Eric and I met when I moved to Richmond in high school. We kind of hit it off and out I fit right on into his friend group. One of the girls became my best friend, though we drifted apart once we got into college. The three of us got into the same school, not wanting to leave each other behind. Like I said, though, she got caught up in a new friend group, I got a boyfriend, and we just drifted.

That kind of left me and Eric as each other's only friends. Which, like I said, wasn't a bad thing. In the whole time I'd known him, though, I hadn't seen him get excited over much. He was the stoic one of the group.

The way he lit up when I said I want to give it a try was beyond anything I had ever seen on him. 

"Are you serious?" he asked. 

"Yes." After blinking a few times, letting my words sink in and register, he started to lean closer. I put my hand on his chest to stop him. "I want to lay down a few rules. First of all, I only want to hold hands. I'm not ready for anything else. Second, I don't want to do anything at school. I want to settle into this a little bit before letting people know."

He looked at me for a moment before nodding and pulling back. His hand found mine and laced our fingers together. We sat there for a long while, just holding hands as we took in the pleasant night air. I was sure he was basking in the knowledge he finally landed me, but I was trying to figure out if I was crazy or if I was sane. I wasn't entirely sure at this point.

What I did know was that I liked this. It was a quiet moment in the midst of uncertainty. How would this end? Where would this lead? I didn't have any of the answers, and he didn't either, but it was still a moment that warmed my heart, though I wasn't sure why. 

The next morning, I was nervous. How was Eric going to act? Was he going to respect the distance I set? I stared at myself as I sat my hairbrush down. How was this day going to turn out? 

I went to school and found Eric waiting for me. It wasn't out of the ordinary, but he'd never been at the gate before. I stopped near him. "Hey," he said. Everything about him was normal. I relaxed when I realized that we were the same as we've always been. 

"Hey. How are you this morning?"

"Great. Got a little bit of good news last night and it's put me in a good mood." He turned as I blushed a little bit and we walked together through the gates and towards my first class. We chatted about nothing like we normally did. It felt like everything was the same. I appreciated that.

The week progressed, and he did as I'd asked. I was impressed. It was a lot I was asking of him to keep it under wraps at school, I knew. Especially when his best friend was asking why he was acting happier than usual. He said that he had a girlfriend and would tell him when she was ready.

Surprisingly for me, I felt a small stab over it. I was thankful he was keeping it lowkey, but at the same time, it felt bad. Like I was some dirty secret he needed to keep quiet. 

I didn't like it.

A month passed, and I surprised him. We met up as usual in front of the gates. This time, though, when he started walking me to class, I slipped my hand into his. He laced our fingers together as if it was the most natural thing for him to do. Hardly anyone looked in our direction, but those that did didn't really react. Not even people that graduated with us. 

The less people took notice, the more I relaxed. The only one who reacted the whole day was his best friend. I can't deny I felt a sense of satisfaction when Eric told him we were together. 

Over the next month, I could feel a warmth whenever I looked at Eric. I wasn't sure if it was him radiating it, or if it was me feeling it on my own. The third month came, and the feeling was still growing. I became sure of what I was feeling, but it scared me. Did it always start this soon? 

On the day that made three months we'd been dating, I told Eric I wanted to do something special. He took me out to a nice restaurant with a lovely view of Richmond. I knew it had to cost a lot to be there since there were no prices on the menu, but he acted like it was nothing and didn't let me see the check. 

Afterwards, he took me to one of the nicer parks and we went for a stroll on the walkways. Our hands touched and he took mine in his. It felt so natural that I didn't give the action a second thought.

Everything around us looked like the moon was painting the night with an ethereal glow. The moment felt perfect. Like we were in our own little world. Like this was exactly where we belonged, right here in this park, right here in this moment. 

When we got tired of walking around, when we got back to his car, I sank into the familiar seat. The drive to my house was filled with a comfortable silence. He held my hand the whole time, his thumb lightly stroking. By the time we reached my home, it was difficult to hold back words that felt like they should be said. 

Instead, I allowed myself to lean over and kiss his cheek. "Goodnight," I said quietly as I pulled back. My lips tingled from the contact as I quickly got out of the car. I was blushing and didn't want to let him see.

When I saw him at school on Monday, he took my hand in his and walked me to class. I had spent the weekend worried about what he was going to say, but he surprised me. "You left before I could return the favor," he said. 

My face heated up. "You can do it now if you want," I offered, voice barely above a whisper. He glanced around and then leaned over and kissed my cheek. By then I was blushing harder than I was when I kissed him, but there was nowhere to hide. 

