In July 2019, Raymond flew back to Ontario. Back in like, March, I'd suggested he come to Ontario for one of his weeks of summer vacation, not actually really expecting him to do so. But he agreed and booked his flights, so I also booked the week off and prepared to be tour guide. I did this quite happily, eager to see my good friend again!
And so early on a Saturday morning, I picked Raymond up at the airport. We went out for breakfast, and I took him home, where he met my brother and parents for the first time. Later that day, we went over to my aunt and uncle's house, to visit with Jacob and so that my cousin Victoria could meet him (she was very insistent that she must!). The next day, my other brothers came home and met him, but we were still just friends so it was actually super awkward (because let's be real, no one believed me when I said we were just friends, yet we weren't officially dating so they couldn't say anything!)
On Monday, I took Raymond to Toronto. We took the Go Train in, and started at the CN tower. After that, we went to the Hockey Hall of Fame, followed by heading out to Center Island. There, we wandered around, and even took a quick catnap under one of the trees.
After we ate dinner, we were walking through one of the fields on Center Island when, for some reason, we stopped and were hugging. As I started to pull away, Raymond said "Katie, you scare me."
I knew what he meant by that.
"You scare me, too," I admitted.
"Want to be scared together?"
My response was a super romantic "Sure!" And just like that, we stopped being "Just Friends" and started dating.
Dating is hard, when you live on opposite ends of the country. I lived in Ontario, he in Alberta. Still, we made it work. We messaged even more. We talked on the phone a bit more often then just Sunday nights. And we did our best to visit whenever possible. Raymond was (and still is) blessed with a job that allows for a lot of overtime, which he can use for time off. So he came to visit in August, being there for me when I got my wisdom teeth pulled. I visited him in October, and he came back to Ontario in November for my cousin's wedding. It was just a week each time, but a week approximately every month was more than I could have hoped for!
In October, we were already talking about marriage.
Raymond was my first boyfriend. He was my first kiss. And it was worth the wait, because Raymond loved God and sought after Him. He had his baggage and his past, but he had grown from it.
We were both scared, but we were both willing to take that risk with each other.
Blessings,
Katie
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