7 Years

7 years ago, Ace and I met.

Today is Ace's grandmother's birthday. 7 years ago, on this day, he went to visit his grandmother (as did his parents, but in a separate car) and then he was invited to go to a cookout that his brother's college/young professionals church group was having. After initially refusing to go, Ace changed his mind.

I, on the other hand, was at my college apartment (it was an apartment literally owned by my college) trying to figure out what to wear to that very same cookout, as I was in the same church group (yep, I knew and was friends with Ace's brother a while before I ever met Ace). I wanted to hang out with friends and forget that I was interested in meeting a guy (the last guy I had met that was a potential boyfriend was flirting with other girls behind my back, which was only an issue because it was behind my back). I just wanted to have some fun.

Arriving at the cookout, I found out that a majority of my friends were watching a football game (something I'm not interested in). So, I made my way away from the football game, to sit and just try to clear my head. Then Ace's brother decided to come say hi, which lead to Ace following him shortly afterward because he (Ace) thought I was cute.

After a little while, Ace's brother decided to drift away and go back to watching the football game. Ace decided to stay by me and try to get to know me better. After a little while, his brother and another friend came back over and we decided to play Spades. Ace was originally partnered with his brother, but he pointed out that they had grown up together, so it probably wouldn't be the best combination. That was apparently a test to see who I would switch places with (or who I would demand to switch places). I switched places with Ace's brother, which is what Ace was hoping for, and the we played a few hands of Spades before it was time to go.

At that time, Ace offered to take me home, but I'm fairly sure that the group I rode down to the cookout with wouldn't have been as comfortable with me riding with a virtual stranger, so I declined his offer. But, we did start talking the very next day, and decided we were dating by the next week (at least, Ace had decided that and just told me we were dating).

And that is the story of how Ace and I met. Now you know.