Chapter 3: The Spark

May 30th, 2012

The smell of my exquisite culinary masterpiece fills my car as I pull up to his house.

Ok, so it's just homemade Mexican food, but still, it smells pretty dang good! 

It's been a while since I've seen Isaac. We've both been tying up loose ends at work, so free time is a hot commodity. Luckily, school is finally out for me! Isaac's been preparing for his end of year pop show with his choir students, and even though he doesn't let on, I can tell he's feeling a little stressed. Despite his workload, he invited me over to watch some scary movie tonight. So, here I am, standing at his door holding a pink file crate full of hot food that I've made just for him.

After our last date, I knew that I was beginning to develop feelings for the straight-shooting 6'4" choir director/hunter/fisherman/chef/opera-singer/who-knows-what-else guy. He is more than just a man of many hats; he was a man who clearly loves God and His people.

And still, I can't help but ask myself, what about the butterflies? You know, that wonderful, bubbly feeling you get in the pit of your stomach every time HE comes around. That spark of attraction that stirs your heart so deeply it causes a physical reaction, where is that? Am I being unrealistic? The Lord has convicted me in the past of being too reliant on and/or driven by emotions, and maybe those things are just "teenager stuff" anyway. Regardless of this (perhaps trivial) inner-struggle, there is something in me that believes I am meant to continue dating Isaac and see where God leads us.

Sharing a meal together is pleasant, as always. We chat about our day, discuss his upcoming show, flirt, laugh, and play. We've only known each other for a short time, but being with him is so comfortable.

As we move over to the couch, I whimsically ponder to myself if he'll try to hold my hand or kiss me for the first time.  I mean, he DID invite me to a scary movie; that's guy code for "I want a chance to put my arm around you", right? And saying "yes" to this invitation was my girl code for "no matter how much this movie stinks, I'll at least pretend to be scared so you can 'protect' me"... right? I quickly snap myself back to reality, feeling slightly embarrassed to be a 24-year-old entertaining such immature musings.

He sits at the end of the couch and I sit in the middle, right next to him. He pushes play, and The Devil Inside begins playing.

A real winner!
Not.

 About a half hour into the movie, I feel him reach to put his arm around me. I turn slightly, resting my back against his torso and putting my bare feet up on the other end of the couch. Somehow, I seem to fit perfectly in this Christina-shaped cutout created by his arm and body. That feeling of comfort mixed with happiness washes over me again.

And then, it happens.

*Now, just a disclaimer, I feel completely ridiculous writing about this part, because I KNOW how foolish and lame it sounds. Nevertheless, with Isaac's permission, I have resolved to tell our story, and this was a major part of it, for me, at least.*

After sinking in to the comfort of Isaac's embrace, I reach my hand over and put it on his knee. We continue watching the (horrible and creepy) movie for a while when he reaches over and grabs my hand. He holds it tightly for a while and then begins to gently trace circles on the inside of my wrist with the tips of his fingers. I don't know why, but this simple act causes me to melt into a puddle! My stomach fills with butterflies and it feels as though bolts of electricity are running through my entire body. It is nothing short of fantastic.

Meanwhile, back at my pituitary gland:
-"General, we have hand-to-hand contact."
-"Thanks, Lieutenant. ALRIGHT PEOPLE, we have hand-to-hand contact! This is not a drill! Cue the palm sweat! Sergeant, get me the adrenal glands on the phone, we need a racing heartbeat!"
-"Pardon me, sir, but don't you think this is a bit much? I mean, he's just--"
-"That's enough out of you, soldier. WHERE IS THE AWKWARD SHAKING? Somebody is falling down on the job!"

I feel my legs and arms completely stiffen. My toes begin to hug each other. It feels like every muscle I have is inching its way towards my wrist, so that they can be the lucky ones feeling this exciting touch. If Isaac knew the effect this was having on me, he would probably realize what a weirdo I am and run in the other direction. Thankfully, I think I'm doing a pretty good job at playing it cool.

"Are you ok?"

Issac's voice interrupts my concerted efforts to act natural.

"Um...ya... I mean, why? I mean, I'm good. You? Is there water here?"

Smooth.

I take a deep breath and turn to look at him. It only makes things worse; I mean, better; I mean, AAAHHH!!! He looks down into my eyes and smiles sweetly at me, completely oblivious to my internal absurdity. He leans in and kisses me gently. For a moment, I become, if it's even possible, even more stiffened, and then, I feel all of the tension in my muscles completely fall away as I blissfully sink in to our first kiss.

The only way I can think to describe it is that his face was like a pillow. Now, I know how that sounds, but it wasn't a pillow in the sense that it was all fluffy and squishy. No, it was... Well, you know that feeling at the end of the day when you get home from work or school and you're just EXHAUSTED? All you want to do is go to sleep, so you climb in bed and rest your head on your pillow and it's just the most amazing feeling you've had in what feels like forever? It feels like this, laying here on your pillow, was what you were made to be doing, and you wish you never had anything else to do but this, forever. AND, what makes it even better is that it's YOUR pillow. Other people's pillows are just not the same. Yours is the best; it's comfortable and wonderful. If you've ever felt that, you can understand what I mean when I say his face was like my pillow.

