(no subject)
Daniel and I first met in 8th grade. We were in a couple of the same classes together, but never actually got to know one another until halfway through the school year. In January of 1997, a mutual friend of ours invited us and several other people over to her house. We had a good time just hanging out and being goofy, belting out Alanis Morissette songs and eating popcorn. We all decided to spice things up by playing Truth or Dare. Well, of course, everyone decided to pick on Daniel and I. Things started out pretty innocent... a peck on the cheek, a peck on the lips, etc. Soon, Daniel and I were making out... something I had never done before. Sure, I had kissed guys, but not like that. The whole thing felt SLIGHTLY awkward because we were surrounded by our friends, but it was nice at the same time. I went home a different girl that evening. Honestly though, lip-locking aside, something clicked between Daniel and I. We had spent nearly the entire time together, even before Truth or Dare, just talking and getting to know each other. The next day at school, we couldn't help but smile at each other every time our eyes met in class. Then, our mutual friend (AKA, the matchmaker) called me and asked if it would be OK if she gave Daniel my phone number. He had asked for it, but she didn't want to give it to him without my permission. I told her that it was fine and that I was definitely interested in talking to him. After a few phone conversations and random get-togethers, Daniel and I decided to officially become a couple. As many of you know, "going out" with someone doesn't mean you actually DO that much together, besides hanging out and talking on the phone. Things just felt right between the two of us, and I really enjoyed spending time with him. I wish I could say that the rest is history, but unfortunately I can't.
Being that we were still pretty young, we had no idea what a real relationship was about and were definitely not mature enough to handle it at that time. We broke up, but still remained friends. This seemed to be our pattern through high school as well. We'd get back together to give things another go, but it always ended in a break up. We were both just so wrapped up in our own lives... he had band and his friends, I had newspaper and speech and my friends. We each dated other people along the way, as well. I dated several RANDOM guys while he dated one girl pretty seriously. Obviously my relationships weren't long-term, and he was on and off with his girlfriend as well. We always just seemed to keep coming back to one another, like we were SUPPOSED to be together and we were the only ones that didn't get it. During our junior year of high school, we broke up for what we both thought would be for good. Things ended badly and rumors spread among our mutual friends - a lot of the "he-said, she-said" bullshit that I'm glad I left in high school. We both went to college and moved on with our lives, even though neither of us completely forgot about the other. He always remained in the back of my mind, and I did in his. I continued to make mistake after mistake with guys at school, but that's all part of the college experience, I guess.
When I was home on medical leave in October of 2002, I received a phone call. When I picked it up and heard the voice on the other end, I felt like I was talking to a ghost. It was Daniel, and after nearly two years of not even seeing each other, and he calls completely out of the blue. He said that he had just been thinking of me, and wanted to apologize for the way things went down in high school. Little did I know, he had been going through a depression similar to mine, and wanted to make things right with me. He asked if it would be OK if he came over to visit, and I said that would be fine. We hung out for about a month, and as usual, sparks started to fly. However, I told him that I just wanted to be friends. Not because I didn't have feelings for him, but because I was AFRAID of the feelings I had for him. They were so strong and given our past, I didn't want to get hurt again. I even tried to distract myself by seeing another guy on the side, a guy who I thought was great. He turned out to be a complete jerk and made me realize WHY I cared for Daniel like I did. I cared about Daniel because he was perfect for me. He treated me like a queen and always made me feel special. On Christmas Eve of 2002, Daniel and I decided to make our relationship official and we have been together ever since. We were engaged on December 8th of 2003 and married on December 4th of 2004.