A LONG One...Anthony: saving the best for last!!!
So here is the latest and greatest...prior to breaking up with Sean (we're talking two weeks or so) I received a phone call from an old friend, Patrick. He and I have known each other for about six years, ever since I moved to Richmond to go to school. We stopped seeing each other and talking as much as we were about three years ago, when I moved out the apartment I shared with my psychotic ex-roommate, because the two of them were still friends and actually ended up moving in together. It was just a strange situation, but I think the communication also declined because we were both so busy with school and work, etc.
Anywho, Patrick calls me up and says that Cat (the ex-roommate) has moved to Connecticut to go to graduate school. I was excited, mostly because I missed Patrick and it meant we could hang out again, but also because I was glad to see Cat go. This bitch is crazy, lemme just tell you. I've written some posts about her over the years, but it's been awhile and I'm feeling ansy...first off, the girl was a pig. Pig, packrat, whatever you want to call her, she was it and then some. Food everywhere, food growing mold everywhere, and just "stuff" in general literally in piles everywhere. I had to make a path to move through the apartment. She had cats but NEVER cleaned the litter box, so eventually there was real shit everywhere too. Like with Sean we got along fine at first, as most friends usually do, but eventually things just got way out of hand. I COULD have learned my freshman year when I saw her dorm room, and I defiinately SHOULD have kearned after sharing a dorm room with her half of my sophomore year, but I didn't, and we moved into an apartment with another friend of ours my junior. The final straw was when she put the cable bill I owed on the fridge backwards, so I thought it was a bunch of coupons, it ended up being late, I flipped, and that was pretty much the end of it. Sounds petty, but I promise if you even knew the half of it you would understand.
So back to Patrick...he tells me she's gone, we rehash their past three years in about three hours, and then he says he'll call me soon. About a week later he calls on a Friday night and says he's going to a fraternity party with his new roommate, Anthony, who (get this) happens to be Cat's ex-boyfriend. Do I wanna come? Sean's in Louisville, so I won't get shit over it, and besides I missed my Pat, so I said sure.
I head over to their apartment, and as I'm pulling around the corner my car starts making this high-pitched squeal. I park and get out and Patrick is standing there going "what the hell is that?" And I say I don't know, is it that loud? He says, "Yeah, here let Anthony take a look, he's a mechanic."
So I say ok and I'm getting out of the car and I look up as Anthony rounds the corner and ohmigod standing before me is the most handsome man I have ever seen in my life. Chills, people, serious chills. The kind that you get when it's 100 degrees outside. That whole "love at first sight" thing? Yeah, that was me. The whole world just faded away and I'm looking into the depths of the most gorgeous dark eyes and long lashes EVER! Then I think, "OK look away before he notices." I swear I must have looked like the biggest dork ever. So he checks out my car, procedes to tell me I have a busted water pump that needs fixing ASAP and says he can get me in his shop the next morning. We go to the party, talk the whole night, and I find myself in front of my closet the next morning wondering what in the hell I'm going to wear to try to impress a mechanic at 10:30 a.m. He (they) work on my car for five hours and charge me the same amount the dealership had 48 hours earlier when I went to have a battery changed. Seriously. And I'd only known the guy 12 hours!
So needless to say by this point not only am I in the midst of a hard-core crush, but I am deeply indebted because of the help with my car. So I decide what the hell, forward or not, I'm asking him to dinner because I owe him big. And again, in front of the closet.
Our first "unofficial" date? Applebee's. Typical for Richmond, but it was midnight and there wasn't much else open. I know, I know, great job on my part right? Oh well.
I have never been so nervous in my life. Unless you count the time I almost pissed myself waiting to give a commencement speech to a crowd of probably 5,000 people. And he was just one...but the right one, which made the jitters that much worse.
We ended up having a great time. Good food (him, spinach and shrimp salad with french onion soup, me, couldn't tell ya to this day), great conversation, and even more amazing scenery if you know what I mean.
