"True Love Stories..."

I have asked friends and long contemplated about how I am going to ask my partner to marry me and it be super special. 

We meet over 11 years ago in a recovery program. Passing each other daily he says I didn't even notice him and he was correct. After having gone through a break up recently it was suggested that I make changes. One of the biggest things that helped is I was instructed to make a list of 10 things I want in a life partner and only one could be physical. 

In addition, I started to go to different grocery stores, started back to the gym that I hadn't used in months and I would frequent a coffee shop. The coffee shop is where a few of us would hang out everyday just after work prior to a meeting and suddenly one day I saw this really gorgeous man who was really tall, 6'4", and I couldn't stop looking at him and from that day I couldn't stop thinking about him. Eventually I got the courage to say hello and we chatted for hours. 

We (or maybe I) would race to get to the coffee shop first everyday where we and several friends also met. After many months of getting to know more about him I found the courage to ask this man on a date. It was the first time I'd ever asked anyone out, and he said "I'd really like that". 

We went for Italian on our first date on November 26, 2005. I was completely smitten and I believed the feelings were mutual. The good news is we had gotten to know one another over the course of a year or so chatting and seeing each other daily. On our first date we set ground rules on how this time we'd both like to do it different. We decided no kissing yet and for sure nothing more including no sleep overs. 

The more we got to know each other the more I knew I wanted to stay for at least another day. Our first kiss was a few weeks into the dating process which was only a kiss and it was extraordinarily special, something I'll never forget and it was several months before we went any farther. I believe this allowed me to love or REALLY like this man without sex being in the equation which obviously hadn't worked in the past. 

Even after we were 'officially' dating we would only stay over on certain nights which we both agreed to. We spent Friday through Sunday together and the other days were off limits. That continued for at least a year and then we decided we might like to get a place together, which we did.

Now after 10 years plus, I am ready to take the plunge and I'm pretty sure he is too. Even though I was apprehensive or unsure for several years into the relationship that he was the one, now I can't imagine life without him and I'm head over heels in love. He's absolutely the one I want to be with forever.


* True Love Stories: These are real stories of men in love, told in their own voice. These are our stories, these are true love stories.

"Fear Eats the Soul"