Our Story: Part 11

Because of EFY, Alex and I found ourselves only being able to communicate over the phone for the rest of the summer, but also seeing each other on weekends. After the first date,  I headed back to EFY, and Alex asked me out again for the next weekend. Again, it was a surprise. I was really cool with this, because I actually love surprises. The more surprises the better! As long as their good! And just so we can keep saying surprise, here's what I wrote about the second date on my dating blog!

"Once again, it was a surprise! I love surprises!! (Have you seen Kristen Wiig's surprise party sketch on Saturday Night Live? If not, watch it, and then read that last sentence again.) He came to pick me up, and then we drove into the metropolis that is Salt Lake City. We parked at The Gateway, and walked straight from the parking lot into... Discovery Gateway! The Children's Museum! When we got there, we walked straight to the magnetic wall, and it was all fun and games after that. Never mind that we were the only adults without children there... it was a blast. There was one moment even, where, while sitting down to draw comics, Alex turned to me and said, "Oh no! That child just fell out of his stroller right next to you!" And I looked at him feeling confused, because I had no idea that a child was next to me in the first place. And then when I looked down, lo and behold, there was a baby flailing around on the ground by my feet! I scooped him up and put him back in his stroller, patting his arm consolingly while he looked at me with watery eyes. Finally, some woman wandered over saying things like, "Where is Hayden? Is that him? I can't tell if that's him..." (If she was his mother, I'm reporting her. She doesn't even recognize her kid?? She didn't even SEE HIM FALL OUT OF A STROLLER?!) So, after determining that it was, in fact, Hayden, she strolled him away, muttering about people leaving him alone over there. After which, Alex and I made paper airplanes, wrote secret messages on them, and flew them off the roof. And then pretended we were helicopter pilots. And then built a building in a triangle shape, hoping that it would withstand the earthquake. (It would not.) After an exciting game of throwing plastic colored balls at each other, the museum closed and we had to leave. So we went to California Pizza Kitchen and made best friends with our waiter! We chatted about things! I dropped my fork on the floor! And ice cream on my shirt! The waiter saw it all! Then we got in the car to drive home, and conversed about which was better, Maroon 5's Payphone song, or Katy Perry's Wide Awake. I was all for Payphone. And while Alex was looking for Wide Awake on the radio to prove that it was better, Payphone came on, and we had a dance party in the car. Win."

That second date was the one where things clicked. At least, I thought so. I felt like the wall of everything that had happened before between us was finally completely gone. We could be normal with each other, and talk, just like we used to. I  mean, I sang in the car in front of him, and that doesn't always happen...

I continued attending EFY, and Alex and I kept in contact every day. There were even a couple times when he drove all the way to Logan, just because I said I missed him! It was really sweet of him, and also a bit overwhelming. There's this problem I have in the summers, and it's called "compartmentalizing". It's this thing where, when I'm at EFY, I'm at EFY, and I kind of leave the rest of my life behind. It's true, I did miss Alex. But I was usually unprepared to see him, because he didn't fit into my EFY life. However, on weekends, everything was perfect. (I am in fact, a weird person. If you didn't already know.)

One week, I went with my family to visit my grandma in Washington, and Alex decided to give me clues for two separate dates. I had to choose which clues sounded the best to me, and that would be the date we went on.  It was all very sneaky, the way he did it. I'm convinced he was trying to figure out how I felt about him, because one of the dates was obviously more romantic than the other. After two weeks of receiving clues, and not seeing each other at all, (because right after vacation, I went straight back to EFY) I finally decided to be brave and chose the romantic one. It was a really nerve wracking thing for me. What if he didn't really want me to choose that one?! Nonsense! Why would it have been an option if he didn't want it!?

