Page 90 of The Lucky One
I shook my head, and finally she put her notes down. “In the triangular theory of love, there are three components of love that form a triangle: intimacy, commitment and passion.”
I leaned up in my seat. “Aren’t intimacy and passion the same?”
“Not at all.” Caroline smiled. “Intimacy isn’t necessarily physical. It can be a good talk, sharing your vulnerabilities with one another. Intimacy creates a strong bond—you feel like you can be your true self with that person.”
“I have that with both of them,” I concluded. “But I’m not committed to Paul.”
She shook her head. “Commitment isn’t only about agreeing to be in a relationship. You can also feel commitment to a close friend or a family member.”
I tensed. “Paul is both of those for me.”
“Exactly.”
“And I did have passion with him too...” I sighed. This wasn’t leading anywhere.
“Passion isn’t only sexual, though. You can feel excitement for him, joy when you do something together. That can also be very passionate.”
I raised my eyebrow. “You said there are eight types of love, but those are only three.”
“The eight types are made up of different combinations of those three components. There’s non-love, which doesn’t have any corners of the triangle. Friendship, which includes some degree of intimacy. Infatuated love, which is only passion. Empty love, which only has commitment, like in an arranged marriage. Fatuous love, which is missing intimacy. Romantic love—”
“The one I have with Jon?”
“No, romantic love has only passion and intimacy, but no commitment. Like an affair or one-night stand.”
“Then which one do I have with Jon and Paul?” I was getting impatient.
“The last two are companionate love and consummate love.”
My head was spinning.
“Companionate love is when you’re intimate with someone and you share a commitment, not necessarily by being a couple. Long-term relationships turn into this when the passion trails off. I believe that this is what you feel for Paul. You feel deep intimacy with him and commitment, seeing you’re part of his family, but you don’t feel drawn to him the way you used to because—”
“Because I found consummate love with Jon.”
“All three aspects of the love triangle, yes. Love doesn’t come from a manual. It comes in different shapes. You can love two people at the same time, but that doesn’t mean you feel the same way about them.”
I nodded. It made sense. I always knew my feelings for Jon and Paul were different...
Caroline picked up her notes, and I could tell by the movement of her hand that she made something like a check mark on her paper.
Caroline let me out early. A genuine smile stretched across my face when I spotted my handsome boy in his leather jacket leaning against my locker, scribbling away in his little black book.
“You writing something for me to read?” I kissed him on the cheek, and he grabbed me by the wrist and pushed me gently against the locker. Our noses brushed against each other.
“What if it’s private?” he breathed, his gaze fixed on my lips.
“We have secrets?” I said, staring at his lips in turn.
“Maybe,” he said, running his thumb over my mouth. “When it has something to do with a surprise.”
“What are you planning, Jon Henry Denson?” I smirked, internally screaming. It must be about prom.
“Something you won’t forget for the rest of your life.”
My heartbeat picked up, and I bit the spot he’d touched on my lip. “The rest of my life is a long time.”
“Not long enough.” His eyes narrowed before he pressed his lips onto mine and—