Our Real Love Story

17 is both my lucky number, and Dom's.  17s make me so happy, and even better, our anniversary is July 17! Which means that today, Dom and I have been together for 2 and a half years. :) 
Even though we don't celebrate half anniversaries, I thought it was a great time to share our real love story.  
That one on my Love Story page? It's the spark notes version.  Almost a year ago, I wrote out the whole thing, and today you get Part 1.
It's a little lengthy...so I suggest some coffee, wine, or other happy beverage before you begin!

{Sydney Ice Bar}

This is not a story of love at first sight.  It’s more of a boy meets girl, girl doesn’t like boy, boy drunkenly invites girl on a tropical vacation where girl falls in love with boy kinda thing.  Classy and traditional? Not so much.  Romantic? You bet.

Chapter 1: Meeting around the world

When I was a junior in college I decided to study abroad in Sydney, Australia.  I had been there before to see the 2000 Olympics and had been counting the days until I could make it back.  In February of 2010 I boarded a massive airplane (terrifying!) and flew half way across the world for 5 months of sun, adventure and hot Aussie men. (A girl can dream, right?)  Once I had arrived and got situated with my abroad program I met Dom, and immediately decided I didn’t like him.  He was definitely good looking, but seemed to know it and his Jersey Shore-esqe look was just not doing it for me.  I remember thinking that he was completely not the kind of guy I would ever be interested in, and knew I’d never be the kind of girl he would want.  I figured he liked the tight low-cut dress, dancing on a bar, pouring vodka down her throat kind (I’ve neeeever done that…really, mom, I swear ;)), not the more girly, spastic type.  Now, it strikes me as ironic I would think that because I never think like that about guys, and why would I care if I’m not his type?  I knew I didn’t like him anyways.  Obv.

After that initial meeting I can count on one hand the amount of times we interacted over our time abroad.  He began seeing one of my best friends in the program, while I started seeing another person.  I didn’t give him a single thought.

Chapter 2: We’ll always have Fiji

With three weeks left in our program we had a huge party to celebrate one of our friends’ 21^st birthday.  As my friend Caitlyn and I mingled we overheard Dom talking to his friends about how he was headed to Fiji that Friday to spend a week of our time before finals traveling.  In our very slightly inebriated states, Caitlyn and I decided we wanted to go too.  Things had just ended between the guy I was seeing and me, and I wanted to get away.  Luckily, Dom was in the same mental state as we were and invited us along.  We excitedly (and drunkenly) booked our flights and Dom planned with the people he was going with to get us in on their trip.  All was wonderful until the next morning when we woke up and realized what we had done. 

As excited as we were to go to Fiji, neither Caitlyn nor I were close with Dom, and didn’t even know the other people on the trip.  Even though things between him and my friend were long over, I worried that might cause drama.  
 I also remember thinking it was so strange when Dom called to finalize plans the next day, and make sure we actually wanted to go now that the punch was out of our systems.  We had almost never spoken in person, and now he was calling me, the girl who would never be his type.  Not that I cared. Obv. 
What’s more, another guy I was infatuated with had also invited us to Fiji the same week.  After much back and forth, Caitlyn finally won and we decided to go with Dom and his friends.  Looking back, it makes my stomach flip to think of what would have happened if we had gone with the other guys.  The scariest part is I don’t think I would even know what I was missing out on!   
I hate to think about it.

Once we arrived I knew we had made the right decision.  Our tiny Fijian island was just as beautiful as you could imagine…and then a little more.  Over the course of the week we all became very close and spent days cooking under the sun and nights playing music and talking around a bonfire on the beach.  You know how people say good things change their lives?  It was about to be one of those times.  I can honestly say that June 11, 2010, our last night in Fiji, changed my life forever, even if I didn’t realize it then. 

That night we were partying with everyone on the island like usual, and when the electricity shut of at midnight (we were in Fiji after all!  Not exactly a 5 star resort, but in my opinion way better) we headed to the bonfire.  Except this time, Dom scooped me up in his arms and carried me there, sitting me down square on his lap.  By this point I had changed my views on him.  I didn’t think he was full of himself, but rather a genuinely nice person, actually kind of shy.  He wasn’t stand offish, just quiet.  I liked that.  I stayed planted in his lap the whole night, liking the feeling of being enveloped by him and feeling like I was “his” for the night.  I liked what I was feeling, but didn’t dwell or analyze it.  I was happy and didn’t give it a second thought, something I always do (to a fault).   

