Himalayan

I had lunch today with Ariel. She picked me up at my office, and let me tell you, she looked gorgeous. Definitely the prettiest I have seen her. The conversation lagged a couple of times at lunch because I struggle a little with finding common ground between us. Ariel is very outdoorsy; she camps and exercises and hikes and rock climbs. I like that stuff but nobody would classify me as being inherently outdoorsy.

She came back to my office and she said she was very impressed. Definitely a plus to have her be impressed about something about me. We talked about exploring some of the buildings that you can see from my window. We also planned a date for next Tuesday to watch Slumdog Millionaire.

The biggest positive of the date came in the form of Ariel saying that she really wanted my business card, and when I made light of the fact that she could just throw it away, she said she was definitely gonna keep it. The biggest negative of the date came when I asked her what she wanted to do with nursing and she told me that she wanted to go to India and just work as a nurse. It kind of felt like a cue that her and I have different goals. You know, like that she wasn't really all that interested in living in Utah and having a family. But oh well, at least it went fairly well. I invited her to the rodeo but she said she was gonna be out of town. I was a bit disappointed.

What's my age again?

I had lunch today with Cinderella. She didn't let me pay. I wasn't about to insist either. Of course, when a girl lets me pay, it makes me feel useful and needed. But, when she doesn't want me to pay, is that a sign that she isn't interested? Of course, if she isn't interested, then why is she going out to lunch with me in the first place? I guess you could say it's just lunch. Isn't there a dating site called that? Are we beginning a casual friendship or a potential romance?

Lunch was good (well, actually, my sandwich from the Coffee Break was awful). We had plenty to talk about and she just seems very comfortable in her skin. I liked when she asked questions about my job and about whether I was happy or not. I didn't like how we changed the subject before I could really explain why I do what I do instead of following my heart. I wonder if she looks down on me for being a corporate attorney. I really haven't figured out what is important to her yet. Is it family? Is it adventure? Is it art? Is it freedom? She strikes me as the super freedomy hippie type but at the same time, she must have some motivation for stability in her life.

The Game

I have been texting Ariel back and forth lately. I made a joke last night about how she had a super secret crush on me. She responded in a way that maybe it was pretend, maybe it wasnt. Anyway, so we have been texting today pretending that we are awkwardly crushing on each other. It's kinda funny. The best thing about purposefully being awkward with someone is that it doesn't actually feel awkward. I also received a text from Cinderella today. She is a bit of a strange duck. We were supposed to have lunch yesterday but she canceled at the last minute. I keep wondering if it's time to drop her. Maybe I just need a couple other solid potentials. Anyone have Taylor Swift's number? I could certainly be her prince.

Don't fear death, my Adrian

So the fourth date blew up in my face. Belle had lots of fun, we connected and talked and then, at the end, she told me she was falling for Gaston and she felt she was leading me on. I was devastated. I shouldn't have let on to her how much it hurt. I should have just let it slide off my back.

Such is life though. Maybe Belle will change her mind. Maybe I am Gaston and Gaston is really the beast. Who knows? I called both Ariel and Cinderella last night, neither answered. I think I left messages but I don't really expect responses. I am not depressed, just frustrated. My timing stinks, always has. I went to a party last night and there were basically no girls that I even wanted to talk to, let alone date. There are billions of girls on this planet, millions of single ones, and probably hundreds of thousands of single Mormon girls that I could date and yet I don't feel a connection with hardly any of them. And when I do find one whom I connect with, my pearl of great price, I sell everything I have to purchase it, only to find another buy who has already purchased it for less. He may very well discard it soon.

Forgiveness

Lots to report. My third date with Belle last week went really well. I was so nervous the day of and really just didn't want to go. But, I sucked it up, went, and had lots of fun. It's hard to be negative around Belle, she just brightens everything. I held her hand while walking back to the car and I gave her a kiss goodnight at her doorstep. It wasn't perfect but I still felt giddy.

I saw her at church on Sunday sitting next to Gaston. Gaston is the other man, the guy that has been pursuing her for awhile. He is also in my ward. He is also my hometeacher. Anyway, Gaston sat next to Belle the entire meeting and during the combined priesthood/relief society meeting about dating. I was so frustrated. But I still managed to go say hi to Belle afterward and I shook Gaston's hand. I suppose in another life, I would have no animosity towards him. But in the current situation, he is enemy number 1.

Gaston came over to home teach later that night. I was cordial but he just works me up. He wants to be a sports broadcaster which made me feel a little better. It kinda let me know that he would have a majorly hard time taking care of Belle the way she deserves to be taken care of. Of course, if Belle falls in love with Gaston, it doesn't really matter. I just hope she doesn't fall in love with him. What a crappy way to end this fairy tale. I called her later that night and we talked a bit about it. I am now convinced that I should not bring Gaston up with Belle. We talked again on Monday and I didn't mention Gaston and it went much better. We just talked and talked about fun stuff. I felt like I really clicked with her. Our fourth date is this Friday. Just something really casual.

Meanwhile, I had lunch today with Cinderella. I met Cinderella several months ago, tried to ask her out, had no success, and then ran into her at a party last week. We talked and seemed to connect and she gave me her number. We have talked on the phone since. She called me this morning and asked if I would like to go lunch. It was really fun. The conversation was very light, she is pretty easy going and happy go lucky. We grabbed some Thai food.

Cinderella is quite different from Belle. Cinderella definitely grew up in humbler circumstances (maybe I got the two characters backwards, ha ha ha) than Belle. I haven't developed feelings for Cinderella yet but she has some definite potential.

I hung out with Ariel for about an hour on Friday at the Big Ass Show. Ariel is pretty cool but right now, I dont see a lot of relationship potential. Probably because she is basically impossible to take out on a date. Girls should not be THAT busy.