Let me defend David a little bit. Yes, it’s true. He did not want me to be his girlfriend…YET. And he did in fact come clean a few years into us dating…maybe even once we were engaged…to say that the answer to my “am I your girlfriend?” question was not yes yet. I like to be dramatic and leave out the part where David was trying to be respectful and take things slow and communicate that he liked me before we went on winter break and didn’t see each other for six weeks. :]
The day after our AIM DTR (“define the relationship”) conversation, we planned to have lunch before David’s last final. He met me at my dorm and we walked over to the dining hall holding hands. I remember I kept wondering if we were holding hands right, and why was my hand feeling so sweaty nervous/uncomfortable in his. It’s funny how quickly placing my hand in his became second nature and now is one of the most comforting gestures he could make. We walked into Dalton and grabbed our food and a booth, I was anxious to get to spend time with David alone again. And then he invited my hall mate, who was alone in the cafeteria, to sit with us. Which was sweet of him. But rather bad timing for the fact that we’d be saying goodbye for SIX weeks soon.
After lunch I walked him to his final in Reed Hall. And I was nervous the whole time. How do I say goodbye to my brand new boyfriend? I settled for insisting on walking him all the way to the elevator inside the building. Where I quickly and nervously pecked him on the lips twice and promptly turned and walked away, cheeks blazing red. David still makes fun of me for this.
(I actually had a few classes in that building throughout my time in college and I thought of this moment fondly every single time I waited for the elevator. It must’ve been awkward for other students to walk by and see me smiling weirdly at the elevator doors.)
I spent the rest of the day reveling in the fact that David Phipps was my boyfriend. I sat in Starbucks and fielded questions from friends who had found out we were dating (because facebook official of course) and blushed fiercely every time someone referred to me as his girlfriend.
Yes, we probably started dating too quickly. But, God was gracious with us. We spent the next six weeks, all of winter break, on the phone actually getting to know each other. We got to spend a week together smack dab in the middle of it surrounded by friends and then me visiting home with him for a couple days. (guys, I met his entire family on one trip, 3 weeks into dating. the entire family AND all his friends from high school. we even went to an alumni event at his high school. it was overwhelming. but that’s a story for another time.) By the time we got back from winter break, we knew each other a lot better and the titles of boyfriend and girlfriend were quite appropriate :]
I learned so much in those first few months of dating David. I’ll speak a little bit more about our dating relationship next post, but we learned so much in dating for a long time. And especially in those first few months I remember feeling really cared for. And like life with him was really fun. Sure, he didn’t indulge in the craziness that was me and my friends (another story for another time: the time David refused to participate in a self imposed scavenger hunt that my best friend made up for no reason), but he and I got to speak our own language. One of joking back and forth and laughing at the oddest things that other people didn’t seem to pick up on. We enjoyed life together.
But I’m going to fast forward a little to another monumental moment that I can remember very vividly.
The first few months did not come without pain. Personally, I was in a hard place. I was adjusting to new life in college, new life as a believer in Jesus, and personal tragedy had struck. In the midst of the hardest thing I’d gone through in my life so far, David was constant and caring. When my friends didn’t know how to respond to my grief, David simply prayed for me. He let me cry on his shoulder and encouraged me to talk it out. He was constant in a way that takes intentionality and sacrifice.
Which really sets to stage for what happened next.
We sat in his Xterra after Cru one night talking. He was going on about something that I can’t remember. I was wishing that he didn’t have to drive back to Blacksburg. And really trying to find a way to say this…
“I think I’m falling for you.”
I’m not sure why I said it that way. I guess I was feeling dramatic again. And David did the second most sly thing he’s ever done and said this…
“I think I love you too.”
And then he smiled big and “I love yous” have been a part of our lives ever since.
Continued here: the mushy gushy stuff.
note* I thought it’d be fun to recount our love story here on the blog. It’s funny, it’s most definitely awkward, and it tells you a little bit about our not so stellar beginnings. Also, it’s one of my favorite stories to tell. Also, when I told David my idea he said “Oh noooooo.” I’ll be posting updates every Friday for the next few weeks! And I’m politely asking that you do not judge the photos because they are most definitely pulled from facebook and terrible, terrible quality :]
