I'm packing up the last of my stuff and moving out of my apartment today. I knew this would be a rough day because I'm not really moving anywhere. I'm leaving to drive around the country for about two months while I look for a new job. I didn't suspect this to be a rough day because of how much I already miss serendipitously bumping into my friendly, beautiful, awesome neighbor and her little dog.
We first met when she moved in about a year and a half ago. Not because I bumped into her in the hall, but because we found each other on an online dating site and she messaged me through the site saying she recognized my name on the mailbox. I took her out for drinks a few times, but soon got paranoid about what horrors could come if dating someone in my building went south. Fast forward to this January and she's come to me to help her with things around her apartment, cried in my apartment when she locked herself out after a horrible day, she's kept me company in the hallway when I locked myself out, ... SUPER nice girl. No one has neighbors like that anymore. Especially in New England where everyone tends to keep to their self.
I wanted to make sure I got to hang out with her before I left so I took her to dinner a couple nights ago. It was a good evening and we talked for a while about her job, my trip, music, movies, ... everything. She wanted to see me the next morning and, in addition to diagnosing that she doesn't have pink eye, I went with her as she took her dog for a walk. We talked about our shit luck with relationships and I apologized for falling off after taking her out when she moved in and lamented that we have the worst timing because now that we're both single I'm leaving for two months.
Now... I'm a hopeless romantic (potentially codependent) who spends too much time in his own head. This post, while it will sound wicked emo to any one reading, is me trying really hard not to be the clingy weirdo who pulls a Ted Mosby and tells a girl he loves her way too soon. I've been awake for about 3 hours now and in addition to figuring out the real life Tetris game that is the back of my car right now, this girl is just about all I can think about. I've drafted a little note to leave in her mailbox and have yet to decide if it's a good idea to actually give it to her. It's hard (at least for me) to find new people you are comfortable with and enjoy talking to.
I'm not sure what I'll find on this crazy two month road trip I'm about to set out on, but I hope I don't lose this friendship with the girl who used to be my upstairs neighbor.