It was pointed out to me last night that I haven’t talked about my relationship with netgoth much outside of my friends only posts. As a result, my post last night about the flowers may have come as a bit of a surprise to those of you who don’t have a live journal.

So I shall elaborate. In fact, I’ll go into even more detail than I have behind closed doors. The posts haven’t been hidden because of my desire to hide her. They have just been part of larger posts that have included more personal subjects.

We “met” about a month ago now. She is an old friend of maladr1n‘s from his Rocky Horror days in Jacksonville, and had recently found him on live journal. I saw one of her comments, and was instantly intrigued. She had this really cool icon where she had photoshopped her eyes, and she seemed to have the kind of wit that I get along well with. So we fired a few comments at each other, and I began asking maladr1n about her. He had lots of really positive things to say, so I resolved to get to know her better.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we found out that we had a lot in common AND a lot of “links” in our lives. Some of them good, some of them creepy. A few examples include the fact that she dated celestialaddict‘s ex-husband about a year before he got with her, and I had a brief (and unfortunate) tryst with the woman that her recent ex was with before her (that almost proved to be a situation that put me into the “Critus is a nice guy, but that’s all” category).

Circles within circles.

So after a few weeks of getting to know each other and flirting like mad, we decided to meet. I drove to St. Augustine on the 3rd of July and met her outside of the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum.

Have you ever met someone that instantly felt comfortable? Like you had known them for years? That was how it felt. There was no awkwardness at all. We met, we hugged, and we were walking arm in arm 20 minutes later. She took me to dinner and we got a totally yummy white pizza with chicken.

We talked. I gave her compliments. She blushed. It was delightful.

Afterwards we went for a walk, and ended up kissing on the median in the middle of a road near the bay. We had actually kissed when we first met, but it was a quick one. This was slow and deliberate. A truly passionate kiss. The kind where you find yourself lost in the other person. Where you open your eyes afterwards and realize you are standing in the middle of a busy intersection making quite a scene (and not giving a damn about it).

We went for a carriage ride, cuddling the whole time. She took me to sit on the edge of the water by a fort and I sang to her. We walked. She showed me some incredibly cool little hidden places in St. Augustine. We walked up the middle of the historic district when everything was closed and everyone had gone home and I sang to her again.

We shared some things about our pasts with each other. Unpleasant things. Things you normally wouldn’t talk about on a first date. But it didn’t feel like a first date at all. I told her some things about me that not even my closest friends know.

It was very important to me then, as it continues to be now, that she not have any misconceptions about me. That she know me as I truly am. My good traits and my bad. I know I’m not supposed to do that. I’m supposed to play my cards close to my chest and not reveal things too early. I can’t tell you the number of times thoemeringue has beaten me over the head because of that.

The thing is – that’s not me. It never will be me. If I can’t find someone who can deal with the fact that I’m 100% intense from day one, I’ll have to spend the rest of my life alone.

So far, she’s been able to deal just fine.

We danced in a parking lot. We kissed some more. We kissed a lot more. I could have done so for much, much longer.

She took me to my hotel, and waiting there was a bouquet of six pink roses.

Unfortunately, reality set in soon after and she had to leave. I set out the next afternoon and as of yet have not had a chance to physically see her again.

But every day I get a little closer to her. Every day I find out something else that surprises and delights me. Every day we share a little more.

She is the reason I got the STD test. She is deathly afraid of disease, and I cannot blame her for that. Nor can I blame her for the fact that she wants to be doubly sure and take another test in January before she feels completely safe with me.

She is worth the trouble. She is worth the wait. I am enthralled and enamored and enchanted. To date we have been compatible in almost every way. I think about her and get all stupid and smile widely and bounce in my chair. I’m excited and school boyish and loving every minute of it.

Needless to say, we have made it “official.” We are dating, and we are exclusive, and yesterday was the 2 week anniversary of our physical meeting. That is why she sent me the flowers (which were supposed to be pink…I fear for the florist when she gets ahold of them).

So there you have it. That is the story of us so far. I have a girlfriend again, and I’m blissfully content with that fact. I know that many of you will shake your heads and moan about my new “flavor of the week” (an accusation I find highly offensive, to be honest), and considering my history I suppose I cannot blame you. Nor will I try and defend how different it is to you.

Suffice it to say that, to us, it is. We are going as slow as we can. We are both incredibly gun shy and terribly weary of the dating rat race. We are both looking for something that is going to be more than a flash in the pan.

I honestly think we have found it.

Mr. David, we owe you some serious Dim Sum.

That is all.