April 3rd

Dear Diary,

So this is what it feels like! My heart is singing--overflowing with so much love. And I have never felt this way before. Even if I say I have, it has never been to this extent. I am enamored; I am enamored; I am enamored. This was undoubtedly the best night of my year thus far... so fun, so natural, and so loving.

It started with him coming to my house to formally meet my parents, which happened promptly at 6:45 p.m. When he got here, he asked my mother how she was doing before she even had the chance to ask him, which was incredibly sharp of him--no one ever beats her at that. Small talk lasted a few minutes, and then we were ready to go. Before we walked out the door, he asked, "What time should I have her home?" My parents decided that 11 p.m. would be an acceptable curfew. To this, he replied, "I'll have her home by 10:30." (He had me home at 10:27, but don't let me get ahead of myself.) As we approached his car in the driveway, he opened my door for me, got in the other side, and then we drove up the street to the nearest ice cream place. It was positively delicious, and we ran into quite a few people we knew there. It was exciting to be seen together for the first time.

After some time spent enjoying our frozen treat, he asked me where I wanted to go next. To the park, I said. So we went to the park that was across town. It had been raining earlier in the day, so we walked hand-in-hand along segments of trails that were, therefore, muddy, talking and laughing as we went. It felt as natural as breathing in the cool April air.

Once we returned to the car (which was not too long after leaving the car, for it was rather cold outside), we meandered through town a bit until we ultimately found ourselves at the supermarket. A wonderful location for a first, date, I know. We spent about a half hour wandering the aisles, laughing some more, experiencing the beginnings of connection. I have so much fun with this boy.

After our time at the supermarket, we found ourselves again driving aimlessly until we ended up at a café in town. There, we shared one cold drink--with two straws. It was a childhood dream come true. We had so much fun at that little café, laughing and talking and staring into each other's souls. How do eyes convey such strong emotion? Why is it possible to look into someone's eyes and see what is undoubtedly love? How can eyes do that? How do they show it? My theory is that the eyes are the gateway to the soul. And the soul I saw tonight was one of the most beautiful souls I have ever seen. Around 10 p.m., we exited the warmth of the café and made our way back to the car. There was no time to go anywhere else (which was just fine, believe me), so we just sat in the car for the final minutes of our date.

That's when the butterflies really began flapping their wings in my belly. As we sat there in the car, we held hands and talked, but the talking was quieter, and the mood was different. There was something strong and lovely in the air, and I found myself having to periodically sigh to release the wonderful, harmless pressure building up in my soul.

He gracefully kissed along the lines of my knuckles. I leaned into him, and he gently kissed my forehead, too. I looked up into his eyes, and slowly--ever so slowly--he brought his face close to mine and tilted it to the side, waiting for me to mirror him. I, too, leaned in, and we shared our first kiss. It was short and sweet, and when we pulled away, we looked straight into each other's eyes. There was that beautiful soul again. The kiss was more magical than any other kiss I had ever experienced because it felt so natural. It felt like we had kissed each other a thousand times before, like we had been together for a thousand years but had been briefly separated before being reunited.

We spent just a few more minutes in the car before he took me home, dropping me off at my front door promptly at 10:27 p.m.

As I said, tonight was one of the most wonderful nights I have ever experienced. It was lighthearted, loving, and--above all else--more natural than anything else in my life. I am so excited to watch this love of ours blossom. I will definitely keep you updated.

Love,

Annie