2014

By Sophie Zhang

It is amazing how you draw a blank when trying to describe the biggest and best feelings you’ve ever had.1. 当你试图描绘记忆中最美妙的感受时，发现自己竟头脑一片空白。draw a blank: 脑中一片空白。It’s not that I’ve forgotten them—the rush of emotions that swell into my chest and the occasional but oh my god noticeable quickening of the heartbeat are physical reminders of those feelings.2. swell into: 涌进；quickening: 兴奋，加快。All of my life, words and the consequent flow of my pen have been my therapy and my defense.3. consequent: 随之发生的，由此引起的；therapy: 疗法，治疗；defense: 防御，防护。But now my page is blank.

I suppose I could start at the beginning. Waking up in the morning after the first night and wondering if he remembered my name. If I would ever see him again. The excitement at the prospect4. prospect: （尤指好事发生的）可能性。of seeing him again. And then the time after that and the time after that and the time after that and all the way to today. The nervous yet warm tingle I felt in my chest every time I saw his name on my phone.5. 每当在手机上看见他的名字，我胸口便是一阵激动，有点紧张，又很暖心。tingle: 激动，震颤。Or feel, I suppose. Not past tense. This is my every moment, my every day, my life.

So I guess I could tell you that I’m in love, but what does that mean to you. What do you care that I feel like I can find magic and adventure just about everywhere as long as we’re together? What does it matter when I tell you that we are intertwined6. intertwine: （使）紧密相连。? These moments are swift and fast but they are a collection of something special, something—can’t tell you what it means but I know what it means—which creates and shapes our love. Looking at the stars in different countries, late night chats about everything and nothing, dreams of an even more exciting future with more to come. Those are some moments that come to mind7. come to mind: 出现在脑海中。. But let me tell you about everything in between, from the glamorous to the unglamorous—that one time I walked out of the bathroom with a trail of toilet paper stuck on my foot.8. glamorous: 极富魅力的，非常吸引人的，unglamorous是其反义词；a trail of: 一串，一长条；stick on: 粘贴在……上。That one gross cookie—sorry, inside joke—that oops,didn’t photograph so well.9. 这是我们两人之间的笑话，哎呀，虽然画面并不太美。gross cookie: 即inside joke，指知情人才懂的笑话；oops: 哎哟，啊呀（某人摔倒、掉了某物或出小差错时的用语）。That time I got on the train,knowing I wouldn’t see you for months.

爱，是身体的一种记忆——某一个瞬间，微妙的情绪便涌上心头；看到他的那一眼，心跳就忽然加速。爱，是两个人的默契，是外人听不懂的笑话，让一切鸡毛蒜皮都变得有意思起来。爱，是无法言说的美妙，纵使我再锦心绣口，也想不出合适的词。我爱你，这样的感觉该如何描述？

These words are hard to write. There doesn’t seem to be a word that’s good enough for us. I could string together a million beautiful words and still it wouldn’t feel right.10. 纵使我能列出无数华美辞藻，也仍旧无法找到合适的那枚词。string together: 把（一组事物）连起来。But maybe that’s part of the magic, if you know what I mean. Think about it this way. Living in a world where there are only two people but you are never lonely, where you are never bored, where there seems to be endless potential11. potential: 可能性，潜在性。for adventures. This is the same world where we rede fine old clichés,12. rede fine: 再定义；cliché: 陈词滥调，老生常谈。but not really. They just seem different and personal and beautiful in this world. The same world where cheesiness is real and genuine,13. cheesiness: 庸俗，廉价；genuine: 真正的，非伪造的。where there is never enough time, where there doesn’t seem to be anything else you could ever want. Somewhere deep down I know that these worlds exist among other people. But when we’re together, I believe that our world is special and one of a kind14. one of a kind: 与众不同的，独一无二的。.

It isn’t rational15. rational: 有理性的，理智的。. It isn’t logical to tell someone your secrets, let them see you out of the shower with leftover makeup dripping down your face.16. leftover: 剩余的；makeup: 化妆品。I don’t know what I was thinking when I let him see the mess I made out of my Christmas light “decorations.” Is it crazy to believe he loves me anyway? Although I guess maybe that’s also the beauty of this whole thing. Not having to think about it. Knowing that I’ll still be beautiful and wonderful no matter what.

I think he’s pretty beautiful and wonderful, too. Smart.Funny. You don’t know the type, I’m telling you; sorry. He’s one of a kind.

See, words aren’t enough.

How grateful I am to have someone to be by my side and make me a better person with every step. How lucky I am for this whirlwind yet delicate romance, for these dream-like months.17. 浪漫的日子匆匆而美好，逝去的数月时光如梦似幻，我多么幸运，能够享有这一切。whirlwind: 匆忙的，快速的；delicate: 精美的，精致的。How excited I am to keep going.

What I feel isn’t always smart, and maybe it’s a huge risk. But it doesn’t feel like a risk. It feels safe and reliable and exhilarating.18. reliable: 可靠的，可信赖的；exhilarating: 令人极度兴奋的，使人兴高采烈的。It’s dependable yet electrifying.19. dependable: 可靠的，可以信任的；electrifying: 使人兴奋不已的。And besides, who has ever loved wisely? I love you.