i_am_ghost

I picked her up from her house. Her dad was waiting downstairs with her.. Waiting with made-up busy work to seem like he wasn't just checking me out to see that I passed the general fatherly tests. He asked me whether I was "one of those hoons" who speeds etc, and that I was to take good care of his daughter. I told him I would, of course.

I'd called somewhere for dinner reservations who told me I needn't book, to just turn up. I didn't want to take the chance so I thought I should call.. But 5 minutes before I left I changed my mind and made reservations at another place. She was annoyed at me because I had been keeping every detail a secret. I wanted it to be a big deal. I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted to surprise and amaze.

We arrived at the Rhino Bar, somewhere I chose for it's coolness and grown-up atmosphere, and waited for our food. I presented her with an Easter gift, as we'd said we'd get each other something. I had wrapped it elaborately with ribbons and bows adorning the box. Inside were chocolates from a specialty candy store and to boot, a plush toy of her favourite character from "Monsters vs Aliens", which we'd seen less then a week earlier. She said he'd sit on her bedside table.

After dinner we began to drive. I told her I'd had further plans, but not what they were. I mad her choose between locations as I was worried at this point due to the weather taking a turn for the worst. She decided we should go up to the lookout.

Once we'd reached the top I unpacked from the boot, an esky and a guitar case. We walked a short distance to a covered wooden bench seemingly made specifically for this. I laid down a picnic blanket and began to unpack the esky.. I poured juice in to her glass and cut off a slice of dessert and placed it in front of her. The wind was blowing and light rain was spitting intermittently. We chatted and ate and I wrapped her in a blanket to keep her dry and warm. Then opened my guitar case and sung for her.

The weather was worsening and our hair.. don't get me started. We drove down the hill slowly and carefully, listening to Mae on the way. There was still time. We parked at the side of the beach and walked out on to the pier until fishermen disturbed our privacy. So we walked back to this rope-laden structure reminiscent of a spiderweb, a structure which has become a bit of a tradition for us already. We climbed it for fun and settled to cuddle facing the sea, watching the seagulls pick at small fish from the water.

She joked about her father not necessarily approving of me at this point. But that she didn't care because she didn't want him to take my attention away from her. And how she felt manly sometimes.. something I'd never notice. So I told her she should be the man then and ask me out.

The next day she sent me a text message saying "I don't think I want to be your girlfriend anymore".

My heart sunk and asked why.

She was making me ask her properly.

Tonight we cuddled for hours and I pulled back and asked.. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

She said yes.. and we kissed.

I am really enjoying the baby steps. I love every little moment that comes by. I don't want to accelerate things and be the type of relationship where we sleep with each other the first night we meet and build from there. I love that it has built up from the very bottom and I love cherishing the first time we held hands.. the first cuddle.. the first kiss. It makes every moment all the more significant.

I like Emma-Lee a lot.