Our Love Story- Part 2

To see Our Love Story- Part 1, click here.

The Boyfriend and I met in a Communications class. He was funny and easy to talk to and although I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, or rather, I didn’t want a boyfriend, I did like his company. He made sure to sit by me each day, and after some time we dated before making it official.

He was kind. He was thoughtful. He was charming. And I cared for him.

He became president of his fraternity and I was in a sorority.  So we did that scene. And we did other fun things together as well. We went to Las Vegas, Boston, and New York. He bought me lavish gifts and took me to nice dinners. Some of his best gal friends became some of my best gal friends.

I met his family, and he met mine. His family’s first language is Hebrew, so that is what was primarily spoken in the house, which made for a few awkward moments when I found myself alone with the dad, which I am pretty sure was in the mafia. Not kidding.

Scary.

During this time Mystery Guy remained a friend. Sometimes a distant one, and maybe more of an acquaintance. There were months we didn’t speak or run into one another. Not on purpose, just because. We were living our lives, but still very much aware of one another.

He knew I had a boyfriend, but he didn’t seem to care. To him, it was a mere hiccup.

He worked at a very popular bar, The Loose Moose, and every now and again he would let my friends and I into the bar for free while skipping the long line, making me feel like the cool kid. He and his friends ran this bar, so after some time he became friends with my friends. And his friends then dated my friends.

The Boyfriend and I would even go to this bar together with all of our mutual friends.  So it was just one large mutual friend pile now and that was awkward.

I’d still feel that hole burning into my back, though, and when I’d glance over and see his super suave half-smile those tingles would shoot up my spine and the hairs on my arms would be saying hello to my face.

Things were still fine with The Boyfriend and I. But that was just it…

They were fine….

A conversation between my pal and Mystery Guy one evening while at the bar…

Him: “I’m going to marry her someday.”

Her: “Uhhhhh, no you’re not. She’s got a boyfriend and doesn’t even like you.”

Him: “Doesn’t matter. I’m going to marry her.”

And this wasn’t the only person he told this to.

On my birthday, Mystery Guy left flowers on the doorstep of my sorority where I was living for all to see. Everyone thought they were from The Boyfriend, as did I… until I got to my room and opened the card and chills immediately shot down my spine.

A feeling I had yet to experience at such high intensity.

Ever.

I found myself extremely conflicted. I was dating a guy that treated me well, liked to spoil me and that I could have probably been content with. And there was nothing wrong.

On the other hand, there was a guy who was mysterious to me, which was both exciting and scary. One who didn’t care what anyone else thought and openly proclaimed his feelings for me to anyone who would listen.

Toward the end of the year, my roommate told me while talking to Mystery Guy that he described me to her as “highlighted.” That in a book of thousands of words, I was the highlighted one.

(Swoon.)

Hearing these things was hard at times, though. He wasn’t allowing me to just be with my boyfriend. He was always making a presence, even if it wasn’t directly to me.  It was hard because I didn’t have any reason to leave The Boyfriend. But I didn’t want it to stop, either, which was a message in itself.

Mystery Guy just didn’t give up.

So what do I do? I’d often think. Stay in a perfectly content relationship, or take a chance on someone else? Someone I really didn’t know that well…

But someone who made my heart pound.