Caught, part II, by The Catch

Caught, Part 2

I don’t want to hijack Elle’s blog by retelling each date story, but date #3 was memorable. For me, there were several pertinent things I wanted to know, and rock climbing was a perfect way to find the answers: Can she laugh and do something physical at the same time? If she struggles, how will she respond? Will she enjoy this enough to want to try other new activities with me? In the end, my excitement was completely justified. I have never had so much fun with someone I’ve only known 2 weeks. We belayed for each other, teased one other, showed affection, and laughed a lot. Three dates in and I wanted this to go somewhere. That spooked me.

I was surprised to hear from her again on Friday morning. We had plans to go trap shooting on Sunday, but afterwards it looked like it would be a few weeks before we could see each other again thanks to poorly aligned travel schedules. Elle gchated me: “I was thinking about us not seeing each other for nearly 2 weeks and it made me sad.” – “I feel the same.” – “I know, you told me that last night. And I laughed at you.” You can’t teach her kind of charm.

On Sunday, I learned about the blog, about the journey, and about where I stood. I’m not the jealous type and never one to make assumptions, including that in the first two weeks of knowing a person, someone would forego all other dating. My first reaction was “damn, that’s an awesome idea. I wish I had thought of it!” Then she admitted that she was ready to abandon the project and only date me (quitter).

She sat me down and had me read a few entries. The story was even more compelling than the overarching idea! I read about her first two dates, then skipped ahead to “The Catch.” It felt a little like I was invading her privacy, akin to peeking into one’s personal diary, but she insisted it was ok. I read. I blushed. It was reassuring knowing that she was enjoying spending time with me as much as I with her, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it was a bit of an ego boost that our dates stood out amidst the recent flurry. As I read, I wanted the story to keep going. Only a jerk would cancel this mid-season! Then it occurred to me that I was that jerk. And I also realized it meant that I got to spend that much more time with her.

I started my version of the story with an apology. In truth, it was only half-hearted. I still love this idea and I hope someone takes up Elle’s pen, but I can’t help but smile thinking about the coming weeks and the fun we’ll have together.

-TC