You never know when a Writer is going to put you into their story....
Song of the day: 'Cold December Night’
- Michael Buble
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Six years ago this month, the man pictured cornered me at a friend’s holiday birthday party. In other words he monopolized my time with his witty charm. He took my phone out of my hand, dialed his number and called himself; with a coy and very confident smile he handed my phone back to me:
My immediate thought was“Boy is this guy confident. He knows he’s charming. He’s in for a surprise when he realizes that self-aware Charm does not work on me....”.
I was over having any type of serious romance in my life—I juggled all I thought I wanted to handle.
December 24th I receive a Facebook friend-request followed by random, very clever, text messages that were fun because they gave me pause to think about and reply. Sprinkled between the clever texts would be an invite to coffee or Thai. I’d politely decline or postpone because I was rather busy with work and parenting my dog. If he wanted to hang out he’d need to come to me. And after a month and my finally agreeing to meet for coffee that’s what he did—he came to me. I treated it as a business meeting—I picked his brain about the writing profession. He kept my already active mind stimulated, which impressed me. We talked until the place closed and we got hungry, so, he invited me over for a ‘Serenity’ watching party he was hosting and now very late for (people were already arriving at his house).
I wasn’t going to go. I had work to do at the duplex where I was acting Property Manager, and tenant. That very cold December night I was on my hands and knees on the ground, digging and scratching at the surface—pulling at overbearing weeds from between the canals formed by brick....and feeling 100% relatable to Cinderella. Then....my near frozen fingers met with the large corpse of larvae—and froze in place. I resisted tears, which threatened to water both cheeks and give my lashes a lashing. I called my best friend. She talked me into going to the movie night "Just go inside, shower, walk April, and go!” So, resolutely, I did. I guessed some trivia at the party correctly (not sure how, as I had never seen ‘Firefly’ but I have been known to read a lot of books, so....I can generally figure out gists of story).
Though he tried, I made him wait a couple months before I let him plant a kiss on me, and another month before he insisted we call us officially exclusive—with a title. Which means he had to wait a year before we’d exchange a kiss on a cold December night....And repeat each December, five years and counting.
Like his novels he’s a Romance with a rough exterior. He challenges me daily.
I suppose an undercover Artist who is a Writer and self-professed Gamer, and an undercover Writer who is an Artist and an Athlete... compatibly enjoy doing what we do best—we keep each other (and others) guessing.
(And I guess you can say he’s got me Charmed) <3
