Where we left off:

” That’s a good point. Stop messing with my shoes. That doesn’t answer my question. What do you think about being in a relationship with me? Do you like me?”

Crap.

Seriously with the direct questions dude? Seriously?!

” Well, I…I um…well I’ve liked you for quite a while.”

He smiled so wide and so brilliantly, my heart melted.

Then the were footsteps coming down the staircase. Heavy steps. Like that of our dorm dad. Yikes

Now I’m not saying my dorm dad is a heavy man, but Uncle Russell* and Aunt Anna* are pretty hard core people who, I think, were originally from down south, lived in Chicago for several years as foster parents to some pretty wild ones, and are not to be intimated. So yeah, they are intense…at first. We learned with time that they are some of our favorite people, and were some major allies in our love story.

So when we heard those footsteps, yes the fear of God was in our hearts, because honestly, when you’re alone with a boy you’ve liked for a while and then you find out and get that butterfly feeling in your belly, you do feel a little guilty. Not to mention we signed a covenant when we came into the dorm saying we wouldn’t inter-dorm date. So this confession of love would be a direct breaking of the rules.

We looked at each other and waited. He finally got downstairs and came over to the couch and said,

“Now I know this isn’t what I think it is, but some of your little dorm brothers and sisters might get to talking, so I would suggest you take this conversation upstairs, in the family dining room, where we can all see ya. Thanks.”

Busted.

Probably by that annoying Korean kid who was such a little brat…..stupid 5th graders.

I’m normally not mean to children by principle but these two Korean kids were so spoiled it was ridiculous. I know it was to make up for the fact that they were in a dorm, and their parents lived in the city but were probably too caught up in their careers to take care of the little ones so they bribed them with money and toys, but still…no need to tell on us young lovers. Blimey.

Anyways.

We both got red in the face, promptly replied that we were just talking, no nonsense going on, seriously! And moved up stairs.

I honestly can’t really remember any thing else from that evening because I was on cloud 9 but I do know that I explained why I thought it wouldn’t work. We were going to be heading off to college soon, him probably some where down south, me who knows where because I hadn’t gotten any acceptance letters yet. We knew each other pretty well but still we were new to each other so why would going to college, where there are plenty of new fish in the sea, would we commit ourselves to being with each other? Silliness I tell you, complete silliness.

I think we agreed to go to bed with the commitment that we would pray it over and get back to each other.

He was the first boy that I liked, that I wouldn’t allow myself to let the relationship move quickly before determining where we stood. But on April first, a bit after we had decided we would at least agree that we liked each other, that that was ok, but we wouldn’t say we were dating because we weren’t even sure that we were so why let anyone else think that (and frankly because news travels fast in a small school, much less a small community) we finally made it legitimate.

I had a friend ask me earlier that day if he and I were together. I didn’t know this girl super well so it was interesting that she just came out with the question, but it still nagged at the back of my head because I thought we’d hidden our feelings pretty well.

That night there was a basketball game and everyone was at there to cheer our boys on. I think a couple other girls had asked me too and I denied it.

I was so frustrated that they would impose on our life, on our story, when we were just figuring it out too and I had already disassociated myself so much with them that I knew it was just for gossip news, not because they actually cared about me.

So I found Naph and began to vent. He took me over to the soccer field so that we wouldn’t be overheard or seen by prying eyes. We sat down in front of the shabby concession stand and talked. I said my peace, and began to cry, I was so frustrated. Naph held me, consoled me, and then wiped away my tears. Then, just like in the movies, he tipped my chin up and kissed me. I’d kissed a bit before this so I knew what to expect, something that would turn into some ridiculous passionate thing and we’d get carried away in the moment and I’d be humiliated and he’d regret letting me into his life. But then it ended. Even in the way he kissed me he was a perfect gentleman. That was a defining moment for me. At that moment I knew he wouldn’t let me push him around, he wouldn’t date me just to see if I’d put out, he respected me and he respected himself.

This was BIG. This was  HUGE deal. This is something that I still think about today and realize how lucky I am to have gotten this fellow.

So this was it. We were officially together.

Now we just had to hide it from everyone.

Easier said than done.

**Remember…I’m hooked on The Cosby Show so those are my characters these days.