The Dating (and Not Dating) Angst

As alluded to in the previous post, Ellis and I were lucky to become friends before we started dating. I highly recommend this method. Being friends first is the best. However, what I can't recommend is what happened during our dating on and off times. But it makes for a good story... so enjoy...

Ellis asked me out for the first time some time in the middle of November. I think it must have been for the 16th by my best count, but who knows. We went to see "Charlotte's Web" as presented by a middle school a little north of us. A long time friend of Ellis' is the drama teacher at that school. The kids did and excellent job and it was a fun evening. I remember coming out of the evening thinking it had been fun, and that I really enjoyed being with him, but had no idea where things would go...

From that point for the next few weeks we went on some on and off dates, but boy were things confusing! Speaking from my side, I remember thinking he was interested about half the time and then not being sure the other half. I remember one particularly funny instance where I had been bemoaning the state of affairs with Ellis with some flute friends, when who should pop up, but Ellis himself.

By the time Christmas rolled around I was convinced that nothing would ever happen for some reason well beyond my understanding. I knew I was interested, but I also knew things didn't seem to be going anywhere. I even remember telling my parents about him while I was home for the break and just being frustrated. Of course, looking back, if someone would have told me I'd be marrying him 8 months later, I would have laughed.

January, February, and March brought more awkward encounters and more confusion. The favorite (for both of us) was in January. I got a text from Ellis inviting me to join a group going to see a movie for his birthday. I was sick of school that day, and thought it sounded like fun. When I showed up that evening Ellis told me that everyone had had to back out at the last minute... which left me in this suuuuuuuuuuper awkward situation... I felt like I couldn't abandon him to go watch a movie by himself on his birthday, but things had been confusing and I didn't really want to go on a date with him at that point. What ensued was probably the most awkward date/not date in the history of dating. I remember awkward conversation, and awkward drive to the movie theater and sitting on opposite sides of our seats at the movie. Yep. And all on his birthday.

During those months it was always that we'd run into each other, and on Ellis part he'd struggle with trying to figure out what he wanted and me wondering what in the world was going on. I'd manage to quit wondering about him and then not long after he would always show up... the nerve! He'd come to all of my concerts, and just seemed to pop up around the HFAC when I least expected him.  We'd always end up having great conversations and enjoy being with each other, but just couldn't seem to move past some sort of awkward friend-but-maybe-could-be-more-than-friends relationship...

To be continued...