Another New Year's Resolution - to start using subject lines again.
It's strange, how much change can occur in such a short time span. A month ago, I would've told you that Kate and I were barely even friends, little more than casual acquaintances (in fact, I think I wrote those exact words in a previous entry) and that circumstances were unlikely to change anytime soon. But life, they say, is full or surprises, and I don't think I've ever been so happy to have been so wrong.
With Kate in town to visit for a few days, I accepted an invite to join her family for some drinking and poker-playing on Friday night. Even though we had begun chatting back and forth on a pretty regular basis about a week or so prior, I still expected things to feel a bit awkward between us. We had only seen each other a handful of times since splitting up almost two years ago, and I had always felt like things seemed a little forced whenever we hung out.
But from the moment I walked in the door and she greeted me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, I could tell something had changed. Not only did she look more beautiful and sexy than I had ever seen, she also carried herself completely differently than our last few encounters. It was like a massive weight that had been dragging her down for so long had finally been lifted from her shoulders, and she had once again become the Kate that I remembered.
I continued to marvel at it as the night progressed. She seemed so much more vibrant, so happy and so full of life. Any and all expectations I had about the evening were quickly dismissed, and it didn't take long at all for us to slip back into our comfort zone with each other, laughing and joking and throwing playful insults back and forth. Rather than worrying about saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, I was able to completely relax and just enjoy spending time with her and the rest of her family.
We played poker til about 2:00am and went through enough rum that she and her mother both decided I should sleep over and drive home in the morning, so we retired to Kate's room to watch "Superbad" on her laptop. Afterward, I think we both fully intended to go directly to sleep, but instead found ourselves curled up in bed, deep in conversation til after 6:00am. It had been so long since we really talked like friends, being so completely honest and candid with each other, that I don't think either of us were eager to pull the plug and bring things to a halt.
At one point, she told me that I was one of the only men in her life that she still cared about and truly respected, which was something I don't think I would've ever expected to hear. I told her how much of a comfort it was to know that after so much time had gone by, we were able to get together and connect with each other and interact as if nothing bad had ever happened between us. As she snuggled up next to me, I gave her a kiss on the forehead and told her I loved her, and we were asleep in minutes.
Saturday evening, I picked her up around 7:30 for dinner at Naked Tchopstix. Sushi restaurants are something of a tradition with us - we can't really hang out without sushi being involved somewhere along the way. The place was packed when we arrived, but the time passed quickly as we stood surveying the scene and critiquing the wardrobes of everyone around us. Not that either of us were the pinnacle of fashion sense, mind you (although Kate looked absolutely gorgeous), but at least both of us were smart enough not to wear a weird sort of garment that looked more like a doily than an article of clothing.
Dinner was fantastic. It was only the second time I had eaten there, but it was more than enough to convince me that there isn't a better sushi restaurant in the city. The prices were reasonable, the presentation was well done, and everything was deliciously fresh. As is customary when we go out for sushi, we both ate until we were completely stuffed, but when the food is that incredible, it's hard to resist. After paying the bill to our strangely robotic and unfriendly waiter, we staggered out to the car to head toward Andy's place.
Kate was a big hit with the rest of the Poker Night crew - more than a few people made it a point to tell me how sweet she was, or how nice, or how pretty. She also impressed with her rendition of Coheed and Cambria's "Welcome Home," during which three different people told me she had a great voice, one even going so far as to say that she sounded almost exactly like Claudio. And they were right. It had been so long since I had really heard her sing that I had forgotten how good she sounded, but she was belting it out like a pro on song after song, putting everyone else in the room to shame.
The entire evening was a big conglomeration of poker, drinking, Rock Band, and copious amounts of fun. Kate won back all the money I lost, since I had apparently used up every ounce of my own luck and skill the previous evening playing against her family. She and I went through a bottle of Captain Morgan (with a bit of assistance from Captain Sleeve), taking shots all night, and me drinking rum and coke from a Mason jar (it was all I could find). Emboldened by the first Captain (Morgan), I even managed to steal a kiss when the second Captain (Sleeve) refused to take our picture until we started making out. Of course, one picture wasn't good enough - he insisted that we keep going and took about nine different shots. Crafty bastard.
