I met Marvin over a year and a half ago in both our senior years of college. I wasn't looking for a serious relationship, more just a companion to spend Friday nights out on dates until I graduated in May. From our first moments sitting in Starbucks and learning all about each other, I think something told me it would be different with him.

I remember the next day texting a few times back and forth. He wanted to set up a date...soon. And I was playing it cool. I didn't want to fall head over heels, so why did I need to see this guy every night of the week? I knew exactly what I was looking for and a better half wasn't it.

Until I decided to see him two days after our first date. And then again, two days after that. We quickly fell into a pattern. And I quickly fell head over heels. Soon enough, we were spending weekends watching football, ordering take out, and laughing our heads off. He was cooking me dinner after my evening class, taking me out to the movies, and generally romancing me off my feet (he's really great at giving compliments).

It wasn't a whirlwind fairy tale though. It still isn't. We are alike in a lot of ways, which creates a lot of tension at times. And then there are areas that we are polar opposites, which can create even more tension at times.

I'm a planner and he isn't. I'm a neat freak. He isn't. He likes sci-fi and I do not at all. I'm constantly reading, while he hasn't picked up a book since school. There are small things and some really big things.

Yet somehow, we've been making it work. An unspoken commitment to one another, an unmatched bond. Working through arguments, moving through these transitional stages of life, and laughing a lot.

One big area that often brings up tension and also brings comfort is an area that I've never had to deal with before in any other romantic relationship. An interest in my diabetes.

Marvin likes to know what's going on with my diabetes. He's often an active part in my management...reminding me to do my insulin or check my blood sugar, encouraging me to work towards success. When I check my blood sugar around him, he wants to know the number. He asks questions about how things feel, how to make them better.

But sometimes, there is a boundary that gets crossed. Sometimes diabetes gets the blame...when it shouldn't. Just the other day, Marvin and I were in the Wal-mart parking lot and ended up disagreeing about an irrational driver. Something petty, but it made me feel like Marvin didn't have my back.

And suddenly, the conversation went entirely south. Marvin decided to blame our disagreement and my response on blood sugars. "You've got to be high or low or something. You're not normal." Trust me, this isn't the first time my diabetes has been the scapegoat for whatever emotions I'm having.

I do know that diabetes plays into my moods. I get irritable when I hit a certain number on the higher end. And I get weird, chatty, or mopey when I'm low. Marvin sees that and feels that more than anyone else.

That does not mean that every emotion I have is related to what my blood sugar is. It doesn't mean that I can't be upset or feel something passionately without there being a diabetic reason to it. I'm entitled to feel, think, or do whatever I want without my diabetes being rolled into the picture.

Marvin is not a bad guy and he doesn't do these things to hurt me. He is on the other side of a very warped spectrum. He sees the outside of this disease. He hates conflict. And he hates drama. While I live this disease every day of my life from the inside with a completely different view from him. I also don't believe conflict is such a bad thing. And drama comes with being a woman, in my opinion.

I love that Marvin makes my diabetes something that no one else ever has. I love that the burden is lessened when he knows where we stand in the diabetes world. But I hate that diabetes is even an issue in my life. I hate that it is here to even be blamed for whatever emotion I'm having.