KC and me, the early days

On Sunday we went out and ran errands together.  I was on the search for wrapping paper, to get through the last few gifts that had just been hanging around the house, unwrapped and taunting me.  I was on the hunt for plain brown paper — and who the heck knew that it would be so difficult to find?  All Target had was a bunch of Christmas paper that was $5 for the skimpiest of rolls.  No bueno.

We rounded out our shopping at TJ Maxx and BevMo, but not before re-living part of our very first date by stopping for lunch at Chili’s.  I agree that Chili’s is somewhat trashy, not romantic in the least, and a little disgusting when it comes to portion sizes (although, The Cheesecake Factory really takes the cake in that arena); but, 9 years minus one week ago yesterday, KC came down to San Jose to “hang out as friends” over winter break during our junior year of college, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s how our love story began.  We had been hanging out a little bit at school, and chatting late into the night on AIM quite a bit ( ← how about that for dating myself?), but I was quite adamant that I “didn’t want a boyfriend” and we were definitely both playing it cool (y’know, college).  Even so, while having coffee with a good friend earlier in the day, I confided in her that I “kind of liked him” and that I was, in fact, a little anxious about KC coming all the way to San Jose to hang out with me.

I remember nervously waiting in my parent’s kitchen for him to drive up; he pulled up in his green Acura (quite a nice car, given our respective ages).  He got out of the car and he had gotten a haircut since school had ended and wasn’t wearing his usual uniform (he didn’t cut his hair the entire first quarter, and lived in trainers and big UCLA sweatshirts — can you imagine why I wasn’t instantly smitten?).  I had been wondering if the crush I wasn’t admitting to myself I had would be affirmed or completely snuffed out by seeing him in person — and wouldn’t you know it, I got butterflies.  KC walked up all cool, tall, and confident, and spent the rest of the day being his charming, funny self.  We started things off by going to lunch at Chili’s together (not a date! we were adamant — we went dutch).  And to this day we still reminisce about that “first date that wasn’t but then it was” that all started at Chili’s.

And so, amidst the dirty floors, greasy fare, and overly-loud patrons, we had lunch there this weekend.  We talked about the last 9 (!) years together — how it seems inconceivable that next year we will have been together a decade — an entire third of my lifetime, at that point.  And how it somehow doesn’t feel like we’ve been together that long, but when you think back to when we were first dating it also feels like forever ago.

And just like that, it was butterflies all over again.