Where to Begin?
I can't keep this to myself. Please note that behind the following cut is a gushing rant about my time with Haley over the long weekend. Read at your own risk.
The past six days were like nothing I could have ever imagined. When we met at the airport I had butterflies; they didn't really go away until Saturday morning. We fought DC traffic and had a charming (if somewhat awkward) dinner at Olive Garden before returning to campus. We spent a long while then... getting to know each other. We were both immediately attracted to one another, but I was fairly nervous. We spent the night in each other's arms and slept late. Haley gamely accompanied me to the lab that afternoon and acted as lab buddy so I didn't have to work alone (a big no-no in the organic lab). I stayed a little longer than I expected (one of my compounds was giving the NMR a difficult time with the 13C and the other had too much methanol in it to really be useful) and afterward we went to Fortune Gourmet. Lo and behold, Casey, Shelly, Ashley, and Jessie had decided to do the same. The waiter saw that we knew each other and asked if we wanted to sit together; I thought I would die. But I told him no, thank you, and instead we got seated behind a little rice paper partition. Crisis averted.
That night we sat up late cuddling and talking since Moira had left to see Will for the weekend. I chose that moment to confess some of my lingering doubts that I felt were standing in the way of an honest, open relationship. I was surprised at Haley's reaction and for the first time I saw real fear in his eyes. That pained me, brought me back to the realization that he had been really, deeply hurt by Ash and now I was doing the same to him. After some moments of pondering I told him that it would be silly to pass judgment on him after twenty-four hours, so we fell into restless sleep. The next morning when I woke up and had time to re-examine my feelings, I was more surprised that I no longer had any reservations whatsoever. Cheesy as it sounds, it was like the last wall had fallen away and nothing remained between us except love. From that moment forward it was like we were meeting for the first time again. I'm glad I told him about those doubts, because if I hadn't I'd be sitting here still wondering.
That afternoon we drove to Richmond and I introduced him to my parents. I showed him my house and my neighborhood and my dog, and then he and my parents and I went to the local Mexican restaurant and had a nice dinner. I think my parents liked him, but I haven't had a chance to talk to them one-on-one since then. That evening we came back to Fredericksburg and enjoyed our last night of alone time before Moira's return.
The best part was the talking, just lying together with his arm as my pillow, holding each other and conversing for hours. We talked about life and love, about our past and our future; friends and family, school and work; science, philosophy, movies, music; previous relationships and how much we love each other. Going out for meals was usually an extended affair, since we sat and talked for at least an hour afterward, about everything and nothing, just basking in each other's company and attention.
I dropped him off at the airport around 6:45 and he's currently on a flight to Atlanta, then back home to Phoenix. I promised to see him again as soon as I can convince my parents to help finance the trip and I find a time that works (possibly around New Year's). Now all I have left to remind me that it wasn't a dream is a pair of men's socks, a large black hoodie, and a prom picture from his wallet. And the lingering smell on my pillow... <3
The past six days were like nothing I could have ever imagined. When we met at the airport I had butterflies; they didn't really go away until Saturday morning. We fought DC traffic and had a charming (if somewhat awkward) dinner at Olive Garden before returning to campus. We spent a long while then... getting to know each other. We were both immediately attracted to one another, but I was fairly nervous. We spent the night in each other's arms and slept late. Haley gamely accompanied me to the lab that afternoon and acted as lab buddy so I didn't have to work alone (a big no-no in the organic lab). I stayed a little longer than I expected (one of my compounds was giving the NMR a difficult time with the 13C and the other had too much methanol in it to really be useful) and afterward we went to Fortune Gourmet. Lo and behold, Casey, Shelly, Ashley, and Jessie had decided to do the same. The waiter saw that we knew each other and asked if we wanted to sit together; I thought I would die. But I told him no, thank you, and instead we got seated behind a little rice paper partition. Crisis averted.
That night we sat up late cuddling and talking since Moira had left to see Will for the weekend. I chose that moment to confess some of my lingering doubts that I felt were standing in the way of an honest, open relationship. I was surprised at Haley's reaction and for the first time I saw real fear in his eyes. That pained me, brought me back to the realization that he had been really, deeply hurt by Ash and now I was doing the same to him. After some moments of pondering I told him that it would be silly to pass judgment on him after twenty-four hours, so we fell into restless sleep. The next morning when I woke up and had time to re-examine my feelings, I was more surprised that I no longer had any reservations whatsoever. Cheesy as it sounds, it was like the last wall had fallen away and nothing remained between us except love. From that moment forward it was like we were meeting for the first time again. I'm glad I told him about those doubts, because if I hadn't I'd be sitting here still wondering.
That afternoon we drove to Richmond and I introduced him to my parents. I showed him my house and my neighborhood and my dog, and then he and my parents and I went to the local Mexican restaurant and had a nice dinner. I think my parents liked him, but I haven't had a chance to talk to them one-on-one since then. That evening we came back to Fredericksburg and enjoyed our last night of alone time before Moira's return.
The best part was the talking, just lying together with his arm as my pillow, holding each other and conversing for hours. We talked about life and love, about our past and our future; friends and family, school and work; science, philosophy, movies, music; previous relationships and how much we love each other. Going out for meals was usually an extended affair, since we sat and talked for at least an hour afterward, about everything and nothing, just basking in each other's company and attention.
I dropped him off at the airport around 6:45 and he's currently on a flight to Atlanta, then back home to Phoenix. I promised to see him again as soon as I can convince my parents to help finance the trip and I find a time that works (possibly around New Year's). Now all I have left to remind me that it wasn't a dream is a pair of men's socks, a large black hoodie, and a prom picture from his wallet. And the lingering smell on my pillow... <3