It was a Thursday morning when I first saw her. She walked past me in a beautiful black dress, and something about her caught my attention. It wasn't love at first sight, but I knew I wanted to talk to her, to get to know her.

As she walked away, I slowed my pace and tried to gather the courage to approach her. But I couldn't come up with the perfect opening line. Hey beautiful! seemed too cheesy, and You look beautiful in that dress felt too forward.

Hey!

To my surprise, she smiled back and we struck up a conversation.
Don't get your hopes up. It was a nice first conversation, I thought. I probably should have said a bit more. Maybe even compliment her. Oh well.

We talked almost every day after that. We texted we called, and we started to learn more about each other. She wasn't my world but was now a big part of it.

But I was hesitant to take the next step. I didn't want to risk losing what we had by confessing my feelings too soon. So, I played it cool, hoping that our connection would continue to grow.

We teased and joked with each other.

Where you?
She would text me when she wanted me around. I thought that she enjoyed my company, and I felt the same way about her.

Should I ask her out? Should I tell her how I feel?
I decided to wait a little longer, to make sure that my feelings were real and not just a passing infatuation.

One day, we were talking and she said,
I want someone who looks at me that way.

Do you now…
I wanted to be that person for her. I wanted to look at her in that way, to see her beauty and her strength, and to call her my own.

We finally met up on a fine sunny day. As we hugged and held hands for a bit, I felt a rush of emotion that I had never experienced before.

I might start calling you my guy…she teased.

It was like a wave of happiness and contentment washing over me.

Please do!!
But we weren't able to see each other for a while after that. We kept in touch, but it wasn't the same as being together in person. It was hard to be patient, to wait for the right moment to make my move.

My birthday was coming up, and I knew that I wanted to spend it with her. I wanted her to be the perfect gift, she was my wish.
So, I mustered up all my courage and asked her out. My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it might burst out of my chest.
She took a while to respond, and I threw away my phone and went outside to calm my nerves. This was it, the perfect time, the perfect moment to tell her how I felt.

I want you

I rushed back to my phone. She had sent a reply.

Yes! This was it!!

I really like you. I want to hang out with you.
But just as friends.