I Don't Want to Freak You Out

It's always interesting to hear about how people's relationships began. They met at a club/bar and exchanged numbers, got the two day later phone call and went out on a date. They had an 8am class together in college and helped keep each other awake. They lived across the street from one another, met one day while checking the mail, dated, broke up for a few months and then got back together.

It's also interesting to hear how the beginning of the relationship progressed. Was it just a lot of dates out and about or were there a lot of evening visits to one another's home? How long did they wait until their first kiss? The first overnight stay? The first I love you? Everyone moves at a different pace and I love to hear how each couple's fairy tale goes.

Attempting to ice skate (personal photo)

Justin and I saw each other at least twice a week during that first month after meeting. The group met up on Mondays and Wednesdays to run/walk and as the weeks went by, he started staying longer and longer after we were done to talk and hang out at Kent and Emily's. We got to know one another through long emails exchanged throughout the course of the work day. And I must admit, I did get on myspace pretty frequently at night just to see if I could catch him online to say hello, lol.

We technically spent our first night together a week after meeting. I had a get together of friends at my apartment on a Saturday and he, Kent and Emily came. I let them sleep in my bed and Justin and I each took a respective couch in the living room. The next morning found me reading him funny stuff out of one of Meg's Cosmo magazines.

The second overnight came a few weeks later when I stopped by his house on my way back from visiting my parents. We just sat there in his living room and talked for so long that when we looked at our watches, it was after 2am. He didn't want me driving that late, so he told me to stay. I remember as I climbed into his bed (still fully clothed), I scooted as far to "my" side as I could so as to not give him the wrong idea. Considerate of me, huh?

On the night of Valentine's Day, we went out to dinner at Ramsey's, just a little family owned chain of restaurants in the city with good country cooking. He wore a button down shirt and nice khakis and I had on my favorite red sweater. And although this was our first "real" date (as in he asked if I wanted to do something), we had snuck in a dinner and a movie a few weeks earlier after it was determined to be way to cold to run after work.

I came back to his house for a little while after supper and when he walked me out to my car, I gave him a quick peck on the lips in thanks for the evening (which was all his idea) and the beautiful flowers he'd sent. Two days later, we shared our first "real" kiss after making ourselves official.

About three weeks into the deal, I sent Emily an email with a little blurb about how there was something different about this one, and asked her if it was silly to think that after such a short time that I could really be falling in love with him. Three days later, while sitting in the living room of my apartment, he told me that he had something to say and didn't want to freak me out, but that he was falling in love with me. I just hugged him and then asked to show him the email I had sent Emily those few days before. How nice that the two of us were on the same wavelength. And how awesome all at the same time! I remember telling Emily later that I'd always wondered what it felt like to be those people who said they just knew. And now I do.

(my 24th birthday, personal photo)