There are moments in life that define who you are, or who you'll eventually become.    

It can be something as simple as a compliment or a criticism. It can be a piece of music, a movie, a photograph... anything. I guess it all kind of depends on the person.     

I thought I'd been through that defining moment, but looking back on it now, I was so very wrong. That real defining moment would come much later, even though I didn't know it at the time.    

I truly believed I had absolutely no clue who I was, until the day I met him.     

I can't give you some sob story about my horrible past. I can't say that I've had some perfect life either, I just... I had a life, if that makes any sense. I grew up with a good family, good friends, I put myself through college, got my nursing degree and found a job at a hospital. I bought a car, an apartment that I can't always afford, and I lived my life.     

It's not a fairytale, it's not terrible... it's just my life, and I was perfectly content with it. I won't say I was some giddy freak, running through the streets, singing about the sheer awesomeness of my life, but I was just fine.    

Then, he came along.     

I wasn't expecting him. I wasn't even really looking for him. He just kind of showed up one day and weaseled his way into my life, and it hasn't been the same since.     

For several years, we were merely acquaintances. He was a good friend of my brothers, and it's a well known fact that friends of siblings, or the siblings of friends, are off-limits.      

But, that never stopped Justin.     

For reasons beyond my knowledge, he took an interest in me, and before I knew it, I'd been upgraded from casual acquaintance to friends. Before I realized it, two years had passed, and I was far closer to Justin than my brother ever was.     

And, as it seems to happen when a man and woman go beyond that friends boundary and become closer than they'd planned, things begin happening.    

Justin and I were no different.    

To put it simply, we fell for each other.    

At the time, I knew it was a horrible idea. Far too many things were at stake. If something went wrong, not only would our friendship be destroyed, but I also had to consider the fact that he was a good friend of my brothers, I didn't want to be responsible for any damage done to their relationship.    

See... even then, I knew it was a bad idea. But, it didn't stop me.     

Four dates in, and I just knew.     

I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. I knew I wanted him to be the father of my children. I just knew.     

However, as sure as I was, I wasn't a fortune teller. I couldn't have imagined, or really even planned for the things that would happen to us after five years.     

Even now, I know there was no way I could have stopped what happened to us. It was inevitable.      

We were too young, too stupid, too in love.     

I can't say I'm pleased with the way things ended, but it had to happen one way or another. We couldn't have kept going the way we were.     

Maybe it's good that we walked away when we did, because things could have gone much, much worse.     

The fact of the matter is, sometimes... things just don't work out.     

You get older, you want different things, you grow apart.    

And that is exactly what happened to Justin and I.