Just a couple of months prior to moving, so we'll just say April-ish, I got a huge dose of reality. People I had known for years were no longer around. I was outgrowing my sleepy little town and thought I was made for the city life. Boy, was I wrong! {yet ironically I still live in the city...} With 2 associate degrees in hand I knew I had to move on. I had been living on my own for about a year at this point, well with a roommate, but that's a story for another time.
I took the plunge to move to the city on June 8th, 2016, knowing absolutely no one, I made frequent trips to a smaller town north of what was now my home. I had plenty of family that lived there so I wasn't so alone. {This part will make more sense later on, promise} I slowly started to make friends with people that lived closer to me which helped a little.
I have had a few crumby relationships in the past and had sworn off boys before the move. I promised myself that it would just be me and Meredith; my cat. I was going to be the grumpy 20 something year old that walks out in her nightgown and yells at the neighbor kids. Those darn kids! {Fun tid bit, those kids actually started a fire my second night in the apartment. I for a brief moment was the lady on the stairs in a robe holding her cat. Oh and I was in the shower when they knocked... what fun memories}
I had only lived in the city for about 3 weeks when I did what all single 20 somethings do, I redownloaded Tinder. So cringey, I know, I know. Its like a catalog of boys. You pick out which ones you like, ya know. Oh my, I'm making this sound so worse! Honestly, I had only really picked fun at this app prior. I was scrolling through crude and degrading comments/ propositions and the generic "Hey (: What's up?" As I was ready to delete the app for good I see one messaged that I had seemed to miss. It read:
"Hey how are you this afternoon?
My name is "T" and would love to get to know you better"
It was different than a lot of messages that I had received. HE WAS A REAL BOY! I was honestly surprised that his stranger actually responded to me since he had sent this message over a month before this... oops!
This first conversation lasted nearly 6 hours, and I'm not talking like just texting, I'm talking about a face to face video call. We talked about our interest, past relationships, family, ya know all the good stuff. But how could some one I met on a dating app be trustworthy, you ask? After having my trust trampled on I could still somehow see it in his eyes. Our first meeting I will save for a later date; can't spoil all the good parts!
Back to the question at hand. Why, T? He was a breath of fresh air that I desperately needed at the time. He was patient. He let me work things out on my own before I committed to anything. He is kindhearted and strong willed. He is loving yet has a playful side. He is sweet and sensitive. He admits to when he needs help. He is everything I could have asked for in a best friend and boyfriend. But mostly I still continue to choose you, because you choose me.
-Stephanie