Dating : Crushing over 21

We’ve known each other since senior year of high school and kept in touch after graduation. Nothing happened between us other than a friendship because the timing never seemed right. Either he was in a relationship or I was. As the years passed, the calls became fewer and fewer until they stopped. Our communication had been reduced to birthday messages and an occasional like or two on a Facebook or Instagram post.

Fast forward to this year, a notification popped up on my phone and a smile light up my face. “I’d really like to see you.” A simple message on Facebook, and I was in high school all over again. I had a crush and had no clue what to do about it. I had been out of the dating scene for a while and wasn’t sure I wanted to get back in after my last dating fiasco. Cue the overthinking…what would we talk about? Would we like the adult versions of each other? To calm the frenzy happening in my head, I decided to have more phone conversations, so we could get to know each other all over again.

After talking for months and failed attempts of coordinating our schedules, the day had arrived for us hang out and it was like we saw each other in class yesterday. We spoke for hours about EVERYTHING!! This was the first time in a long time that I felt safe with a man and could be me. I didn’t feel pressure to pretend to be someone I wasn’t. I could listen to him talk for hours and I did. This was the best first date I’d been on. Two drinks, countless stories and laughter led to him stretching his hand to me. I took it, and he pulled me in for the most passionate kiss I have ever had. (Fade to black)

Yeah…we were intimate and it was amazing! I didn’t walk away from it feeling like “damn what did I just do”. We talked some more and then walked together to the train station. The whole way we rode the train his hand was comfortably resting on my leg like he wanted to make it known to everyone that I was his and I loved it. I played it cool and didn’t try to entangle my fingers with his like I wanted to. It was enough that he was making all the 1st moves.

As our time together was coming to a close, I thought that when we arrived at his stop he would hug me and leave. No…he took me by the hand and kissed me, a sweet peck on the lips that you see husbands give their wives in the movies before leaving for work in the morning. It was perfect. He continued to hold my hand until the last second and turned back and smiled at me while the doors closed. I returned the smile. I love his smile.

As I continued my train ride to my hotel, I tried to live in the moment. I daydreamed about everything that happened hours before and smiled every time I thought of him touching and kissing me. I wondered if he felt the same or if I was another notch in his belt. I texted him when I got back to my hotel and told him I had a great time. He replied saying “Glad you’re back safe and I definitely enjoyed your company”. I replied with “I’m leaving tomorrow but I would love to see you again.” To which he replied, “I’d love to, and we can do that all the time.” I blushed as I read his response and was relieved as well. Now I knew for sure this wasn’t just sex!