{After That}

I left off on {What Came Next} right when Michael and I shared our first kiss. It's been a week so it's time for me to write more!

So, yeah, we kissed! Finally! It was an amazing experience and made me feel even closer to Michael. Over the next few weeks, I was surprised at how close I had already gotten to him. I was already singing my lungs out in his car, acting goofy, and he had seen me without make up. However, we still hadn't really put a label on our relationship, and the thought of doing so made me really nervous. I REALLY liked Mike. For some reason though I was scared of the boyfriend/girlfriend label. I think deep down I was afraid because my past two relationships lasted over a year and both ended in a pretty sad way, so I was just afraid to grow too attached and get hurt again. But I liked Mike so much that I tried to convince myself to take that risk. 

{First picture taken together}

In the beginning of May 2013, I attended the Brian and Michaela Weber wedding with Mike and his family. We shared a slow dance on the dance floor that night and I remember how great it felt to be in his arms and dance. We ran into Mike McDowell that night and he even told me what a great guy Michael is. I remember thinking the whole night that I knew Mike was the guy I was supposed to be with. I just knew. 

On May 6th, Mike and I sat outside my house and talked about our relationship. We talked about how close we had grown together and the feelings that we had for each other. Pretty much, that night we were discussing if we would actually continue being together as more than just "dating" or break it off. I knew I wanted to be his girlfriend. And at the end of the talk, we decided to stay together and I was so happy that I was now the "girlfriend" to such an amazing guy.

After that night, we had an awesome next couple of months. We went to Prescott for one weekend to visit his grandparents, we went to the cabin with his family, the Paint Fight was super fun, and we went on plenty of fun dates. We even planned for Mike to come on the yearly Imperial Beach trip with my family. 

That 4th of July week trip to the beach with Mike is one of my memories of our relationship. We swam together in the ocean, watched late night movies, ate at several restaurants, walked down the pier hand in hand, went exploring down the beach, and so much more. On July 2nd, I sat on Mike's lap on our hotel room balcony that overlooked the ocean, listened to the waves and just talked. For a few weeks, I had had this overwhelming feeling that I had already fallen in love with Mike. As we sat there in such a calm, beautiful place, I knew that I wanted to let Mike know of my true feelings for him. 

 

We were silent for a few minutes and I asked Mike was he was thinking about. His response was, "Well, I don't know why it has taken me so long to say this, but I love you."

 

I instantly felt the biggest smile come across my face. I turned around to face him, said "I love you too!", and kissed him. I was the happiest girl in the world at that moment.

The rest of the trip was pure bliss. On the 4th of July, we went down to Seaport Village in San Diego to shop around and watch the fireworks. As we cuddled, kissed, and laughed together while watching the fireworks burst over us, I knew I was where I was supposed to be in my life with the perfect person for me.