Every couple has a love story. One of our favorite things is to hear all about our couple’s love stories. How and where they met. How long it took them to fall in love. How the proposal went. All the little details in between. Sometimes they are super romantic. Sometimes very funny. No matter what they are, all are unique and special.
We realized that we have never shared our love story. We want to do that now. Over the next several weeks we will share a piece of our story. It may not be dramatic. It may not be earth shattering. But it is special. It is ours.
Part Three: Still Just Friends
Part Nine: Getting to Know the Families
PART SIX - FIRST KISS
Fall was in the air. The warm days of summer were turning into crisp chilly ones. The rich green colors all around were changing into vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. Thanksgiving was right around the corner.
Typically during Thanksgiving break, Amberly would travel to her parent’s house in Idaho to spend the holiday week with family. This year, her family had decided to go to Washington D.C. to spend it with Amberly’s oldest sister’s family. Between the expense of buying a plane ticket and having to work her job at the BYU barbershop over the holiday week, Amberly decided it was best to stay in Utah this year. She knew her roommates would all be leaving for the week and also knew there was potential for an extremely boring holiday. With Ryan’s family living in Utah, he was the only other one in their group of friends also planning on sticking around for the week.
The following events are a bit unclear and if you were to ask both Amberly and Ryan, they may tell you a slightly different story. One day, a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, a few of the friends were together in Amberly’s apartment. It was on one of those days they had decided to try out indoor target practice with a bb gun. If you ask Amberly she would say that as they were sitting there all taking turns shooting, she turned to Ryan and casually asked if she could come spend Thanksgiving with him and his family, essentially inviting herself. If you ask Ryan, he would say that he was the one who invited her to have Thanksgiving with him. Although we shall never know which one is correct, it was decided that instead of spending the holiday alone, Amberly would be spending it with Ryan.
The week of Thanksgiving arrived, Amberly’s roommates left. Although she had work during the days, every evening was spent with Ryan, sometimes at his place, sometimes at hers, sometimes going out doing something fun. Their friendship grew that week from good friends to better friends to…something more.
Each night as Ryan, ever the gentleman, walked Amberly to her apartment door to say goodnight, they stood there and talked. Neither wanted to have the night end. Each night their nerves grew more as the tension between them increased. Both thinking about kissing the other but neither brave enough to make the first move. Their friendship with each other as well as with their entire group of friends was something special and they knew they did not want to ruin any of that.
After one of these nights of stealing quick glances at each other then quickly looking away, simply ended in a hug and a goodnight”, Ryan texted Amberly a little later saying, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
Well Amberly then spent the entire night and all the next day at work over analyzing what he meant by those words. Don’t worry, I’m an experienced kisser and I’m good at it? Don’t worry, I know what you and I have is special and I will make sure the timing is right? Don’t worry, I won’t kiss you because I don’t want to ruin our friendship? It is quite possible she messed up every single haircut she gave that day at work because her mind was completely preoccupied elsewhere. If one of those poor souls ever reads this, just know she is extremely sorry about that!
Thanksgiving day came and it was spent in a very normal traditional way, lots of family and plenty of food. Ryan loved having Amberly there by his side and Amberly only felt slightly awkward by the questioning looks given to them. The looks that needed no words to ask, “Who is this girl with Ryan? A girlfriend? Why else would she be here?”
As the day came to an end Ryan drove Amberly home and like always got out to walk her to her doorstep. They stood there talking and laughing like normal but then the mood shifted. The tension once again built. Ryan took a step closer. Both their hearts were pounding. Ryan took another small step in, closing the gap. As he glanced one last time into her eyes he seemed to be asking for permission, making sure she was ok with this. Her shy smile confirmed her feelings were the same.
They met in the middle and shared their first kiss. It wasn’t a long kiss, but is wasn’t a short one either. It was kind of like the story of Goldilocks. Just right. They parted with big smiles on their faces and Ryan may have even done a fist pump once he got back in his car.
