The Love Story - I Was Done Dating!!

Steve and I met on July 11th 2001.  The story is somewhat expected and cliche until the very end, there is a little bit of a twist.. 

Three weeks prior to meeting my now husband, I had sworn off dating.  It sounds cliche, but it's true.  I had been set up on blind dates, I had done the match.com thing I had met people through friends and I was done.  I was going to throw myself into my work and do more volunteer work.  I was going to add more variety in my workouts, focus on strength training and possibly run a half marathon.  I was perfectly okay being single. 

A good friend of mine (Alex) planned a dinner for 4 (Alex, his girlfriend, Steve and I).  Alex thought we would get along, that we had similar senses of humor and that this guy named 'Steve' was a really good guy.  I went along with it, no butterflies ahead of time, no anticipation, I was done dating.  There was nothing to gain and nothing to lose. 

Dinner was fun.  The four of us laughed a lot and drank more than our share of wine that evening.  My guard was still up and I walked away from that evening not thinking too much of it.  I was done dating.  .

Within the next couple of days, Steve sent me an email, asking if I wanted to go out with him.  I was booked solid for the next 10 days (volunteer commitments, heavy workload and time planned with friends and family). I explained that I was busy, included my list of commitments in my reply and left it at that. 

A couple weeks later, Alex organized another dinner, this time with about 10 people, most of whom I knew.  I had committed to going, but work got busy.  At 7:30 pm, I was leaving work and called Alex to tell him I wasn't going to make it.  He said I had to come because his girlfriend had made a birthday cake for Steve and I (our birthday's were both that week).  I went, thinking I'd be on my way home by 9:00 pm. 

During dinner, I sat next to Steve.  My guard was down, it had been a long grueling day at work and I didn't have the energy to keep the 'I'm done dating' persona up.  Something happened that night and I became cautiously interested in finding out more about this guy.  He was funny, he was sarcastic, he was kind, family was important to him and he could drink.  I left for home at 11:30 pm.  Steve and I went out a couple times that following week and the rest is history. 

The Twist:
When we started putting the pieces together over those first few dinners, we realized we lived next door to each other during our senior year of college.  We both lived in single family homes with about 10 other people, not apartment complexes and not with a vast expanse of land between the houses.  The houses were 20 feet from each other.  I recalled his friends, he recalled mine, but we have ZERO recollection of each other.  The friend Steve and I met through had nothing to do with the college we both attended.  Serendipity perhaps?