I was thinking about why I wasn't posting much here, and it occurred to me that it was because I couldn't talk about how happy I was for nearly a year. I had to be careful to keep things offline and discreet. I know many people might find that suspicious, but it was because I was against the rules. You see, he was my dance instructor, and fraternizing with students was forbidden. A fireable offense.
Eventually, he left that job for me. Not because we were outed to the owners, but because we both got tired of having to pretend we were something less than two people completely in love with each other. It became more and more difficult to hide how we felt about each other. More than once, I almost slipped and said "I love you" and "don't forget to text me on your way home" as I walked out the studio door. My lips came close to his cheek, and my fingers lingered a bit too long during social dances.
We came up with hand squeezes and silly phrases to express our true feelings while under watchful eyes. We had our special handshake and hug for both coming and going. They were little things, but as the months went by, they were necessary. The stress of pretending led to misunderstandings and hurt feelings.
He insists that he followed me around. That he orbited me. I will admit I figured that was perfectly acceptable because I was usually the only student of his who showed up regularly to the Friday night socials. It made sense he would dance with me more than he would the other students.
Don't get it twisted. He did his job. He danced with the other ladies during socials. He emceed. He made announcements. He instructed leads and follows alike. He was, at all times, a professional.
In fact, after he fulfilled his contract and moved on from that job, taking a new position in an entirely different field (a mortgage company of all things!), we attended a wedding where many of our dance studio friends were in attendance. Only one person had suspected we were more than what we seemed. Everyone else was surprised, especially when they learned we had been dating for nearly a year and a half, even though he had only been gone from the studio for about six months.
They wanted the story. Who made the first move? How did it happen? I put him on the spot because he started it. He made the first move. He sent that first text and kept asking questions that had nothing to do with dancing. He was very cautious at first. So cautious that I wasn't even sure if he liked me. I thought maybe, but then I was certain I was mistaken because I was not the type of woman I envisioned him being attracted to or interested in.
I mean...look at him. He's gorgeous. He also has aged backward and appears to be in his twenties instead of his forties. The man is aging like fine wine! For the longest time, I thought he was much too young, but then he would say something or reference something from pop culture that no twenty-something would likely even know. Then he mentioned a birthday and how old he would be turning. He was within my established dating range. Barely. But he was.
And he didn't care that I was older than him. Not even a little bit.
But, if I'm honest, we both feel that our love story did not start with the text messages. Our love story started when I walked through those studio doors with my sisters in February 2024. I wanted to learn West Coast Swing. I had Googled studios that offered lessons and, I swear, his was the first and only to appear. It was an hour drive from my house, but I was determined to learn. Yet, months after we had been assigned to each other, I started seeing WCS lessons nearer to home. To this day, I believe the red string connecting our souls influenced that Google search that led me to him.
We danced. We did a group showcase together (him + the sisters three). We danced some more. It wasn't just our private lessons because I made the most of my lesson packages. I attended group lessons and the Friday night socials. I was at the studio multiple times a week and, while I enjoyed dancing with the other instructors, I was always happiest dancing or socializing with Andrew. I felt drawn to him, but I never let on how deeply my attachment had grown. He was off limits. And, like I mentioned earlier, I never expected he would be attracted to me.
Yet, somehow I got past all his defenses and took up residence in his heart. He didn't realize it, though, until his mom started asking about me. He had not realized he had been talking about me so much. When she asked about me, he had that light bulb ah-ha moment and realized he had fallen for me. He debated the wisdom in pursuing me, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and he felt he had to take the chance.
I will be forever thankful he took the risk because I am madly in love with this man. He makes me so incredibly happy. He is everything I didn't know I needed and never expected to find.
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