Finally, the week was over. The experience of my first final exam week was over, and I’ve been looking forward to the weekend for a while now. That Saturday, I got up extra early so that I can be ready in time. It was his birthday and we had made plans to go out and eat breakfast. He told me that he’d be at my house around seven so after I got ready, I waited anxiously to see the car pull into my driveway. As soon as I saw the silver car pull into my driveway, I gathered all my things and went outside. I was smiling from ear to ear, and as soon as I got into the car, I looked at him, told him “happy birthday,” and handed him the present that I had carefully picked out. It was a baby blue hoodie, and at that time, it seemed to be a good present. He replied with a “thank you,” and we were on our way towards a breakfast place named Wildberry.

As soon as we left my driveway, I became more and more excited to see how this would turn out. The drive towards the restaurant was more than a half an hour. There was no doubt that I was excited for this date, but at the same time, I was anxious. We talked most of the way there, and despite the anxiety that I felt, we seemed to be there in no time. The restaurant was crowded when we arrived, and we had to wait ten minutes to be seated. We were finally seated, and the waitress took our orders soon after. We enjoyed our breakfast. I had blueberry pancakes which were too big for me to finish, and he had crepes. Like a gentleman, he paid for breakfast and we left. This date wasn’t finished yet though. We were going to go to a park called Independence Grove.

Once we got there, it seemed deserted. No one was there. He explained to me that it was a popular gathering place during the summer, but not as popular during the winter. I don’t blame them. It was a freezing day, but we decided to park the car, get out, and walk around. I didn’t know what to expect. By this time, we had been dating for almost a month, but he grabbed my hand for the first time, and we were walking down a pathway hand in hand, making the best out of the time we had to spend together. With every step, we both became colder and colder, but it didn’t really seem to be an issue. We stopped to take a couple of pictures, and then found a bench to sit on. We sat next to each other, his arm around me. We were the only ones there, and there weren’t any distractions. We were both just enjoying each other’s presence. I looked out towards the frozen lake, but I could feel him looking towards me. I looked back at him. I knew what was coming and I became frightened, but I couldn’t just look away now. He leaned in closer and closer, and I could feel myself doing the same. I didn’t know what I was doing, but for some reason, everything fell into place. We pulled away. “How was that?” he asked me. I didn’t know how to respond so I just looked at him. I couldn’t help but smile and my heart was beating. All that nervousness and fright had gone away, and it was replaced with confidence and satisfaction.

He drove me home, and the date had ended, but for the rest of the day, the excitement hadn’t left me. More than a year later, I look back on this date, and I can almost feel the same excitement that I had felt, but the truth is, every time I look at him, that same feeling comes back again. Even after a year, I feel the same way before every date, and I still get nervous, but things are also different. After a year, I became more comfortable around him. To me, he seems to be more than a boyfriend. He became a best friend that I know I can depend on.