June, also known as Rose Month brings with it the fragrance of love and romance. It is memorable for both Aaliyah and me! Years ago, our love story brewed over a cup of coffee during this month. It feels like yesterday when I had seen her at a friend’s wedding.

It was followed by a long wait of two weeks before she finally agreed to go on a date with me! I still remember the butterflies she gave me when she had walked in wearing that floral long dress. The writer in me was smitten and I felt tongue-tied to compliment her.

When we had moved into this apartment, I had decorated the flower vase on our living room corner table with red roses. Aaliyah’s favorite! Even after years, this hasn’t changed.

Fond memories always bring a smile! My thoughts were interrupted by Aaliyah. “Bob, I am going to set up the candles and the dim lights. Make sure you take out the cake from the oven after three minutes,” she said. “I will do that my love!” I replied. Every year we celebrate this month by taking some time off for a short vacation. This year we will spend it differently!

Today, we are going to have a date night at home. She is baking a blueberry cheesecake for me. Something which she had baked on our first anniversary. I am going to surprise her with a booklet of doodle art where I have sketched our journey so far.

Each shade of rose has symbolic interpretations. Red symbolizes love and romance, pink represents gratitude and orange defines passion. The yellow ones define friendship and the white ones represent innocence and purity. Just like roses, a relationship must have different hues. A blend of love, friendship, admiration, respect, trust, purity and understanding to make it stronger.

Love is a beautiful feeling. It conquers all. It is effortless! Doing something for your beloved comes naturally from within. Loving and being loved, both give a priceless feeling!

However, tender like petals, a relationship needs time and patience to grow. Some people believe that life is perfect with the right person. I believe that we need to make it work right with the person we fall in love with. Whether we let it blossom or not is our choice!

Share how your love story has blossomed over time!