"You're kind of good at that." I say stupidly.

"You too." he replies, chuckling.

"I guess the past week or so, I have been doubting myself and where I stand with you, Isaac. I'm pretty good at reading people, but sometimes you're a question mark to me."

"What? Why?"

"Well, you don't text me very often." I immediately realize how thin the basis of my concerns has been. "I guess I just thought if you were interested, you'd text me more."

And this is the moment when the Isaac-ness that I like so much comes out again: the part where he never leaves me guessing or wondering because real men don't need to play games like that to keep a woman interested. "I guess I'm not much of a texter, but rest assured, I am extremely interested in you. I will not waste your time by asking you out if I'm not interested. I want to be in a relationship with you." (For the record, he's texted me everyday since this exchange).

It was a sweet night. We ended up hanging out and talking for several more hours after this amazing moment. Although we had technically only been seeing each other, we officially declared ourselves "exclusive," which in the online dating world means we deleted our profiles. haha. We talked about past loves and mistakes, our beliefs about dating and romantic relationships, and boundaries that we felt were biblical and appropriate for our relationship. What a wonderful night!

~Chapter 4 Coming Soon~

Once again, if you've made it this far, I've left you a few little treats.

Video filled with awkward pics explaining the pituitary gland

Boy and girl humor

Chapter 2- Creepy Fish Tanks

I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe I’m doing this. This is so not me!

All I can do is scold myself as I pull into the driveway of a man I’ve met face to face only once. My mother would kill me if she knew. I text my best friend Jenn and give her Isaac’s name and address in case he turns out to be a murderer. I tell her what time and pulling up and promise to text her the second I leave.

Is this one of the most reckless things I’ve ever done?

Yes.

The location of my and Isaac’s second date wasn’t my first choice. I was actually led to this driveway by a series of my own flakey tendencies. Since our first date a week ago, I had agreed to see Isaac twice and backed out because of scheduling mistakes and school obligations. (Oh, so THIS is why people use  calendars!) In my defense, it is the end of the school year, my most hectic time. Either way, he has been intentional about expressing his interest in me as well as a desire to go out again. I like that he doesn’t keep me guessing. It seems mature and ultra-manly, if that doesn’t sound silly. Isaac knows what he wants and goes after it, not in a desperate way, but rather, with resolve. (Trust me, if you have any experience with online dating, you KNOW the difference.)  And now,  I’m starting to worry that my natural “Christina-ness”, what with all of the committing and backing out, won’t last much longer before he shakes the dust from his feet and walks the other way. He’s leaving to be in a friend’s wedding tomorrow, which means he has to stay home and wash clothes tonight, but with my schedule as crazy as it is, I won’t be free for another week.

So here I am. I walk up to his front door nervously. Very little light is coming through the windows, but I can hear the TV booming. We planned to watch Thor, so maybe he has already started it. As I wait for him to answer the door, something catches my eye through the glazing.

What is that? A huge fish tank? Why is it brown? Oh, God, he’s going to chop me up and put me in his fish tank. I knew this was a bad idea. I KNEW this was a bad idea...

My internal struggle, “to run or not to run,” is interrupted when Isaac answers the door.
Well hello, handsome fish tank killer.
Oh, uh, I mean, “Hi.”

I reluctantly enter his house. He lives with his brother, who, at the moment, is conveniently away at work for the night. Entering the living room, I notice he has MULTIPLE fish tanks. Four, to be exact. Thankfully, the others’ water is clear, convincing me that no unsuspecting victims now reside in them. We sit down and start chatting. We discuss our days and the many grievances we have towards the public education system. I muster up the courage to ask about the brown fish tank. At this, he laughs and explains that he has recently added real driftwood to the tank's setup. Whew. The conversation shifts to our personal lives. He tells me of his many adventures traveling to sing. He shows me souvenirs from all over the world. As we talk he tells me some of the most interesting stories about people he has known, things he has done, and finally, one beautiful tale of a close friend he lost to cancer. The emotion on his face when talking about Maura tells me that Isaac is a person who loves his friends and family passionately and would do anything for them. My heart hurts and smiles for this truly unique man sitting in front of me.

After four hours, we realize that watching Thor is no longer an option, and I decide to go home and get some sleep. Isaac, respectful but sweet, gives me a long hug at the door of my car. On the way home, I text Jenn and tell her that I’ve not only made it out alive, but that tonight was absolutely fantastic. As I’m telling her all about the night, I feel the faintest hint of a spark run through my body. I think I might like this guy.

~Chapter 3 Coming Soon!~

If you've made it this far, your reward is this link to a how-to dance video my friend Cassi and I made in college and thus an explanation as to why I remained single until age 24.
How to shake your salt