"You're adorable when you blush," he whispered near my ear. I blushed harder and he chuckled. We walked the rest of the way to my class, but he didn't release my hand when we got there. "Is this okay now? Kissing on the cheek?"

I glanced at my class before turning to face him and nodding. "It's okay." He nodded, paused, then kissed my hand before turning and leaving me to stare after him. 

He should be more careful. My heart was falling in deeper and deeper. At this rate I was going to fall completely for him within the next few months.

I didn't tell him that, though, and he kept on being sweet. By the time we reached six months, it all felt like a dream. Things were going so well that I was beginning to get scared. After all, they were going this well when I was dating Andy. What if things started falling apart right when I was getting serious? 

"What do you want to do for our six-month?" Eric asked out of the blue one day at lunch. "Want to go officially meet each other's parents as a couple?"

The thought brought me back to Andy, but I was determined to not compare them. They were two different people. 

"Sounds good," I responded. "Want to come over on Friday?"

"Sure." 

When Friday came, it found me waiting by the door for him. I couldn't help it. My parents knew him already, but I was still more nervous about him meeting them as my boyfriend than I was about Andy. 

Eric knocked on the door, scaring me half to death. My dad saw my reaction and laughed as I opened the door. I shot a glare at him before looking at Eric. He had cleaned up and looked nicer than I'd ever seen him except for prom. 

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," I responded, feeling the most awkward I'd felt in a good while. 

He held up a bouquet. "I didn't know what kind of flowers you and your mom like, so I brought some carnations. I hope that's okay."

The flowers were beautiful. "Oh, she'll love them. Thank you." I started to reach for them, but then a bouquet with three red roses appeared in front of my face. "Oh!"

"These are yours," he said, sounding shy. 

I took them gently from him and sniffed them. The delicate scent was so pretty. "They're perfect," I said. 

He smiled at me. "Good. I hoped you would like them."

As the evening progressed, I felt myself fall down the rabbit hole. I couldn't stop comparing Eric with Andy, but Eric kept coming out on top. Somehow. Despite everything that seemed to make Andy better, he couldn't measure up to Eric.

I felt guilty admitting it to myself, but  was happy. I was happy that he was better. If I'm completely honest, I was wanting him to be. At some point during the evening, I had to excuse myself to go cry in the bathroom. Good, happy tears, but still.

My parents were also pleased with him. Watching them interact didn't feel like watching a late night talk show - they looked like family already. They looked right at home together. Was it because they already knew each other? Was it because he genuinely earned approval from them? 

Whatever the reason, I felt my heart fill. It warmed me from the inside out to know they liked him and that he liked them. I wanted them to get along, so I couldn't really ask for more. 

At the end of the night, I walked him to the door. A smile had found a home on my face and it seemed like one found a home on his. We both stepped out on the front porch and I stopped him as I closed the front door. "I had fun," I said quietly.

"I did too," he responded using the same tone. He fidgeted a little, the tell that he had something to say. After a moment, he finally spoke. "I don't know if I'm jumping the gun a little bit here, but I love you . Really love you. I want to marry you. I'm positive about this. I know that is what I want to do. How do you feel? Please, be honest with me. I'll be okay if it's not the same."

My heart swelled and I couldn't find words. So much flooded my head and I could only think of an action that would hopefully funnel it all and get the message across to him. I stepped up to him, wrapped my arms around his neck, and gently pressed my lips to his. After a pause, his hands settled on my waist and he began to kiss back. 

I don't know how long we were on my porch, but it felt like both forever and not long enough. I'm not sure which of us pulled away first, but when we finally did, I gave him a breathless answer. "I love you, too."

He kissed me again, and I could feel a difference. I didn't tell him then, but I felt the same. I also wanted those things. Whatever doubts I'd had before were gone now. Seeing him with my parents cemented for me that he was good and would be good for me. 

As time progressed on from that night, I changed how I acted in front of others. By the end of the following week, everyone at school knew we were dating or, if they didn't, they strongly suspected it. There was this pride coming from Eric every time he took my hand at school, or gave me a kiss at my classroom door, or gave me a lingering goodbye when he brought me home. I could tell he was proud that I was finally allowing these things. 

Honestly, it was a relief all the way around. Especially when his attention only increased instead of decreased. It cemented in my mind that this was going to be nothing but good for me. For the first time, I was looking forward to whatever came next - as long as that included Eric by my side.

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