“She wants the chocolate tacos,” he laughs, the waitress doesn’t have to even finish laying out the dessert options. There is a twinkle in his eye and he winks. “It’s written all over your face,” he says. This is the moment I fell in love with him.
“My diagonal girl,” is something he says often because I sleep diagonally in bed. I’m 24 years old and I didn’t even realize I did that, but he picked up on it right away.
“Do you want your own beer or do you want to split one with me?” I ask. “I’ll split it with you, because you’re not going to finish it,” he replies, again with a twinkle in his eye. I feign offense, but he’s right.
“Do you want me to make you a mug of tea?” He asks me this almost daily. He is a master of an underrated art; the honey to tea ratio.
My mom thought I was a little crazy to let him move in with me for three weeks in between his leases. “I hope you don’t get sick of me,” he says. I am anything but sick of him. Spending our evenings together cooking, watching movies, going for walks, hanging out with friends; it’s the best. There is something so special about coming home to your person.
“Who are you? I don’t think I can associate with you anymore.” He’s giving me shit for my current emo-country-rap phase (yes, emo country rap is in fact a genre). But, he doesn’t complain when I play it in the car.
“Do you still like me even though I’m in a mood?” I ask. “I like you even more,” he replies as he drives me to Wegmans to buy grape juice, something that I have insisted I cannot currently live without.
“Don’t let this go to your head… but you’re by far the coolest person I’ve ever dated.” It’s 100% going to my head; I mean, come on, of COURSE I am. I tell him that he’s the coolest person I’ve ever dated too…and he is.
I never thought this kind of love was meant for me. It’s warm cuddles and steaming mugs of tea. It’s “Good morning” texts when we’re apart and sleepy, only half coherent, kisses when he slips out my bedroom door to go to work. Every day he tells me how much he loves me and how wonderful he thinks I am. He is always down for any adventure I concoct, from core classes to brewery games. We watch documentaries and go to museums. He makes me feel safe and seen. He is sunshine and electricity. He is everything I ever wanted love to be.
So yes, he was right. I did want those chocolate tacos but the desire in my eyes wasn’t just for that chocolatey, crunchy, goodness. I knew right then and there that I was falling in love with him and I hoped he was falling for me too.
A few days later, we’re lying on the beach. “If it wasn’t already obvious, I’m in love with you,” he says. I kiss him, “I love you too.”
