My Love Story ~ Part Thirteen

Click here for previous details about my crazy romance. Thank you for reading! :)
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I had taken the plunge with Bumper..um, I mean Terry, as I was now calling him. I had actually gone on a date with him. Things had already been progressing swiftly in our relationship, but now...well, things were really heating up! He all but proposed to me during the aftermath of that first date. Wait a minute, now that I think about it, I believe he did propose to me!
One conversation, that flattered me and at the same time scared me a little, took place after church one Sunday night. Terry and I and several of our friends were chatting after church on the sidewalk. Somehow, the conversation shifted to how much Terry liked me.
"I'd crawl across two miles of broken glass just to kiss her feet." He said proudly. What? What did he say? I turned a deep shade of crimson. I'm sure you see what I mean. Flattering? Almost too flattering. I started shifting back and forth from one foot to the other. Everyone laughed. It was a joke. I was a joke! This guy was either trying to dupe me, or he was a little off his rocker. Some would say both! I wanted to make a quick exit, but there was no discreet opportunity for me to take my leave. Finally, the laughter and guffawing died down and my friends left. Terry walked me to my car.
"Maybe we could go out again sometime soon." He said, with emphasis on "soon".
"Uh, yeah, maybe." I said.
"I think you're wonderful, Valerie. I love your passion, your spunk. You remind me of my favorite dog." He said. And yes, he was being serious.
"Your favorite dog?" I asked in amazement. "Okay, Terry, what's the joke now? Because I'm not stupid. I'm not like some of the girls from your past, okay? I don't care how suave you are or how smart or handsome you are..."
"You think I'm handsome?" He interrupted me, grinning from ear to ear.
"I..I didn't say that. I just meant IF you were handsome, it wouldn't matter to me. Looks are not the most important thing." I said, trying to regain my serious tone.
"Well, I like your looks." He said raising his eyebrows and smiling.
"Thank you. But as I was saying, I don't care what you think. I don't wanna be like any one's DOG! Goodnight!" I said abruptly. I began getting into my car.
"Well you didn't let me finish! I wasn't calling you a dog. I was just saying you had spunk." He said while pulling me by the arm back out of my car. I jerked away from him and stood up on my own.
"HUH? What does a dog have to do with "spunk"? "
"When I was a kid I had a dog named Belle. She was a beautiful dog. I wanted to hunt with her. I'd take her out, and she would walk along beside me, like a bird dog. She wouldn't run after the scent. She was just along for the ride. And then, later on, I got a dog named Boots. Boots wasn't an ugly dog, but she wasn't as pretty as Belle. Boots would run as hard as she could looking for the scent. She'd dive in holes and she wouldn't quit until she'd gotten what she was after."
I stood listening with my arms crossed and a smug expression. I could not believe my ears.
"What are you saying? That I'm like the uglier of your two hunting dogs? You're telling me that I'm like a dog! I heard you with my own ears!" I said. If he wanted fire, he was gettin' it now!
"I'm telling you that you have passion. You're a go-getter. You're smart and funny and you have drive. That's what I'm telling you. But here you go gettin' up on your hind legs.. wait a minute! I DIDN'T MEAN THAT! " He said trying to prevent my having another outburst. "You know what I mean, don't you? You're more than just good looks. And looks do matter to me." He said with a wink.
"Yes, you've mentioned that." I said, turning away from him. "I'm really glad you like my "passion" and my "spunk". I'm glad I remind you of Babs." I said with a sigh.
"Boots." He corrected me.
"Whatever. But I really need to get home now. Thanks for....the compliment?" I said questioningly.
The next morning I found a small bunch of pink carnations and a card on the windshield of my car. He had written more of the same from the night before: he liked me, he enjoyed being with me, and so forth. He hadn't actually said "I love you" but he might as well have.
He began calling me at work on every break. That would be three times a day. He saw me at church. Every time I saw him, he began showering me with compliments and kind words.
I started to feel smothered. And I'm sure you're getting a little sick of it, too, right? Well, I understand! That makes two of us!
Then, it happened. One day, as I was in my car about to pull away from church he stopped me. I rolled down my window.
"Yeah?"
"I just wanted to tell you something." He said. There was a pause. I gave him the "I'm waiting" look.
"I love you."
There was a pause again. What should I do? I wasn't ready to commit to loving him! I liked him fine, but love? No. I just wasn't there yet.
"Thank you." I said smiling.
"You're not gonna say it back, are you?" He said with a knowing look. "I didn't think you would. But that's okay. I don't care if you say it or not."
I smiled a coy smile and rolled up my window. I left him standing there. He watched me drive away. What was I going to do? We had only been "dating" for about two months. This guy was really serious.
I was no longer smothered. Now I was suffocating. If we were meant to be together, then why did I feel this way? I finally decided that I had been wrong in feeling that our hearts were knit. I was so glad I'd never expressed these feelings to him before. I was so glad I hadn't uttered those three precious words to him. I would ask him if we could just be friends. Surely we could slow things down and just be friends. Surely.
After church on a Sunday evening, I decided to tell him how I felt. He was standing in our church lobby. Summer had just begun so it was still daylight after our evening service.
"Terry, I think it would be best if we were just friends." I just spit the words out as quickly as I could. I thought that if I said them nonchalantly, it would make it seem more friendly; less like an official "break up". His eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. I guess it was sinking in.
"Can we just be friends?" I asked as nicely as I could.
"No." He said flatly.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I guess this is it, then. Well. See ya later." I said as I backed away from him.
I chatted with a few friends for a while, but suddenly, I didn't feel like talking. I decided to just go home. No Taco Bell. Just Mom, Dad and Subway sandwiches. I longed for the sweet security of 2811 Karen Drive.
As I got into my car, I saw Terry out in our ball field, playing catch with a guy. He seemed really angry. I felt bad at first, but then I remembered that it really would have never worked. I was sure I had done the right thing.

Hadn't I?

To be continued...