Blogging with a baby. Who knew it could be so hard? Actually, I take that back.. ANYTHING with a baby….. at least 1.5 million times more effort.
Ok, so where did we leave off?
Oh Ya. Lunch.
Something about making plans to meet up outside of work solidified what I had hoped all summer long…
He. Was. Feelin. It. (#Praise)
And for him- seeing that I accepted the invite so quick gave him alllllll the confirmation that he needed that I was feelin it too. (Guys- “feelin it” is cool kid talk for “WE LIKE EACH OTHER” … in case you were wondering.)
We made plans to have lunch mid-week, which meant we had several days before to just bask in the excitement and awkwardness of our new found feelings.
…….Awkwardness, you say? Let. Me. Tell YOU.
Unsurprisingly, the awkwardness falls on me… again. Being the odd little duckling that I am—there’s almost no escaping it. I’ve come to know it and I’ve made my peace that this-is- who- I- am.
So there I am, working away at the gym, minding my very own business, and checking out Ben as he walks past…I notice a BUG on his shoulder. Being the nice and professional co-worker that I am, I tell him and he stops in his tracks to let me brush it off…
Brushing off a ladybug from your crushes shoulder? How complicated could it be, right?
Wrong.
I brush. It falls. And this damn little ladybug HAS THE NERVE to land directly on his butt. Now I will tell you my thoughts word for word- but remember, I had to make a decision in a split second. I couldn’t stand there and take forever to decide if it was appropriate to follow through on my word and get the bug off of him. I just had to make a decision and live with it.
My inner dialogue sounded like this:
“Ew, a bug, I’ll get that for him
AWW, it’s a lady bug!
Still. It has to go.
*Brush*
No… NO… NO!
His butt ? Are you kidding me!
ANYWHERE ELSE.
OH MY GAWWWD. HE’S GONNA THINK I AM TOUCHING HIS BUTT FOR NO REASON.
SHOULD I LEAVE IT?
No Victoria, stop making this a big deal. Just get it off.
Maybe if I brush his shoulder again it will help
NOPE. DO SOMETHING. YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME”
So I brushed his butt off. Actually, I brushed his back and THEN his butt. My reasoning at the time was that it would seem more logical…like the bug was slowly falling down…. ? But now I can tell that it was just the pressure getting to my head. (Sidenote, can you imagine me in an ACTUAL emergency? Praise the lord that it worked out with Ben because I need supervision in those high pressure moments.)
So Ya, I touched his butt. I was so embarrassed but at the same time like-
- 1) Very nice
- 2) I MUST tell everyone. ( I called my bestie ASAP…because it was a big day)
The best part is that WAAAAAY later- when I told Ben this story- he didn’t even remember it. So I guess I made the right move by brushing his back and then his butt. Apparently it was super discreet.
That was a semi long rabbit trail. My bad.
Back to lunch. The days leading up to lunch were pretty blissful (Ladybug butt day NOT included). When we went to lunch we talked and laughed, and Ben tried to teach me this game that involves math and counting on your fingers—I didn’t get it. And to this day I have no idea what in the world the point of it is…but love doesn’t come without hardships… ya know?
We drove back to the gym and Ben told me he had a present for me. (Sidenote- why is it SO exiting when a guy you like offers to drive you somewhere?) A present?! I know… that’s what I was thinking too.
We got out of the car and he handed me an envelope with two concert tickets and a note in it.
He stood there while I read it. I had the biggest smile on my face and he said-
“Thank you again for all your help this Summer. You can take whoever you want… I’ve had the gym music set to Dierks Bentley Radio all week, so you’ve been listening to that and you didn’t know it. That way you’re ready and you know all his new songs”
UGHHH. SERIOUSLY WHO IS THIS MAN?
I hugged him real good “Benny Reece, I’m obviously picking YOU.”
Ben didn’t know this, but I showed that note to everyone. My mom, my sisters, my roommate, my best friend…it was like I could feel my whole life changing every time I read it.
For those of you in love, do you remember the moment when you first thought
‘This could be it”.
Well that was mine. I had never been so overwhelmed by someone. I had never felt happy or safe or content with anyone else. And even though it was early, I could feel the way Ben would love and protect me-as long as I was brave enough to keep saying, “Benny Reece, I’m obviously picking YOU.”
TO BE CONTINUED….
I absolutely love reading about how you and Ben fell in love. We had just started attending the gym during that time. Couple that with the fact that we had only ever trained with you and Ben, it makes it that much more fun to read what was actually happening behind the scenes. Charlie and I are so happy for you both and we can’t wait to witness you both say “I do”!!!
P.S. You are an awesome writer!!! I love reading your stories!!! XOXOXO
Aww thank you!! We loved training you two– it’s always nice when you get to work with people that feel like family!