both knew she was a freak about romantic movies. She had always wanted to one day fall in love like that. Cam didn’t really care about watching romantic movies, but he would watch them with Sarah if she asked.

Cam did work up his nerve to kiss Kim. It was awkward. Kim liked Cam, but when they kissed, it was just not what either of them was expecting. They decided that would be the end of that and they would just stay friends. Sarah was a little disappointed. She was hoping to watch Cam’s romance bloom, but it wasn’t the time.

When Sarah was fifteen, she started dating Joel, a transfer student who had only lived in town for a couple of weeks. Joel wasn’t a romantic. He liked action movies and hanging out with some friends. He would only hang out with Sarah at school, so even though they were seeing each other, they were really just a couple during school hours. The relationship wasn’t really what Sarah wanted, but they stayed together until halfway through the school year. After that, she started dating Jacob.

“What is with you and J names?” Cam asked her after she told him.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you try a J name? I hear Jennifer Knack really likes you.”

“Jennifer Knack, are you crazy? She always smacks her gum, and it is so annoying.”

“C’mon, she is cute. You are going to hold her gum smacking against her?”

“Yes, no gum smacking. It’s a rule.”

The two laughed and talked about other “rules” for dating. It seemed they could bond of anything. At eighteen, Cam left for college. They knew they would miss each other, but neither realized how much. After six months, Cam asked Sarah if she wanted to go visit him, to which she quickly agreed.

Sarah was looking at colleges for her to attend in a few short months and she used the excuse that she wanted to tour the school. Her parents knew better. They knew how much she missed Cam. Sarah wanted to go by herself, but her parents decided to make it a family trip.

They drove to the campus and as they approached; they saw a big brick building with a large grassy area in front of it.

“That’s it!” Sarah shouted. She pointed at the sign with the university name and her dad turned the wheel to go toward the front entrance. Sarah wanted to get out and take a selfie in front of the entrance to text Cam.

He was expecting them, so when he got her text, he told them to meet him at the dorm. A few minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot and Cam was waiting. Sarah rushed out of the car almost before it even stopped and gave him a big hug.

“Hey, what are we, chopped liver?”

Cam let go of Sarah and headed over to give his parents a hug.

“Hey pops, how was the trip?”

“Oh, you know, with these two, I couldn’t get any peace.”

They all laughed, and then Cam showed them around the campus. They toured the area, Cam showed off his dorm room, and then they went off campus for a meal at his favorite restaurant, Oregano’s. Cam insisted they try the lasagna. It was his favorite, and he knew Sarah would love it.

After dinner, Cam and Sarah wanted to hang out for a while, so Cam agreed to drop her off at the hotel later. Cam took her to a rec area on campus where there were games to play, like pool, foosball, and a ton of arcade games.

“What is this place?” Sarah asked. She looked around like she was Alice in Wonderland; enchanted by everything.

“This is a retro bar. Some things are retro, some things aren’t, but it is just a place for everyone to hang out. C’mon, check this out.”

Cam took her into a big room that looked like a makeshift movie theater.

“Perfect timing. The show is just about to start.” Cam said.

He grabbed a couple of bags of popcorn as they found some seats. The movie started playing, and Sarah recognized it easily.

“Shaun of the Dead!” Sarah laughed. Cam knew it was one of her favorites. She loved the romantic aspect of the movie, even though it was more of a sub-plot. It was a movie they always enjoyed watching together, as Cam loved zombie movies in general.

The two sat and watched the gore, and Sarah put her head on Cam’s shoulder. It felt like Cam had never left. Sarah definitely wanted to go to school there with Cam.

Two years later, the two had a small ceremony. It was just them and a few friends. Their parents weren’t there. There was no marriage certificate. No one but them and their friends would recognize their love, but it didn’t stop them. The small, intimate wedding was beautiful. It rained softly during the ceremony, which got everyone wet, but they didn’t care.

Just before they said their vows, Sarah leaned over to Cam and whispered, “I love that you remembered I wanted to get married in the rain.”