S: Mr. February Earns a Name

Well, Dateketeers, it’s official, I have gone rogue. I am completely off the Date Club Challenge radar and am going against all my spinsterly beliefs.

You will now be witness to me jumping in with Mr. Saint Eligible Bachelor February feet first and not looking back. Oh, this is going to get messy. But what a fun ride it will be. And totally worth the jarring halt at the end.

He really floats my boat. Rings my bell. Bags my groceries. And irons my shirts. (Actually, he literally did that…see? I’m not lying. He’s fantastic.)

First things first…

After spending much time together over the last few weeks and realizing we have an undeniable connection and need to be with each other for as long as we can stand it, EB and I have embarked on whatever one would call a “we aren’t seeing other people” journey.

We’re both careful with each other and gun shy, so I’m not sure we are using the terms “boyfriend” and “girlfriend.” Yet. But really, when I tell people about him, he’s my fabulous new SUPER HOT boyfriend. So it seems as though I am comfortable with the use of the word in reference to him. Which is new for me. And completely unexpected, to say the least.

But it makes total sense because DAY-YUM is he the most amazing thing ever.

Ooops…digressed. And daydreamed a little bit for a moment.

Back to you and my point…

I steeled myself for the worst the other night and brought up the small matter of the Challenge and this blog (yes, a clear violation of Date Club Rule #1). He was not the least bit disturbed by any of it. I had feared that he would feel somehow played or set up, but he didn’t see it that way at all. Truth be told, he was interested in me when we met, so I didn’t have to pursue him or work an angle to get a date. We met, we clicked, it was sanctioned. Who cares?

Hurdle 1, cleared. Now for Hurdle 2.

I made it clear to him that while I did not want to continue to see other people (because it’s not like I’m going to find someone better), I did want to continue to write about my experience with him as part of the story of the Challenge as a whole. What I needed from him was his permission to write about what is essentially 50% his personal life.

And wouldn’t you know it, Mr. Incredible Edible Bachelor was perfectly and enthusiastically fine with it. He even followed up his agreement by saying that he wouldn’t read it so I would be free to write whatever I wanted without feeling like he was going to see it and take issue. I assured him that, at this point, he’s looking pretty good to the world. To which he replied that he would have to try harder to mess up and give me stuff to write about.

See what I mean with the cuteness?

On some level, I think he was just so relieved that I wasn’t asking him to let me keep dating, he didn’t care what I wanted beyond that. But he seems to like idea of what we’re doing and he constantly encourages me to remain myself, so supportive he will be.

Melt.

And so, his generous agreement means initiating him into the outer circle of the Date Club. Since he will be a regular subject of my posts AND he is no longer on the market, Eligible Bachelor has earned the right to a code name. But, being in the outer circle, he will not get to know the identities of the other Date Club members or even where to find the blog.

Without further adieu, please allow me to introduce you to Guy.

Guy is so worth denying my spinsterhood for a while. He’s caring and thoughtful. He’s a great listener. He doesn’t judge. He’s attentive to my needs. He’s a great father. He’s fun. He thinks I’m funny. He thinks I’m hot. He’s sensitive. He’s mature. He’s secure. He’s ripped. And he digs me way more than anyone should.

Mainly, he makes me happy. And I seem to be returning the favor, from what he says. So we’re going to keep trying to do that for each other for as long as possible. (Which is hopefully at least until this summer because he promised to take me to see Jimmy Buffet.)

Ok, I’ll stop gushing…eventually...but for now, I’m going to enjoy the glow of what I’ve stumbled on completely by accident. It’s like I walked through a date wardrobe and found relationship Narnia. And I’m hoping it’s a very long time before the shine wears off. I can see some of our challenges down the road, like our busy schedules, our control issues and the big one: religion, but right now we are learning how to deal with each other so we can handle what comes at us when the time is right.

And, up to this point, I like the way he deals with me. He makes me talk when normally I would just keep things in. He calls me on my stuff and doesn’t get defensive when I call him on his. Our discussions are constructive and never get accusatory or mean. And then we laugh. A lot. He doesn’t want to change me, which is good because I don’t want to change him either. So far it’s just click click click click click. We work.

Me likey.

Oh Date of the Month Club Challenge, look what you have done to me. I am this close to conversion. I am almost a believer.

Will the real Sheila please stand up?