You know those summer flings that are just pure magic? Well, for about five or six years, I had the same one, with the same girl, every single summer. We started when I was 18 and she was 19, in a beautiful beach town in Europe. She was my next-door neighbor there, and everyone knew that summer romances were just part of the deal. People would try to make them last, but they usually faded by the next year. But ours was different. We both loved it. It was like living in the honeymoon phase of a relationship for five years straight because of the long breaks. We'd share books, talk for hours, and she always made me laugh. We’d kiss and make love on those beaches under the most incredible, star-filled skies. I honestly think some of those memories are the best of my life. By the end, we both wanted more. We decided to try long-distance for a year, with her planning to move to my city once I found a new job. But then came my first trip to visit her in her home country -- I ended up getting brutally beaten, almost to within an inch of my life, just because of my ethnicity. That night, it all clicked. I knew it just wouldn't work. We still keep in touch now, and sometimes I look back and wish things could have been different. I still revisit those particular memories with such fondness almost every day, picturing how it would've been if life hadn't been so messed up. But, life goes on. #summermemory #EuropeanSummerVibes #LoveStory #BeachTowns #FirstLove #WhatIf #BittersweetMoments #SummerLove #Relationships