Our Love Story: Part 2

from the archives: taken on our second date

To read part 1, click here.

A couple days into settling into life at home in Virginia for the summer, Michael called me. A few days later, he called me again. And then again. Soon we were pretty regularly talking on the phone about every other day, and usually our conversations lasted for a couple hours. I think once our record was three. And that's saying a lot for me, because talking on the phone isn't really my favorite thing. It was all of the getting-to-know-you stuff - basically we were dating on the phone since we couldn't do it in person.



Surprisingly, it worked. I felt like all of the pressures of dating were off the table, and we just got to know each other for who we are. We didn't have the questions that come along with the dating stage before you are officially together. Will we hold hands tonight? Can we cuddle while we watch this movie? Is he going to kiss me tonight? Or tomorrow? How many dates until we kiss?? I didn't get distracted with how cute he was, because I couldn't see him. We only talked, and I was becoming more and more attracted to who he was as a person, looks and image aside. I knew it was real and not just infatuation.

Michael was taking a summer class in Charlotte that ended at the end of June. He started making plans to come up and visit after he took his final, and he would stay with his good friend who lived in the area. He told me he wanted to take me on a date in downtown DC. I was really impressed with his planning, as guys don't usually do that. As it got close to his final, he got a little distant. He didn't call me once the entire week before his final. I think I texted him a couple times, but that was it. I figured he needed to study and was trying to focus on that, so I was okay with it, knowing that he would call me after he finished the his test to let me know how it was. Then his final came and went. No call. I was pretty nervous and a bit annoyed. I assumed that I would be one of the first people he wanted to call after that big weight was off his shoulders. Nope.

The next day he drove the 7 hours to Virginia as planned. I saw him that night with a group of friends, and he asked if he could pick me up the following night to go on our date. Of course I said yes, but at this point I was curious if it was just a casual date since he had been so distant in the past week. I was trying not to get my hopes up for something bigger than it actually was. I told myself to play it cool and see what happens.

The next night, he picked me up and drove us to the metro station, and we took the metro into Georgetown. We walked down the brick sidewalks to a seafood restaurant right on the water. It was gorgeous. Our dinner was fantastic, and we eased into talking just like we did on the phone over the last month and I forgot about being nervous. We just relaxed and spent time together, and it felt really great. After dinner we decided to take the metro over to the monuments to walk around. The World War II Memorial charmed us with all its pretty lights next to the big fountain, and we sat down there to talk some more. Michael started getting noticeably nervous. He told me that he had really enjoyed getting to know me, he had a great time when he was with me, and he saw a lot of potential in our future. He asked if we could take it to the next level, to officially be my boyfriend.

I was so excited and I wanted to say yes! But, I had to admit I was a bit confused about what had happened in the past week, about how the communication totally stopped. He said he did want to talk more often, but he was worried that he was calling too much and he didn't want to seem clingy. Also, he was really trying to focus on his final, and by the time that was over, he was going to see me the next day and catch up, so he didn't think we needed to talk that night (??). We laughed about it then and still do today.

We held hands on the metro ride home, and the rest, as they say, is history.