It was as if we were destined to be together. From the very first moment there was a connection. We racked nearly 24 hours of phone time in the first four days. You told me at the end of our very first phone conversation that you were going to make me fall in love with you. Yes you were well into your sleeping medication which I will very quickly label the “truth serum” but that in no way negates the fact that falling in love with you is exactly what I did. Hard and fast and way before I will actually believe it myself.

Our first time meeting each other was a whirlwind of surprise and crazy. I am pretty sure the surprise of it stayed with you for days. The image will remain vivid in my mind. Complete shock and awe, your eyes danced. I could see that you were pleasantly surprised with my look and the validation that I truly was not a 400lb gay dude (the possible risks of online dating 😃)
Timing my arrival to be there by your lunch hour was perfect. Waiting the 3.5hrs for you to get off was slightly torturous. I did eat up a good hour and a half shopping the thrift store and the rest walking up main street and discovering this quaint little town.

It is now Eight o’clock finally, you are off work. You text and we meet at your truck (which was a huge bonus in the “reasons I like you” department 😘). You want to go home and change you ask me if I want to ride to your house with you. I happily agree and we make the trek from Smallville to even Smallerville! I decide to wait in the truck while you run in to change. You were fast, I’m beginning to wonder if there is some association to the superman obsession?!

We go to the Roadhouse. It is a steakhouse. I think it was as near to elegant as you would expect when visiting Smallvile U.S.A. I ordered chicken, you ordered fish. They both came with salads. I ordered my salad with no tomatoes. When the waitress left we talked with such ease. It was as if we had known each other our whole lives. A few times between waitress interruptions and natural conversation lulls you would look at me with endearing inquisition ( I will grow to love this look). You must not have heard me order my salad sans tomato because you looked at my plate funny and said ” you don’t like tomatoes?” I replied that I love tomatoes they are just part of my short list items that I only eat if organically grown. You said “Oh” and we returned to our conversation. You asked me what was so terrifying about regular tomatoes? I shared the study that many are genetically modified and are pumped with fish oils to retain their bright red exterior. You slowly began to run the cherry tomatoes off your salad and to the side of your plate. Thinking about that moment makes my heart full and brings a smile to my face.
After dinner we drove up that hill where the water tower overlooks the rodeo arena. Undoubtedly this spot as known by teenagers was called “make out point”. It is a beautiful spot to see the valley. They were doing something that night in the arena and it couldn’t have been a more perfect choice had you planned it. We sat in you truck talking for nearly two hours. Being with you was perfect from the start. I hadn’t anticipated I would ever find anyone like you.
A little over two hours sitting, talking and watching the arena you had made no evidence that you were going to attempt any sort of anything physical. I shifted myself and sat next to you and rested my back against your chest. To my pleasant surprise you put your arm around me. We continued to talk for another nearly two hours. Sitting with you like that felt amazing. All of it felt amazing it was surreal. There was just one problem. In the nearly five hours we had spent since you had been off work you had not once attempted or even shown sign of intent to kiss me. I began to think to myself ” I drove ALL the way over here and this kat isn’t even going to kiss me”. (You see I needed you to kiss me because in my fairytale story the connection was in the kiss….)
As we sat and this thought occurred over and over in my mind. You said something soft enough that I couldn’t hear you I turned my head towards you to ask you to repeat it and it was then that you leaned in and kissed me. I felt that kiss all the way through my toes. Frankie Ballard had just released the song ” sunshine and whiskey” and oh my lord he must’ve written that just for us. That first kiss turned into at least a hundred more before time made itself known.

It was too late for me to drive home. You offered to get me a hotel room which I decided was ridiculous as I would just want you to stay with me. We went back and forth on what to do. I finally just said I would go back to your house. There was only one small problem. That little piece of information you had just shared with me the day before. That your “Roommates” we’re your parents. I cringed at the thought of meeting your mother and you assured me that I could get out in the morning sight unseen. You took me back to my car where I retrieved my overnight bag ( coincidence?!?). I also decided to drive back with you and leave my car parked in the employee lot.
Two a.m. was rapidly approaching and we were both beyond tired. Your house, like everything else, had a peaceful, calm and welcoming vibe. I was exhausted when I climbed into your bed which was so incredibly cozy. We exchanged another hundred kisses or so before giving into the pull of sleep. Your room was hot, muggy but exhaustion took over and I slept more soundly than I had in months. You said I held onto all night. I was surprised by this because my normal for sleeping is distanced and untouched. What I didn’t know then that our journey will teach me is that there was a plethora of things about myself that weren’t really me. They were just me with the wrong person at the wrong time. But you Jeremy, you were the right person at the right time and my life will forever be extremely blessed and better for it.