The Dance: Part Two

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. John 7:24

   I want to start this out with an excerpt from an email that Aaron fished out of his closet. (Yes, he printed it, don't ask why, because neither of us can figure out a logical reason. Though, I'm sure there was one at the time.) It was dated back on February 12, 2004 while he was still dating the other girl.

"I don't need to tell you again that I have no idea what the future holds. But I can tell you that it's not a great idea to cling to something that's uncertain. ...as hard as it is to tell you that you need to continue on, I think that that's actually the most heartfelt thing that I can possibly say to you. It would be foolish if I told you to wait for me... I won't tell you to cling to that kind of uncertainty. But just bear in mind that everything is out of your hands... and it's out of my hands. It's in God's hands. ...if we're meant to be together, then that's what's going to happen someday. ...it will happen when it's meant to happen. ....
And, if there's still something unanswered or unsettled, then just ask me again... or ask me for the first time- whatever kind of thing it is. Okay?
Aaron"

    One of the things I appreciate most about Aaron is his ability to analyze a situation, decide on a logical solution and tactfully carry it out. This excerpt was (and still is) evidence that he wasn't just that guy who found himself in an awkward situation and did everything he could to ignore it. He was kind, selfless, and encouraging. I remember being upset when I read this email, but mostly because I knew he was right. I can think of numerous emails, very similar to this one, where he displayed the same kind of logical kindness and, honestly, it only made me care for him more.

    Now, said logic did mean, however, that after breaking up with his girlfriend, he was smart enough and cautious enough not to jump right into dating me. In retrospect this set the tone for our relationship, and I couldn't appreciate it more. He was more concerned that he make the right decision, than he was about how quickly I wanted to jump into things. But, luckily for me, that meant getting to spend more time with him as he figured out what he wanted.

    What I consider to be our first real "date" he would probably disagree with, but even so, it was the first real date I had ever gone on, so there it is. It was a just about a week or so after he had broken up with his girlfriend, but for the first time, and with the one person I always dreamed, I was being picked up and taken to a movie. I got ready, probably put on makeup, which I rarely wore back then, and then waited, trying not to stare out the window (fairly unsuccessfully I might add) until I saw his car pull up. We went to what was, at the time, still Regal Mountlake 9 and decided on seeing The Matrix: Revolutions. I remember sitting in the theater, arm on the arm rest, 129 minutes of hoping he would hold my hand. He told me months, or possibly years, afterward that he could tell the whole time, and that, though he did want to hold it, he also wanted to make sure that he wanted to hold it, not just that he was feeling some sort of weird girlfriend withdrawal. Probably the funniest/cutest thing he had said so far.

    The movie led to concerts, movies at my house with our friends, and just general hang out time. And as our friendship continued to grow Aaron continued to invite me out. Leading eventually, to him inviting me to his school's Student Council Banquet, to be held at the Arctic Club in Downtown Seattle. I gladly (giddily) accepted and promptly went to look for a dress to wear (though, I just ended up deciding that the dress I already had would suffice, as no one at his school had seen me wear it yet. Thrift, ha).

    Here's what we looked like that night:

        This particular dance was a ton of fun. I had, by this time, come to know Aaron's guy friends fairly well, and was able to meet a lot of his other female classmates, who were all very friendly. More comforting, though, was the fact that my close friend Allison was there as well (she was dating Aaron's brother at the time, and came as his date). The food was great, the dancing was fun (though Aaron doesn't dance), and the time spent just relaxing and talking in the foyer area was even more enjoyable. After the festivities were done downtown, we made our way with some friends back up to Aaron's house to watch a movie. The boys all wanted to watch a horror film (of course), so we watched Thirteen Ghosts. I told Aaron I was cold, so he grabbed a blanket, sat next to me and covered us both up. I, as would be expected, left my hand fully accessible and waited. I can't tell you how long it took, or even what happens in that movie, but soon enough he reached over and grabbed my hand. At this point I'm pretty sure my heart was ready to beat from my chest! He has since admitted that it was that night, at that dance, that he realized he really did like me. No "girlfriend withdrawal", just pure affection.