At Long Last?

Is it an earthquake or simply a shock?
Is it the good turtle soup or merely the mock?
Is it a cocktail, this feeling of joy?
Or is what I feel the real McCoy?

~Frank Sinatra, “At Long Last Love”

Okay—I thought I had no sense of romance left in me. I thought most of it had been sucked out by G. in college and then finished off by S. here in Chicago.

So why do I feel completely giddy?

I met K. at a party back in the spring. My friend and her boyfriend brought him with them (I think with the sole purpose of introducing us). We talked for awhile; I thought he was nice, but then I left to go to a party at my sister’s apartment.

A week passed, and my friend asked me if she could give him my e-mail. I said yes, he contacted me, and we went out to dinner. Again, I thought he was nice, but didn’t really feel any sparks. We kept e-mailing and went out again at the beginning of August. I felt the same—no spark—but at the same time, something told me not to give up.

We went to a party together two weeks ago, and we finally kissed for the first time. It was just a quick kiss as I was getting out of a cab, but I decided it was worth kissing him again.

This past weekend he invited me to a wedding. Maybe it was the romance of the evening, maybe it was because I discovered he could dance, or maybe it was because I finally saw him in a relaxed setting around his friends. Whatever it was, I fell. . . hard.

How is it that one minute you can feel lukewarm about someone and the next—BAM—you’re hooked? I haven’t felt like this in so many years—it’s almost hard to believe it’s real.

I think one of the most exhilarating feelings is when you realize you've fallen for someone and you know they’ve fallen for you in return.

More to come. . .