For the record, don't read too much into that last bit. While I still think Kate is just about the sexiest person I've ever seen in my life (and indeed, I told her that on more than one occasion this weekend), and while we might've kissed a few times during the course of the evening, it was more about goofing around and mugging for the camera than anything else. We're comfortable enough with each other to be affectionate without allowing it to go too far and begin to complicate things. There's nothing more to it than that.
We cut out somewhere around 4:00am, then headed back to Kate's place, rocking out some Coheed and Glassjaw tunes on the way (with me having to sing an octave lower than her on the Coheed stuff). After a humorous incident involving the garage door keycode and a voicemail message from her mother, we headed upstairs to watch "Clerks II." We made it about twenty minutes in before she started nodding off while I was giving her a backrub, so we vetoed the movie and went to sleep.
This morning, I spent thirty minutes trying to wake her up so that she could be at her Dad's place by the designated time. I remembered that she was a heavy sleeper, but I was amazed at her complete lack of response to the poking and prodding and shaking I employed to aid me in my cause. She finally became conscious enough to convince me that she needed more sleep and that showing up late would not be a problem, so I hugged her one more time and said goodbye. She goes back to Arizona tomorrow, and I won't see her again until I visit the AZ crew sometime in February.
Without a doubt, this weekend was the most fun Kate and I have had together since before we broke up. The time we've spent apart has allowed both of us to grow and develop into different people, and I think both of us are better for it. Indeed, the Kate I spent the past two days with is much more mature, responsible, and stable than the one that I exchanged so many angry words with nearly two years ago. From her perpetual smirk to the glint of mischief in her eye, from her razor sharp wit to her stunningly good looks, she still has all of the same qualities that I've always found so endearing, but she now seems a hundred times happier and much more at peace than ever before.
I think she's well on her way to becoming the person I've always believed she would be, and I'm so incredibly proud of her for what she has already accomplished. But even more than that, I'm elated to discover that the person I cared about and trusted more than anyone else I've ever known is still there, and she still cares. Welcome home, Kate. I'm so glad that you're back.
This weekend was the best time I've had in quite awhile, and I wouldn't trade a single second of it for anything. To me, it serves as a shining example of the kind of bond that forms when you truly care about someone, the kind that will always exist in some way, shape, or form. For a long time, I was afraid it was lost, but as I said at the beginning of this entry, I've never been more happy to have been so wrong about something in my entire life.
It's strange, how much change can occur in such a short time span. A month ago, I would've told you that Kate and I were barely even friends, little more than casual acquaintances (in fact, I think I wrote those exact words in a previous entry) and that circumstances were unlikely to change anytime soon. But life, they say, is full or surprises, and I don't think I've ever been so happy to have been so wrong.
With Kate in town to visit for a few days, I accepted an invite to join her family for some drinking and poker-playing on Friday night. Even though we had begun chatting back and forth on a pretty regular basis about a week or so prior, I still expected things to feel a bit awkward between us. We had only seen each other a handful of times since splitting up almost two years ago, and I had always felt like things seemed a little forced whenever we hung out.
But from the moment I walked in the door and she greeted me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, I could tell something had changed. Not only did she look more beautiful and sexy than I had ever seen, she also carried herself completely differently than our last few encounters. It was like a massive weight that had been dragging her down for so long had finally been lifted from her shoulders, and she had once again become the Kate that I remembered.
I continued to marvel at it as the night progressed. She seemed so much more vibrant, so happy and so full of life. Any and all expectations I had about the evening were quickly dismissed, and it didn't take long at all for us to slip back into our comfort zone with each other, laughing and joking and throwing playful insults back and forth. Rather than worrying about saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, I was able to completely relax and just enjoy spending time with her and the rest of her family.
We played poker til about 2:00am and went through enough rum that she and her mother both decided I should sleep over and drive home in the morning, so we retired to Kate's room to watch "Superbad" on her laptop. Afterward, I think we both fully intended to go directly to sleep, but instead found ourselves curled up in bed, deep in conversation til after 6:00am. It had been so long since we really talked like friends, being so completely honest and candid with each other, that I don't think either of us were eager to pull the plug and bring things to a halt.
At one point, she told me that I was one of the only men in her life that she still cared about and truly respected, which was something I don't think I would've ever expected to hear. I told her how much of a comfort it was to know that after so much time had gone by, we were able to get together and connect with each other and interact as if nothing bad had ever happened between us. As she snuggled up next to me, I gave her a kiss on the forehead and told her I loved her, and we were asleep in minutes.
