Jason still wasn't asking me out. Maybe I needed to accept that we would always just be great, platonic friends.
I tried to resign myself, but every time we hung out, I found myself longing for something more.
We were both going on dates with other people. I love to pay attention to the timeline, because it illustrates how quickly things between us changed. Here we are that last week of March, 2009, very much not a couple.
March 30, 2009 March 26, 2009
I wasn't giving up without a fight. I remember one night in particular, Nicky pulled me aside and gave me a little friendly warning that my flirting with Jason was QUITE apparent, possibly embarrassingly so. She wondered why I was coming on so strong. It didn't matter. I felt so good about this relationship, I didn't mind losing a little dignity in making my preference for him known. My prayer was that he was just reluctant to put himself out there again after having been rejected in August. Then, just days after the above pictures were taken, Jason finally asked me if I would be interested in catching a movie with him. My face was warm as I casually said, "Sure. Sounds awesome. I'd love to."
We decided to look up movies together in his basement. It was like a magical switch had been flicked on, illuminating us both. I squeezed next to him on the computer chair as we planned our date. It was the most comfortable I had ever been with a boy. All the awkwardness and anxiety of dating was totally absent. Neither of us could stop smiling.
April 4, 2009
I went on a date with Jason last night and WOW- what a date it was! I ended up blurting out that I like him after dinner, which was crazy. But he rolled with it and confessed that he really likes me, too.
We even held hands that night. Normally I wouldn't move that fast in a relationship, but because everything felt so right, there just didn't seem to be a logical reason to slow down. I had known Jason for almost a year at this point, and had been good friends with him for a couple of months. That was long enough for me to trust my instincts about him. He was a really, really good egg.
The other boy I'd been seeing lately, Rob (pictured above), had purchased tickets for us to see Wicked. He called me about it the day after my movie date with Jason. Rob was ecstatic to deliver the news, but I just couldn't do it. Even though Jason and I weren't technically "together" yet, I had the strongest feeling he was the one. I sighed and told Rob, "I'm so sorry, but I've also been going on dates with this other guy named Jason and- I actually think I'm going to marry him." Silence. Rob cleared his throat. "Jess, you don't have to lie to me. Whatever I did wrong, you can just tell me." I told him that I knew it was bizarre, but that I was actually serious. "Watch Facebook the next few months," I said. "I honestly think I'll be announcing my engagement to Jason Kempton before the summer. I'm sorry." Rob was disgusted and I didn't blame him, but my confidence in Jason was totally firm. We had something special, and I absolutely knew it.
He prank-called me at work the other day, asking me to look up the book, "How to Lose Your Wife in 10 Days." ... He always makes everyone laugh, but never takes it too far.
We baked some truly pathetic cookies Tuesday night, and reasoning that we couldn't give them to anyone respectable, dropped them off for Nicky and Albert.
Jason and I are "official" now.
"Jess," he said, sounding very nervous, "I... think I love you."
My family really liked Jason. Dad said he approved of the way we moved around each other while cooking in the kitchen, that we were natural and easy together. My best girlfriends said they liked the way he took care of me. Jan confessed that she'd always felt I would be happiest with a man who would court me the old-fashioned way, and she was right. It felt appropriate for him to buy me roses and jewelry. The seriousness of the gifts reflected the sincerity of his intentions.
Jason and I spent every available moment together. We talked and talked, often late into the night. A lot of ground was covered in those talks. Neither of us wanted to mislead the other. We were perfectly forthright about our opinions, beliefs, and histories. After a few short weeks, I felt confident that I knew who Jason was and what he was all about.
Mostly, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of forever with him.
Love always- Jess.
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