He walks me to my car, we hugged, awkward though it was because he knew the situation with Sean and I, and end up talking on the phone that night when I got home until three in the morning. Sparks? Definately.
So basically for the next two weeks I was over at Pat's and Anthony's whenever I could be, and Anthony and I talked about things. The most unique thing was that he was never pushy, never asked me to break up with Sean or even forced me in that direction. But I think it's safe to say from both of our perspectives that we both knew where Sean and I were headed and where Anthony and I would eventually end up.
Our first "official" date? I'd have to say my apartment. Yes ladies and gentlemen, you read that correctly! I cooked! I MUST be in love, right? :). Teasing. But I made broccoli spaghetti with salad and parmesean cheese bread, and Anthony brought wine. Afterwards, he took me to Triangle Park in Lexington and we walked around for awhile, then came back home.
It was the beginning of a beautiful thing. If I'm honest with myself, it is a beautiful thing that began that night out in front of my car. I have truly found my soulmate, and the love of my life. I get tears now just thinking about him. He is the most amazing person I have ever met. He is kind-hearted, caring, romantic. He makes me laugh; he doesn't make me cry. I can be myself around him, goofy or serious. He treats me like his equal. He opens doors for me, helps me with stuff around the apartment just because he wants to. He has, from day one, taken care of my dog no questions asked, no complaints. And she has done her fair share of things for him to complain about.
He is always there when I need him, and I know if I am ever hurt or in trouble I can count on him to be by my side. He is a brilliant intellectual person, with great insight and clarity. He makes me think about things without making me feel like less of a person for having my own opinion if I choose to. When we are close to each other it's like there is a magnet with an electrical charge pulling us together. I don't know what in the world I did to deserve this, but I am so blessed to have found someone like Anthony. We enjoy the same things, sports and being outdoors, reading and having time to ourselves if need be. We don't take each other for granted, and I cherish every single second of time I get to spend with him. The days at work just drag sometimes, and then the nights just seem to fly by. We finish eachother's sentences from time to time, and then there are the moments when I look into his eyes and my breath is literally taken away from me.
I would say that I am smitten, but that would be a lie. I am in love. Truly, madly, and deeply in love.
Anywho, Patrick calls me up and says that Cat (the ex-roommate) has moved to Connecticut to go to graduate school. I was excited, mostly because I missed Patrick and it meant we could hang out again, but also because I was glad to see Cat go. This bitch is crazy, lemme just tell you. I've written some posts about her over the years, but it's been awhile and I'm feeling ansy...first off, the girl was a pig. Pig, packrat, whatever you want to call her, she was it and then some. Food everywhere, food growing mold everywhere, and just "stuff" in general literally in piles everywhere. I had to make a path to move through the apartment. She had cats but NEVER cleaned the litter box, so eventually there was real shit everywhere too. Like with Sean we got along fine at first, as most friends usually do, but eventually things just got way out of hand. I COULD have learned my freshman year when I saw her dorm room, and I defiinately SHOULD have kearned after sharing a dorm room with her half of my sophomore year, but I didn't, and we moved into an apartment with another friend of ours my junior. The final straw was when she put the cable bill I owed on the fridge backwards, so I thought it was a bunch of coupons, it ended up being late, I flipped, and that was pretty much the end of it. Sounds petty, but I promise if you even knew the half of it you would understand.
So back to Patrick...he tells me she's gone, we rehash their past three years in about three hours, and then he says he'll call me soon. About a week later he calls on a Friday night and says he's going to a fraternity party with his new roommate, Anthony, who (get this) happens to be Cat's ex-boyfriend. Do I wanna come? Sean's in Louisville, so I won't get shit over it, and besides I missed my Pat, so I said sure.
I head over to their apartment, and as I'm pulling around the corner my car starts making this high-pitched squeal. I park and get out and Patrick is standing there going "what the hell is that?" And I say I don't know, is it that loud? He says, "Yeah, here let Anthony take a look, he's a mechanic."
