"You know that elderly couple that was in the shop this afternoon?"

"The Smiths? Yeah, they were our only walk-ins today. What about them?"

"As I was watching them, when they were listening to you, I couldn't help but notice how much they were still in love. They must have been married for what, at least 45-50 years?"

"I guess."

Janet continued on, not really looking at Eddie or anything for that matter. She was just thinking, looking into space. "I mean the whole time you were talking to them he was stroking her hand and playing with her wedding ring. Did you know that?"

"No, I wasn't really paying attention. I was just trying to convince them to buy a few doors!"

"I hope I find true love like that some day." She continued to stare off into space and did not notice that Eddie was clearly upset by what she just said.

"What do you mean 'someday'?"

Janet came back to earth, "What?"

"What about right now? Wasn't it just yesterday when you declared your love for me?"

"Yeah-"

"And now, what, you are saying you don't anymore?" Janet was taken back; she did not understand why he was getting so upset about this. She did not mean anything by it, wasn't trying to casually say she did not care about him. It was actually the opposite. She wanted what the Smith's had, only with him.

"Eddie I never said anything close to that. Actually I wanted-"

"Yes you did! You just said how you would like to have a true love someday… so what, I'm not good enough?"

"Wow, babe you are over reacting! I love you. Okay? But I don't think we can say what we have right now is 'true love'. Yeah it is real, but, it's too early."

"Why? Isn't true love when you are so involved, so happy, so blissfully in love with someone to the point where you cannot see yourself holding anyone else in your arms 30 years, hell 100 years, down the road?!"

"Well I guess. But you really think we have all that?"

Eddie was crushed; the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, who was the only thing that felt right, ever, in his life was telling him she did not believe they had a future. "I can't believe that you don't think that."

He didn't know whether to storm out of her house in outrage or try to make her understand, try to make her believe they had true love. But his head was spinning in circles (the umpteen glasses of wine did not help) and he was so angry, he knew if he tried to make her believe in that moment, it wouldn't go smoothly.

Eddie got up from the table and leaned over the kitchen sink. His breathing started to get heavier and she could tell he was getting tense. "Eddie, I'm sorry. I did not mean it like that. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I love you a lot… but don't you think it is still early in our relationship to know if we are meant to last forever? I mean like you said, we only said the 'L word' to each other yesterday."

The whole time she was talking he never turned around; partly because he did want her to know his eyes were full with tears and partly because he was just being stubborn. He waited a few seconds to answer her to compose himself. "But it it's right, why wouldn't we be able to tell right now? Why do we have to see if in time, we are meant to be? I do not want anyone else J. And I do not want you to want anyone else either."

Despite his attempt to not seem emotional, his right eye let out a slow dripping stream down his cheek. Never did she imagine that she would ever make this man cry not-happy tears. She was surprised she was not crying herself! She did not know what to say, she wanted to believe that he was the one. She wanted to believe that they could last forever and that what he said was all true, that they would know if they were meant to be by now, but what did she know about true love?! Eddie was her first significant relationship. What were the chances that he would be her one and only?

Honestly, it was too good to be true. She didn't want to risk it.

Her stunned silence did not reassure him any less, so he decided to let her be. "I'm ganna go. The stew was- perfect. Your surprise is in the laundry room in a plastic bag. I hope you like it." With that said, he grabbed his keys and left Janet standing alone in her very ,very peaceful house.

Right on time, her eyes began to water like crazy. After standing in the same place in the kitchen, utterly in shock, for a few minutes, she dashed into the laundry room and saw a plastic grocery bag. She took out a huge orange and white bag of her favorite junk food snack- cheese puffs.

Never did she ever feel so alone, so hurt, and so in need to dive into those cheese puffs.