 {Robinson Crusoe Island, Fiji! Yes, that's the whole thing :)}

A while later we found ourselves lying in the sand staring at a sailboat floating in the water, lit up by the million stars and the moon.  Dom asked me what the most beautiful thing on the island was.  Of course, I said the sailboat, completely not getting the hint and thinking it was weird he would ask me such a random question.  After all, the island had no running water, so I had only taken bucket-showers the whole week, wore no make-up and my hair was a curly explosion…not exactly sexy.  “Nope,” he answered in my ear, “that would be you.”  I know it’s a line and you are probably rolling your eyes right now, but I promise it worked!  I have much more respect now for one liners.  When used genuinely on a romantic tropical beach they are very, very effective!  Needless to say, when he leaned down to kiss me I was elated.  We were on a beach in Fiji, beneath millions of stars. What could possibly be more romantic?

Chapter 3: Back to Sydney…and reality

Nevertheless, it was what happened next that was the most shocking.  I didn’t go all girly and get all goo goo eyed and fall too hard too quickly like usual.  I kept my feelings guarded and in check.  I liked Dom, but I was suspicious of his intentions, and didn’t know what would come of this kiss in the only two weeks left of our program.  I knew there was an ex back home anxiously awaiting his return, fully expecting to get back together with him.  I didn’t want to be a last minute abroad fling just so he could have fun before returning home to his old life.  The whole plane ride back to Sydney I convinced myself that’s all he was interested in and planned the speech I would give him about how much fun I had in Fiji, but I was not the kind of girl he was looking for.  If he wanted a two week fling he’d better keep on looking. 

Although things with Dom and my friend were over, and she’d already moved on to another guy, I kept everything that happened between us completely secret, even from Caitlyn.  I didn’t want to start any drama at the end of our program, especially since I was just going to deliver my speech and go. 

That night, once everyone had gone to sleep I snuck down to visit Dom and deliver my speech.  I knocked quietly on his door and waited in the hallway with my heart practically beating out of my chest.  I was terrified someone would come out and ask why I was knocking on Dom’s door, for all they knew we still didn’t even talk, and I was nervous for how he would react to my speech.  However, the next most-shocking-thing-ever happened.  Dom opened his door with the biggest, most welcoming grin I have ever seen.  I was immediately at ease, something I have never ever felt with a guy I just met, and especially not one as attractive as Dom.  I’m usually the quieter semi awkward one.  With Dom, I felt completely comfortable. 

I didn’t deliver my speech.  Instead, we watched a movie and talked…a lot.  I went back to my room that night happier and more confused than ever.  He didn’t make a move at all, and I had never had so much fun talking with someone.  I was weird and awkward and completely normal, except that it didn’t seem weird and awkward with us, it seemed natural.  Still, I didn’t like the fact we were going back to America in 2 weeks.  What could possibly develop in such a short time?

Actually, a lot.  We continued to see each other every night in secret.  He propped a suntan lotion bottle in his door so it appeared closed, and I snuck down after everyone had gone to sleep.  We had so much fun and I knew I was falling harder, but still convinced myself I was just making a great new friend for these two weeks but nothing would come of it.  Never before have I been able to control my emotions, but I can honestly say I was in total control this time.  Then, while I was out dancing with the girls, I got a text.  “What if I was around this summer?” This was the first time any mention of the future had come up, and subsequently when my control began to unravel.  Suddenly our time together became more vibrant and alive.  The prospect of time beyond our last weeks was intoxicating.  We planned a trip to visit each other right when I returned to America, since I was staying an extra week to travel New Zealand with my parents.  He only lived two and a half ours away from me at home, so it was absolutely possible. I wish I could bottle up the feelings I had that week and give it to everyone in the world.  It was a happiness I can’t put words to, one that anyone who has met their true love can feel.  I was the most exciting beginning because it was slow and steady.  Yes, there were crazy sparks, but we also could not stop talking and laughing.  I had never felt more alive in my life.

The two weeks flew by and then came time for our goodbye.  It was absolutely excruciating.  All I could do was cry as he napped before his early flight.  We had our plans to visit, but was it all just talk?  What if I never saw him again?  I had prevented my self from falling completely, but I wasn’t far away.  The thought of experiencing something so genuine and perfect, just to find out it was all fake was heartbreaking to think about.  When I finally said goodbye I went numb and counted the minutes until he reached Los Angeles and would be able to contact me.  I told myself not to go crazy, maybe he would wait until he got all the way home to contact me, just because I didn’t hear from him exactly 14 hours later wouldn’t mean anything.  I went through the motions of showing my parents around campus and all my favorite places but my mind and my heart weren’t in it.  I was in full fledged zombie mode until just over 14 hours later when my phone buzzed.  

 It was him.


Our love story- Part 2!