The day after the wedding, Jacob and I headed to San Diego because my family was doing their annual vacation in Del Mar. My sister’s in-laws had a house just a few short steps from the beach, so every summer we would go and stay for a week or two (This worked out perfectly for me since my new prospect was living in San Diego).

A few nights into our stay in Del Mar, Jacob texted me saying that he had a surprise. When he arrived he held a mysterious box and a grocery bag. I grabbed a blanket and we made our way to the beach. Even though the house we were staying in was a 30 second walk from doorstep to sand, it felt longer as I wondered what he had planned. He sure likes surprises. What is he up to this time? Oh, who cares? I love these little surprises.

When we finally reached the sand, we found the perfect spot on the dark beach to spread out the blanket. He started unpacking the grocery bag. Marshmallows and graham crackers were the first things to make an appearance.

Ooohhhh!!! We are making S’mores!, I thought as I tried to pretend like the surprise hadn’t been ruined.

But then, strawberries… bananas… and pretzels? I was officially confused. There was one more thing in the bag, but I couldn’t tell what it was.

He pulled the box onto his lap and opened the lid. Out came a strange bowl-on-a-stand contraption that I did not recognize. Things were getting weird. He set up the device in the middle of the blanket and then pulled the last item out of the grocery bag.

Chocolate chips!! I didn’t care what we were doing anymore, for we had chocolate! All was well again.

He poured the chocolate into the bowl and lit a flame under it.

Oh, I get it! Fondue!

We had the best time laughing and making silly combinations of pretzels and strawberries and chocolate. It was delicious, but more than that, it was easy. It was the first time in our relationship since our first date that things just felt easy. I wasn’t nervous. I wasn’t being dramatic. I wasn’t acting. We were just together, and it was easy.

The easiness of the night continued as the fondue flame flickered out. We just sat in silence on our blanket in the sand. It wasn’t uncomfortable. It was nice. After a while of just enjoying the silence, I asked, “What are you thinking about?” The moment I said it, I had flashbacks to the night in the woods and I regretted it immediately.

And again, he answered honestly, “I’m thinking that I really want to kiss you.”

This time, he didn’t add, “But it would be too soon.” He just let the silence linger.

I thought for a second and said, “Well, maybe you should keep thinking about it.” And then I started the speech that I had rehearsed in my head hundreds of times since the last awkward kiss conversation, “I don’t want you to make a rash decision in the moment that you will regret later. And, I really don’t like the idea of kissing someone who is not my boyfriend. I want you to really think about it. I want you to want to kiss me and know for certain that it’s the right time. That time could be in 10 minutes or it could be in a year. I trust you to make the right decision.” Whew.

I chewed on my lip nervously as he thought for a moment. “Has it been 10 minutes yet?” he asked with a smirk.

I laughed.

“Well, just so you know,” he said, sounding serious again, “it’s definitely not going to be in a year.”

 

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