The Beginning (Part 3 of 3)

We arrived back in Toronto in good spirits, singing, joking, smiles on or faces. All of us decided to make one final stop for a late night snack before heading home, as it was already midnight. We were the last to leave the car and the last to enter the restaurant. As such, the rest of the group had already filled the table, leaving empty spaces on opposite ends. I sat on one side, she on the other. The food had no taste. The conversation had no relevance. All I was thinking about was how much I wanted to be with her. We finished our snack and it was time to head home. Everyone in my car was dropped off. Everyone but her. She was the last to be driven home. We talked about how much we enjoyed the trip and how things were different here. Things were certainly different now. I was falling for her. I helped her unload her bags. We were both nervous as we said our final goodbyes. I wanted to give her a hug, but it seemed awkward now. "I had a great time," she said. So did I. So did I.

Filling up my car at the gas station, I realized that my digital camera was missing. I sent a text message to everyone that in my car earlier in the evening, asking if they had seen it. She replied that it was with her. She had forgotten to give it to me when I asked for the things she was carrying for me. We exchanged text messages joking about my predicament. She would be returning to London for school the very next day and I was already too far away to drive back to her place. Then she wrote, "I guess now you'll haaave to see me sometime again and soon!".

We kept in touch throughout the week. At one point I asked if she could use my camera to take some pictures of London for me, as I've never been. Instead, she told me to come to London myself so that we could take the pictures together. I smiled at the thought. So off to London I went, which was a 2 hour drive for me. Wanting to make a lasting impression, I planned a fun day in a city that I had never been to, in a city that she's never explored, in a city where she would become mine. Our first stop was Storybook Gardens, which was fitting because we often talk about how our relationship resembles that of a fairy tale. We explored, we talked, we enjoyed our first official date. Next, it was off to Victoria Park, where we strolled around and connected some more. We would later return to her place where we would spend the rest of the evening. She asked me to stay the night, as it was getting quite late, and she was worried about my alertness on the road. So I accepted.

We slept next to each other that night and when we awoke, we started talking about going to Nuit Blanche, among other things. One thing led to another and soon we began tickling each other. It became a contest. One that she had won. I let her know of that fact and then she would gaze into my eyes and ask, "So what's my prize?". I looked at her and the thought of "us" flashed through my head. So I leaned over, and then I kissed her. Later that weekend, I would ask if she was officially my girl. She looked into my eyes, smiled, and said, "Yes!". And that was the beginning...

The Beginning (Part 2 of 3)

Our group was determined to go on a trip, so after much discussion, we decided to rent 2 cars from AVIS and drive from Toronto to New York City. I volunteered to be a driver, so I went to pick up the cars the morning of our departure. Upon arriving at AVIS, I was upgraded for free to a full sized vehicle and was offered a Dodge Magnum. I accepted and proceeded to return to my friend's house, which was the starting point of our adventure. The entire group was there waiting when I arrived. As my car was quite a long vehicle, I asked, "Who wants to ride in the limousine?". Before I could even finish my sentence, she was standing there, hand raised in the air with a smile on her face yelling, "Shotgun!".

She sat next to me in the passenger seat for the duration of the trip. Roughly 8.5 hours in each direction. Everyone in my car was asleep for most of the way, but not her. She was the only one able to keep up and stay awake with me. It was during this time that I got to know her a little bit more and reinforce my feelings for her. The chemistry was there from the get go, as we talked, talked and talked some more. We were oblivious to the rest of the world, instead choosing to focus on each other. "We" were on our way.

When we arrived in New York later that evening, my attraction to her was getting stronger and stronger. I felt the need to be near her as we wandered through Times Square in awe of all the activity that was going on. We had yet to eat, so we decided to head to the nearest restaurant, Maxie's to satisfy our hunger. As we were being seated, I waited until everyone had taken their seats, so that I could sit next to her. It was here that we took our first of what would later become many, pictures together.

The group consisted of 9 people, each with their own reasons for visiting New York. As a result, we split up into smaller groups so as to satisfy our own interests. She and I were together for the entire trip and I couldn't have been happier. We were in New York for 2 nights and returned to Toronto shortly after. Coming back, it was much of the same as before. Everyone in the car was asleep, except for she and I. We continued to talk all the way back, for hours at a time, sharing stories about our experiences and adventures. We were in our own little world.

The Beginning (Part 1 of 3)

It was towards the end of the summer that I first laid my eyes on her. What was supposed to be a 1-on-1 meeting with a friend turned out to be an impromptu matchmaking session. There was something about her that caught my eye, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind to recognize it. Not just yet. I spent the evening doing what I had originally set out to do, catch up with a friend. But in the back of my mind, I was curious. I was curious about her.

Fast forward about 2 weeks later, this time at someone's going away party, and we meet yet again. I was playing Rock Band at a friend's apartment before the event. She walked in through the apartment door and my heart fluttered. I was excited to see her. Once she settled in we exchanged pleasantries and started playing Rock Band together. I impressed her by getting a perfect score at one point on the guitar, prompting her to begin calling me a "robot". Though not many words were exchanged between us, we connected.

The time then came for us to go to the event and we arrived together along with some mutual friends. We sat across from each other, but were surrounded by other people who were there to watch UFC 88, as we were in a bar. At one point, a chicken wing was dropped into her whiskey sour, prompting me to tease that her drink was now a "whiskey hot and sour". We shared a few laughs and then moved on to the next venue, a bubble tea establishment overflowing with people. As we were sitting at separate tables, I kept glancing her way, trying to re-create that excitement I felt when she first walked in through the apartment door earlier that evening. I began to think about the possibility of "us".

She added me on Facebook shortly after and said she still thought I was a robot. The flirting was on! I playfully rebuked, writing her a message in binary code, teasing her that she didn't understand robot. But little did she know that the binary wasn't some random gibberish. It was about how I thought she was cute.

It wasn't until a group trip to New York a few weeks later that we really hit it off. This was originally supposed to be a shopping trip with Tai Pan tours. However, due to underwhelming interest in this tour by people outside of our immediate group, the tour was cancelled. Call it a twist of fate or what not, but this cancellation put into motion a series of events that would ultimately lead to the beginning of our relationship.