So I say ok and I'm getting out of the car and I look up as Anthony rounds the corner and ohmigod standing before me is the most handsome man I have ever seen in my life. Chills, people, serious chills. The kind that you get when it's 100 degrees outside. That whole "love at first sight" thing? Yeah, that was me. The whole world just faded away and I'm looking into the depths of the most gorgeous dark eyes and long lashes EVER! Then I think, "OK look away before he notices." I swear I must have looked like the biggest dork ever. So he checks out my car, procedes to tell me I have a busted water pump that needs fixing ASAP and says he can get me in his shop the next morning. We go to the party, talk the whole night, and I find myself in front of my closet the next morning wondering what in the hell I'm going to wear to try to impress a mechanic at 10:30 a.m. He (they) work on my car for five hours and charge me the same amount the dealership had 48 hours earlier when I went to have a battery changed. Seriously. And I'd only known the guy 12 hours!
So needless to say by this point not only am I in the midst of a hard-core crush, but I am deeply indebted because of the help with my car. So I decide what the hell, forward or not, I'm asking him to dinner because I owe him big. And again, in front of the closet.
Our first "unofficial" date? Applebee's. Typical for Richmond, but it was midnight and there wasn't much else open. I know, I know, great job on my part right? Oh well.
I have never been so nervous in my life. Unless you count the time I almost pissed myself waiting to give a commencement speech to a crowd of probably 5,000 people. And he was just one...but the right one, which made the jitters that much worse.
We ended up having a great time. Good food (him, spinach and shrimp salad with french onion soup, me, couldn't tell ya to this day), great conversation, and even more amazing scenery if you know what I mean.
He walks me to my car, we hugged, awkward though it was because he knew the situation with Sean and I, and end up talking on the phone that night when I got home until three in the morning. Sparks? Definately.
So basically for the next two weeks I was over at Pat's and Anthony's whenever I could be, and Anthony and I talked about things. The most unique thing was that he was never pushy, never asked me to break up with Sean or even forced me in that direction. But I think it's safe to say from both of our perspectives that we both knew where Sean and I were headed and where Anthony and I would eventually end up.
Our first "official" date? I'd have to say my apartment. Yes ladies and gentlemen, you read that correctly! I cooked! I MUST be in love, right? :). Teasing. But I made broccoli spaghetti with salad and parmesean cheese bread, and Anthony brought wine. Afterwards, he took me to Triangle Park in Lexington and we walked around for awhile, then came back home.
It was the beginning of a beautiful thing. If I'm honest with myself, it is a beautiful thing that began that night out in front of my car. I have truly found my soulmate, and the love of my life. I get tears now just thinking about him. He is the most amazing person I have ever met. He is kind-hearted, caring, romantic. He makes me laugh; he doesn't make me cry. I can be myself around him, goofy or serious. He treats me like his equal. He opens doors for me, helps me with stuff around the apartment just because he wants to. He has, from day one, taken care of my dog no questions asked, no complaints. And she has done her fair share of things for him to complain about.
He is always there when I need him, and I know if I am ever hurt or in trouble I can count on him to be by my side. He is a brilliant intellectual person, with great insight and clarity. He makes me think about things without making me feel like less of a person for having my own opinion if I choose to. When we are close to each other it's like there is a magnet with an electrical charge pulling us together. I don't know what in the world I did to deserve this, but I am so blessed to have found someone like Anthony. We enjoy the same things, sports and being outdoors, reading and having time to ourselves if need be. We don't take each other for granted, and I cherish every single second of time I get to spend with him. The days at work just drag sometimes, and then the nights just seem to fly by. We finish eachother's sentences from time to time, and then there are the moments when I look into his eyes and my breath is literally taken away from me.
I would say that I am smitten, but that would be a lie. I am in love. Truly, madly, and deeply in love.