Saturday evening, I picked her up around 7:30 for dinner at Naked Tchopstix. Sushi restaurants are something of a tradition with us - we can't really hang out without sushi being involved somewhere along the way. The place was packed when we arrived, but the time passed quickly as we stood surveying the scene and critiquing the wardrobes of everyone around us. Not that either of us were the pinnacle of fashion sense, mind you (although Kate looked absolutely gorgeous), but at least both of us were smart enough not to wear a weird sort of garment that looked more like a doily than an article of clothing.
Dinner was fantastic. It was only the second time I had eaten there, but it was more than enough to convince me that there isn't a better sushi restaurant in the city. The prices were reasonable, the presentation was well done, and everything was deliciously fresh. As is customary when we go out for sushi, we both ate until we were completely stuffed, but when the food is that incredible, it's hard to resist. After paying the bill to our strangely robotic and unfriendly waiter, we staggered out to the car to head toward Andy's place.
Kate was a big hit with the rest of the Poker Night crew - more than a few people made it a point to tell me how sweet she was, or how nice, or how pretty. She also impressed with her rendition of Coheed and Cambria's "Welcome Home," during which three different people told me she had a great voice, one even going so far as to say that she sounded almost exactly like Claudio. And they were right. It had been so long since I had really heard her sing that I had forgotten how good she sounded, but she was belting it out like a pro on song after song, putting everyone else in the room to shame.
The entire evening was a big conglomeration of poker, drinking, Rock Band, and copious amounts of fun. Kate won back all the money I lost, since I had apparently used up every ounce of my own luck and skill the previous evening playing against her family. She and I went through a bottle of Captain Morgan (with a bit of assistance from Captain Sleeve), taking shots all night, and me drinking rum and coke from a Mason jar (it was all I could find). Emboldened by the first Captain (Morgan), I even managed to steal a kiss when the second Captain (Sleeve) refused to take our picture until we started making out. Of course, one picture wasn't good enough - he insisted that we keep going and took about nine different shots. Crafty bastard.
For the record, don't read too much into that last bit. While I still think Kate is just about the sexiest person I've ever seen in my life (and indeed, I told her that on more than one occasion this weekend), and while we might've kissed a few times during the course of the evening, it was more about goofing around and mugging for the camera than anything else. We're comfortable enough with each other to be affectionate without allowing it to go too far and begin to complicate things. There's nothing more to it than that.
We cut out somewhere around 4:00am, then headed back to Kate's place, rocking out some Coheed and Glassjaw tunes on the way (with me having to sing an octave lower than her on the Coheed stuff). After a humorous incident involving the garage door keycode and a voicemail message from her mother, we headed upstairs to watch "Clerks II." We made it about twenty minutes in before she started nodding off while I was giving her a backrub, so we vetoed the movie and went to sleep.
This morning, I spent thirty minutes trying to wake her up so that she could be at her Dad's place by the designated time. I remembered that she was a heavy sleeper, but I was amazed at her complete lack of response to the poking and prodding and shaking I employed to aid me in my cause. She finally became conscious enough to convince me that she needed more sleep and that showing up late would not be a problem, so I hugged her one more time and said goodbye. She goes back to Arizona tomorrow, and I won't see her again until I visit the AZ crew sometime in February.
Without a doubt, this weekend was the most fun Kate and I have had together since before we broke up. The time we've spent apart has allowed both of us to grow and develop into different people, and I think both of us are better for it. Indeed, the Kate I spent the past two days with is much more mature, responsible, and stable than the one that I exchanged so many angry words with nearly two years ago. From her perpetual smirk to the glint of mischief in her eye, from her razor sharp wit to her stunningly good looks, she still has all of the same qualities that I've always found so endearing, but she now seems a hundred times happier and much more at peace than ever before.
I think she's well on her way to becoming the person I've always believed she would be, and I'm so incredibly proud of her for what she has already accomplished. But even more than that, I'm elated to discover that the person I cared about and trusted more than anyone else I've ever known is still there, and she still cares. Welcome home, Kate. I'm so glad that you're back.
This weekend was the best time I've had in quite awhile, and I wouldn't trade a single second of it for anything. To me, it serves as a shining example of the kind of bond that forms when you truly care about someone, the kind that will always exist in some way, shape, or form. For a long time, I was afraid it was lost, but as I said at the beginning of this entry, I've never been more happy to have been so wrong about something in my entire life.