The Summer Romance

Part 2: The Summer Romance

You would think that the first experience was enough to turn me off from wanting to meet guys, but if anything it made me more determined. I also saw it as an outlier. In any case, I was over it in a week. The following week I was on Tinder. Part of me wanted to prove to myself that there were people out there that would be truly interested in me, and wanted to get to know me. July 4th rolled around, and I was getting ready to go upstate to spend the weekend with my cousin's family, but before I left I matched with someone on the app. I didn't think much of it. 

We started talked here and there, and eventually moved over to texting. I felt really comfortable talking to him, and we shared a similar sense of humor. We agreed to meet up and grab drinks after I return to Manhattan. Our first meeting was quite memorable. I was running late coming from work, and had to struggle to pass through a Black Lives Matter protest. It was cloudy and drizzling lightly. He was one of the first people I agreed to meet up in real life, so I was also nervous that he would be different from his profile. However, I knew it was him the moment I saw him waiting outside the cafe. It was awkward at first, like all first meetings. However, we spent a solid six hours together just talking and walking around. The good-bye was also shy and awkward. I had mixed feelings about the first meeting, but I was intrigued. We continued to text and meet up during the week as friends. By the third date I knew I liked him. I'm typically not a bold person, especially when it came to these things, but I was comfortable enough with him to say what I was feeling. We decided to start "dating" at the end of the 3rd date. 

At the time I was on a high. We both knew this thing, whatever it was, was going to end by the end of the summer when he had to return to school. Even though we only had a month and a half, I didn't care. I liked him. I wanted romance; I wanted someone to pamper; I wanted to look forward to seeing someone. I was much bubblier and bouncier than my usual self, or maybe he brought it out of me. I don't know. I was like a different person: Jenny on happy pills. It didn't matter that I was inexperienced or didn't know how to talk to guys, it all came so naturally. I didn't hold anything back, which was so unlike me because I'm very conservative with expressing feelings and emotions. Perhaps it was the time limit, or maybe I felt like I had to overcompensate. It was a good experience, and I had a lot of fun, even if we didn't end up together. 

The decision to stay together depends on the circumstances, more so than how much you like the other person. I believe long distance is difficult. In this case, it started out as a summer fling, and at the end of the day we couldn't shake off that mindset. I made some great memories, and I was very happy throughout our time together, and that's all that mattered.