Happily ever after L.A. style

Once upon a time, in a city harboring more devils than angels, there lived a girl named Sunshine.

Sunshine's childhood was filled with many dastardly villains, but we'll save that story for another day. This story is about love.

For as long as Sunshine could remember, the only thing that she really wanted was love. She wished for it, dreamed of it, prayed for it day and night.

Please, she thought, Please send me a special boy to call my own. Please just send me someone to love.

Then, when Sunshine was 15, she met Tragic Poet. He was a beautiful boy who wrote bewitching poems that shimmered with unshed tears. He had an ache in his soul that was tangible, terrible, beautiful. Sunshine wanted, more than anything, to be the one to burn the sadness from his eyes.

Sunshine and Tragic Poet would lay on the beach while oceans of stars twinkled above them, her head on his chest, his arms wrapped around her, and he would whisper beautiful, heart-rending poem/stories about fallen angles full of poison into the darkness. They never failed to make her cry.

Sunshine tried her best to make Tragic Poet smile. She sang to him, tender songs of love and hope, songs that always had a happy ending. She told him jokes and made him sweet blueberry cakes crusted in sparkling sugar. She willed her light to pierce his darkness and always looked on the bright side.

Tragic Poet told Sunshine that she was like a breath of fresh air, the lone source of radiance in an otherwise bleak universe. He said she was what he'd always dreamed of, just what he needed most. He told her that he loved her everyday.

Then one night, just over one year into their relationship, while they were in each others arms after making love for the first time, Tragic Poet told Sunshine that he had met someone else. He said her name was Lisa, she was a drummer in a punk rock band & she lived only a block away from him. It was love at first sight, they were soul mates.

Sunshine watched the way the candlelight danced across Tragic Poet's face, how the shadows caressed him lovingly, and tried to convince herself that he wasn't really saying what she thought he was saying. There had to be some kind of mistake, he loved her, he was always saying how much he loved her. They had just made love and it had been so perfect, so beautiful. He couldn't want to leave her now.

Tragic Poet crawled out of bed and slowly got dressed. He kissed Sunshine deeply one last time, told her that she was so very special, apologized for hurting her and then just walked away. Sunshine spent the night curled up in the bed that Tragic Poet had covered in rose petals, watching the candles burn down and crying as if not only her heart, but her soul had been broken.

A few weeks had passed when Sunshine saw them together for the first time.

Tragic Poet and Lisa were rollerblading down the boardwalk, holding hands. She had bright blue hair, the sun glinted silver off of her lip ring, nose ring, eye-brow ring. Tragic Poet was smiling. Smiling at Lisa the way Sunshine had wished he'd smile at her.

And just like that, Sunshine knew that it really was over. Tragic Poet hadn't left her because he was afraid, because he loved her so much that it scared him. This wasn't just some fling he needed to have in order to realize that he couldn't live without her, as she'd tried to convince herself.

Tragic Poet loved Lisa, she made him happy in a way that Sunshine never could. The realization made her feel sad, but also lighter, as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart. She didn't think that she would ever love again.

Time passed and Sunshine's heart slowly healed. She began to wish for love again.

She wished on stars and raindrops, sunsets and spiderwebs, the flickering flames of candles and the shadows that danced on the walls.

When Sunshine was 18, she met an Angel Boy. He was the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen. Not so much physically (though he was nice to look at) as spiritually. He radiated a light so bright that it was hard to look straight at him.

Sunshine could see none of the beautiful melancholy that she had seen in her Tragic Poet in this boy. He was pure divine splendor. An Angel on earth.

They met at an Incubus concert and the first thing Sunshine ever said to him was "You shine." She felt like a moron the second the words left her lips. Angel Boy turned to her and smiled a curious smile. She blushed. He leaned close and whispered "So do you".

It didn't take long for her to lose her heart.

On her 19 birthday, Sunshine and Angel Boy moved in together.

They created a love nest in the hills above the city where the air is cleaner, the breeze smells of star jasmine and honey suckle, and you can see millions of stars gleaming each night. Sunshine and Angel boy's house is simple,(a 2 bedroom log cabin)their home divine. They've filled their space with flowers and art and music and food. And love, love most of all.

Now Sunshine and and Angel Boy swim in the starlight, run on the sand until they can't breath, collapse to the ground to catch their breath then kiss until they are breathless once more. His kisses make her weak and shaky, his love makes her glow almost as brightly as he does.

Sunshine sings him songs of love and light that have taken on a whole new meaning, while Angel boy plays the guitar for her, spinning luminous melodys into the night, exposing his heart with every ethereal note.

She's learned to cook more than just deserts now, african chicken wings with wild rice and green beans, cuban pork chops with au gratin potatoes and spring salad. She doesn't leave out the sweets though. Butter crisp cookies dusted in powdered sugar, Amaretto chocolate chip cheesecake that melts in your mouth, gingerbread people with chocolate chip eyes and licorice mouthes and gum-drop buttons.

He builds her beautiful furniture, bookcases and end tables and bed frames and a rocking chair carved with flowers and vines.

They fly kites on the beach, play in the park, and ride all of the rides on the boardwalk. They go to poetry readings, karaoke clubs, local plays and concerts.

They talk and laugh and dance and tickle each other every day. They never take "I love you" for granted.

And now that Sunshine and Angel Boy have discovered that they will soon be parents, they truly do have everything they have ever wished for and more.

They thank their lucky stars everyday for blessing them so exquisitely.

After all, no one could ask for a better way to start off their "Happily ever after".