A New Beginning
Rock. From the The Paramour Sessions album, released in 2006. More info from Wikipedia.
I'm going to keep this one somewhat short - I've got about 30 minutes before I need to start getting ready for work, and 30 minutes is nowhere near enough time to get a massive update done.
As of lately, things between Kayla and I have been going great. We've been able to see each other at least one day every time I'm off, and though I'd like to see her much more often, I think we're doing good as far as seeing one another. I went over to her house on Christmas Eve and had the privilege of meeting her father - he seems like a good guy and, based on how I was treated that night, I think both of Kayla's parents approve, considering that her mother said something along the lines of, "Thanks for coming for dinner - hopefully you come around a little more often," as she was headed to bed that night. And Kayla's brother approves of me, no doubt - all I have to do is mention video games and he's sold.
I was shocked on Christmas Eve - Kayla, out of the goodness of her heart, completely surprised me with a Christmas gift. I wasn't expecting this at all, so she did a damn good job of surprising me. Of course, I did the same by surprising her with a gift for Christmas, though her gift had to wait a couple days (I gave it to her yesterday because it was the soonest I could have it to her) and it seemed like she was just as surprised when she got hers.
Overall, Christmas Eve was great; I had the chance to meet her family and have dinner with them, and got to spend some time with Kayla without having to spend money (of which I don't mind, but it is great to go easy on the wallet from time to time). I left Kayla's house that night feeling the best I've felt in a long, long while.
Yesterday only added to the great feelings I've been having lately. I decided that since I have work today (need to start getting ready for work in about 20 minutes) and today is her birthday, I would take her out and give the day to her. We started off with stopping at a couple stores so she could look for a couple things she wanted. First stop was Gamestop; she wanted to find a Wii game that she recently played, so it was my intent to buy this game for her as a birthday gift. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the game at Gamestop, so we ended up going to Walmart (and found it with no problems, surprisingly). I still paid for it; Kayla kept telling me I didn't have to, but I kept telling her that while I didn't have to, I wanted to.
Finishing up with the shopping, we went to go see the movie War Horse. Kayla is a die-hard horse lover, so it was only natural that she wanted to see the movie. And who am I to deny her? Like the good boyfriend I am (I think), I took her to see it, of course paying for everything. She loved the movie and was very happy that I took her to see it.
After the movies, we finished the night with some fine dining. It was my intent to take her to a hibachi-style restaurant, though somehow I wound up taking her to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. This didn't sit well with her at all, so I didn't waste time getting up and taking her elsewhere (we left before drinks were even brought to us). At this point, Kayla was undecided on what she wanted to eat, but I refused to move the car until she had something in mind - it was her day, so all the decisions were on her. She settled for Olive Garden, and once we got there, I could tell she felt much better about the choice of dining.
On the way home, it truly felt like her and I were a couple - since half of the trip back home was on the interstate, there was no need to shift gears in my car. Capitalizing on this, Kayla grabbed my hand after I got my car into fifth gear and held it the entire time we were driving. What's more is that when I HAD to shift, she allowed me to shift as required, then took my hand again once I got into fifth gear again. And we held hands in the car the entire trip home, minus the brief moments required to shift as necessary.
At her house, I stayed for an extra ten minutes before needing to get home so I could sleep for work (ten more minutes - I think I'm doing good). At the conclusion, I was thanked for a great "birthday" by a series of slow, passionate, borderline make-out kisses that left me smiling from ear to ear all the way home.
Since I've only got a few minutes before I need to hop into the shower, I'll briefly explain how I feel about this relationship and where I think it's going.
If you want to be technical about everything, Kayla and I have been dating for two and a half weeks, though we've been seeing each other and have been communicating with one another for about a month. In that time, I've rapidly developed some strong feelings for her, and it's surprising that said feelings are shared by her. Neither one of us honestly expected this, but we're both not complaining. At the initial onset (the day I asked her out), it honestly didn't feel like we were a couple, and though there are times where it still feels this way, everytime I'm with her, those feelings disappear. I think this is mainly because of a delay in response from texts I get, although I was told that I shouldn't ever be upset of offended if I don't get a response right away. I completely understand this, but it's difficult for me not to get upset if I don't hear from her. I guess that's just who I am as a person. On that same note, maybe I can be a little too clingy, and if such is the case, I need to remember that she's her own person and has her own things to take care of; she needs her space just as much as I need mine. Once again, these feelings quickly disappear when I have the chance to spend time with her; it's as if I never had these feelings at all.
Based on how things have been progressing for us, I can honestly say that things are looking great as far as long-term plans are concerned. Most of her family and friends are on the major defensive at the moment, for fear that another guy like her previous boyfriend will come around. I've heard the story about Kayla and her ex, and based on what I know, I completely understand everyone's reasons for being protective of her. I just need to prove to everyone that I'm not like that and it's my intent to treat her like the princess she deserves to be treated as.
Things are looking good between us. I can only hope that they continue to look just as good.