My first day of class, my first year of college, I met Brody. He was my peer instructor for an introductory college course called ICS (Intro to College Success). When I saw him, I knew I was attracted to him, but he was a big football guy, sophomore, and I was a tiny, shy freshman. It seemed to me that I had no chance. Over the next two weeks, we got to know each other through simple classroom activities, but we never talked about anything personal. Eventually a mutual friend got tired of me talking about Brody and how much I loved him, our friend decided to explain to Brody my feelings. It only took 5 minutes for Brody to contact me. From there, we started dating and eventually began an intimate relationship. The timing wasn't right for us, so it ended with minimal suffering. We have both since expressed interest in getting back together, but the time still hasn't come. Currently we have ended the relationship but this is actually a common step between us. Interpersonal communication is the most important factor in our relationship and how we communicate with each other determines the quality of the relationship. The most essential influence in our relationship is self-disclosure because it affects how we move through social milestones. Relationships do not follow a straight path that leads to happiness. They are messy, complicated and even contradictory. Self-disclosure was probably the most important part of our relationship that helped us get closer. The very first time we spent time together outside of class, we sat on the bleachers at the football field for three hours talking. We talked about our experiences in high school and how it was going to be...... middle of paper...... table and complex. Understand that just because my relationship is complicated and messy doesn't mean it's a bad relationship, we just need to recognize it and improve our weak areas. One area that is causing a lot of tension right now is the contradictions that we are both trying to balance. Having contradictions is something inevitable in relationships, but it is possible to reduce tensions by finding a balance that satisfies both partners. I have absolutely no idea what's next for Brody and me. As we move forward, it's important to remember how important interpersonal communication is in a relationship. This is something I've heard so many times that it's started to lose its meaning. Stepping back and analyzing how communication has made my relationship with Brody has actually increased my self-awareness about how I communicate..