Young Love #3

As promised - the final installment of Soap Opera Sunday. Want to get caught up on the Young Love story (Um...hello, who wouldn't)? Check out Young Love #1 and Young Love #2.

After that night, Tim and I began to hang out quite a bit. Purely as friends, mind you - I was still pining for Jed and I knew Tim was crushing on my cousin, Natalie. I think Tim and I found it easy to hang out because we could really be ourselves around each other. There was no pressure, we could talk about anything and it was just...fun to be together. However, I wasn't completely oblivious to the fact that Tim was totally cute. He was so witty and I just loved hanging out with him. And - unlike Jed - Tim actually wanted to spend time with me and get to know me. After that Summer we were best friends. All through High School we were close and were together a lot. I didn't give up on Jed, mind you. I did see him every now and then, but he did have a girlfriend and I could never be myself around him. Tim really knew me and I liked that. I liked him. I'm not sure how many times I wanted Tim to be my boyfriend...too many to count! I do remember that my password in my computer class was "Tim's Girl"...I know. We went to some date dances together and all my friends knew that I always had a place in my heart for Tim. There were times when Tim really liked me - but we never seemed to like each other at the same time! I would meet a boy over the Summer or he would have a girlfriend around Christmas - our timing was just lame. But we were always best friends, no matter what.

After High School, I moved to Las Vegas to live with my Aunt and Uncle and Tim went on a Mission. We wrote each a lot and I couldn't wait for him to come home! Once I moved back, we started hanging out again. It was the middle of Summer and Tim had come over one morning to take me to play tennis (Tim played tennis and had taught me how to play years before). We played and talked for a few hours, perhaps there was some flirting involved! He asked me to dinner that night and I agreed. Over dinner I was telling him how a boy I knew had just poured his heart out to me and I wasn't interested, blah blah blah. Tim just laughed and in my head I was thinking, "Man, I love that I can talk to Tim about stuff like this". After dinner we went back to the tennis court and bounced the ball back and forth a bit (Tennis in the dark? Believe it or not, we did this quite often. Something about the thrill of trying to hit something you can't see before it smacks you in the face...). Eventually we were just sitting on the court talking, and Tim said, "So, can I tell you something?"

"Always.."

"...I think I'm falling for you, Jewels"

I didn't know what to say. He then started to tell me how he felt and it literally made my heart melt. I couldn't believe this was happening! For so long I had wanted to be his girlfriend, to hear him say this to me...but...I wasn't sure I felt the same way. This came out of left field and I just wasn't ready for it. I think I told him that I needed to think about it and when he dropped me off he kissed my hand, held it to his heart and said, "Please don't take too long". Tender, right?

I didn't talk to Tim for a few days. I hated that I didn't feel the way he did - it seemed so unfair! I mean, really? After all these years, now he decides that he wants more?? Why oh WHY do I not feel that way! After much fist-shaking at the Heavens, I called him and explained how I felt. Being the gentleman that he is, he instantly made me feel better and was so understanding about everything. I was worried that this whole thing would change our relationship, but it didn't. We still hung out and a year or so later he was engaged! He married a stellar girl named Angie and he was happier than I had ever seen him. He came to my wedding and all of us have gone to dinner and done things over the years. Just last Summer Cody and I helped them move into a new home! Tim and Angie now have two gorgeous little girls and Tim and I still talk now and then. I actually told him that I would be posting our story (we often talked about how we should write a book about our silly friendship) and the first thing he said was, "Man...that whole 'mute button' thing at EFY...".

Tim is truly one of the most decent human beings I've ever met. I feel so lucky that he and I have been friends for 13 years...and counting!

PS - What ever happened to Jed, you ask? He ended up marrying his High School sweetheart - the girl he was dating while we were at EFY!