#selfiesaturday: Our story.

{I want this written down some place. I want it to be out there so that we don't completely and inevitably fade into the background of history like many great love stories that we'll never learn about. I want to savor each wonderful, messy detail of us.} So here it is:

 

 

 

 

I met Bradley when we worked at a restaurant together for a few weeks. He was actually dating my ex's sister at the time, so when I saw him my first thought was "Oh, that's *so-and-so's* sister's boyfriend." And I went on about my day. Sparks most definitely did not fly.

 

 

I was talking to another guy at the time I met Bradley, but I remember preferring to be around Bradley rather than this other guy because Bradley has such a collected, kind nature about him. Bradley made me feel at ease, more than anyone else. I didn't think a lot of it at the time, honestly.

 

 

A few weeks passed. I no longer worked at the restaurant, nor was I talking to this other guy, and Bradley was no longer in a relationship either. He messaged me on Facebook, striking up a conversation. The conversation flowed well, but he was in no way flirty. I didn't think that he liked me. A few days after our platonic conversations, he straight-up asked me out of the blue: "So should I keep talking to you like this? Or do you want me to just leave you alone?" That was my first inclination that he liked me at all. I was taken back, and intrigued all at once. If you know me, then you know how direct I am and I was attracted to the fact that Bradley, from the start, did not play games with me. I wanted to know more.

 

 

Our first date was after school bowling and dinner. I was wearing Vibram FiveFingers and a thrift store t-shirt, and I'm positive that I was not impressive-looking at all. He lost at bowling that day, even though he is insanely good at it, and to this day I swear he did it on purpose and he swears that he didn't. Hmmm...

 

At dinner, he would barely look at my face. He would look all around me, to the side, down at the table, but not into my eyes. So I called him out on that. (Yes on the first date.) To this day, Bradley hardly takes his eyes off me at the dinner table.

 

 

After dinner he walked me to my car and we talked a bit more and then we went our separate ways. I drove away thinking: "That wasn't so bad."

 

 

The next few weeks was filled with simple, sweet dates. Our second (or third, I'm a bit fuzzy on that one) date was a picnic, and a walk afterwards. We had agreed that we didn't want to kiss on the lips yet, but by the time we had got back to our cars, he had kissed me on the cheek/forehead so many times that I just turned around and planted one on his then-stubbly face. That was our first kiss, and it was adorable.

 

 

A month after our first date, he asked me to be his girlfriend on March 17th, 2012. Clearly, I agreed.

 

 

The first five months of our relationship sucked. We will both tell you that. I think it ran through both of our minds to break up with one another, but I didn't want to jump ship on Bradley without giving it all I had. So I had a serious talk on the phone with him one night, basically telling him to be nicer to me or I'd break up with him. After that, we've basically been perfect.

 

 

Over time, we discovered that we both loved Batman, Old-school rap, and Reese's cups. We discovered that we have a polar opposite taste in food. I came out of the Name-Nerd closet to him and he was very accepting, and I came to accept his video game obsession as well. (Kind of.) We adapted to each others' quirks, and we've adopted each others' quirks. Sometimes I catch myself saying something and I'm amazed at how Bradley I sound.

 

 

Since March 17th, 2012, I have become a much better, stronger, more caring human being. I have learned how to pick my battles, and how to communicate effectively with someone you care about. Since March 17th 2012, I have found that God has a master plan. And all of the break-ups and hurt were all just pushing me in the direction I was supposed to go, and landed me in the place where I'm meant to be. Since March 17th 2012, I have been given the irreplaceable gift of a companion to share life with. Two proms, two graduations, two new colleges, one move, birthdays, Christmas', new jobs, new places, new friends and I've got to experience all of it with that redheaded bus-boy that was dating so-and-so's sister.

 

 

 I love how life works.