So, the next weekend possible, he picked me up for our third surprise date. He picked me up in his brothers truck and NOT his white jeep, which was a surprise in and of itself, but I had my suspicions about the date, and it only strengthened my idea of what it was. As soon as I got in the car, Alex handed me a wrapped present. I reached inside, and there was a can of Pringles! He told me to open the can, so I pulled off the plastic lid, only to realize that the paper had already been tampered with. I pulled it back, and inside was a single red rose! So romantic! So thoughtful! After I exclaimed over the adorableness, and instagrammed the heck out of it, we went to Little Caesar's and picked up a pizza, and then drove into Ogden area where we pulled up to a drive in movie! We saw Brave, and The Avengers. Alex had an air mattress set up in the back of the truck with blankets and lots of our favorite candy. We laid down next to each other for a while, and I was like... do we cuddle? Do we hold hands? Is he going to kiss me? What is going on here! But, you know, nothing happened for a while. 

adorable, right?

Then, eventually his hand sneaked down, and as his fingers intertwined with mine, I heard those words again, "Is this ok?"

And you better believe I held his hand for the rest of the night. 

sitting in the back of the truck!

When Alex drove me home, he told me that everything that happened Freshman year was one of his biggest regrets. It was two in the morning, so I was a little out of it. I had no clue how to respond to his sincere comments, so I just said things like, "You know what? It's no problem." And when he told me that he liked me and would like to continue dating me I said, "Sure, yeah, that would be okay." I mean, totally unexcited. But I think he didn't mind, because he asked me out again pretty soon after. 

The week before our fourth date, Cody called me and said that Alex was thinking about asking me to be his girlfriend and that he wanted to kiss me. I was freaking out. I mean, pacing around the field at EFY Game Night. Everyone was staring at me like I was a crazy person. (After that, Alex and I talked and decided that we shouldn't talk to Cody about our relationship anymore. Cody was appalled, but we found it was very relationship strengthening. ha ha.)

So, that weekend, Alex picked me up to go on a picnic and short hike, and then go to The Dark Knight Rises. Here is what I wrote for that date on my dating blog:

"Samples of Conversations on a Date Recap

Alex: I was trying to think of food that you have on picnics, like when we were little? So I brought Sunny D.

Madeline: Yeah, that's a no brainer.

Alex: I'm actually allergic to bees, but I don't know what will happen when I get stung.  You may have to take me to the hospital.

Madeline: Really? Can we test it out?

Madeline: I was debating on wether to wear nice shoes or hiking shoes. I almost wore nice shoes, because I didn't really feel like hiking. But I settled on Toms.

Alex: Last time you wore those, you fell down.

Madeline: Exactly. So, maybe we shouldn't hike.

Alex: It's short, we'll just go to a bridge!

Madeline: (Standing on road) Is this the bridge?

Alex: Right here?

Madeline: Yes.

Alex: ... No.

Madeline: Oh, this bridge is actually kind of cool! There is a little river! People's initials are carved in it!  A cafe rio cup is in the water!

Alex: Oh, that was probably from Cody. The birds will make a nest from it!

Alex: Let's race sticks down the river. You have to be really careful which stick you choose, it needs to be really aerodynamic.

Madeline: (breaks stick off branch.) Let's go.

(They drop the sticks off the bridge, Madeline's gets stuck on a rock. Alex's disappears.)

Alex: Ohhhhh... there are too many sticks and rocks for them to get through. It's a dam.

Madeline: I think I won.

Alex: Do you want to go out with me?

Madeline: Where?

Alex: ...To the zoo.

Madeline: Umm....

Alex: No, like go out, like dating...

Madeline: Oh, so like, me and you? You and me? No one else? 

Alex: ... yeah...

Madeline: Sure."

Alex and I were sitting on a cute little bench, over looking the valley, when we had that wonderfully awkward conversation where he asked me to be his girlfriend. I was wearing my green silky shirt, and Alex was holding my hand. That moment was one of those out-of-body ones. Where I looked up at his face, and thought, this is it! This is what I have been waiting for. My life is about to change. And I said yes. I mean, it took a little teasing, but I did say yes. And then he asked if he could kiss me... which I thought was silly, but also cute. And you know what? I said yes to that too.

p.s. sorry for the long one, just thought I'd wrap up the summer! are you bored to death yet?