Off the Market

My trip to Boston this weekend was absolutely epic. I flew up single, and came back with a boyfriend. 

I must confess that the portion of the trip leaving my town and being on the plane was nerve-wracking to the point that I wanted to cry. I was terrified of contracting the virus. There were way more people in the airport than I anticipated. I created a make-shift mask using one of my summer scarves, but after the damn thing kept falling and getting in the way, I ditched it. I knew it wasn't going to protect me anyway, so I threw myself to the mercy of staying as far away from people as possible. After all, I thought, I'm sure that the plane won't be so bad, and I would be able to work. 

But the flight was bad. It sucked, big time. 

There were tons of people on the flight. It was so crowded that I thought if I was going to get sick, today would be the day. This is it. I kept telling myself, though, that the trip was worth it. I focused on my destination and tried to bury myself in my work using the on-flight wifi. I didn't want to use a vacation day, so I was going to bill my ass off in the airport, on the plane, and a little bit once I got to his apartment. 

Once the plane landed, I relaxed. The excitement of seeing him set in. I couldn't wait. While I was waiting for my luggage (the airline checked my bag for me since the cabin space was so sparse), I met a lovely woman named Lisa with her service dog, a sweet Havanese. She was an older woman, and I agreed to help her get her luggage. She had two large, 50 lb. suitcases that she needed help with. She was a Boston resident and had brought her items from her summer home since she didn't know when she would return again. She asked me why I was flying in a pandemic. I felt like an idiot and responded, "My boyfriend lives here." (At this time, "Boston" and I weren't official, but it was easier to say than, "this guy I've been dating"). Once I said that, her eyes lit up. 

"Oh! A romance. How sweet. I hope he appreciates you flying here to see him, and that he will do the same." 

"Yes, he comes to see me in April, as long as they don't ground the flights." Part of me felt real fear at the prospect. 

"It'll work. Have faith." 

Just then, the luggage belt horn sounded, announcing our bags which, thankfully, arrived quickly. Boston hadn't gotten to the airport yet, giving me enough time to throw some makeup on my face. By the time I finished, Boston texted that he was pulling in. I went outside and felt the cool air. I was really here. 

And then when I saw him at the airport, with a smile, pulling up and taking my suitcase, all the fear  I felt from the morning washed away. He gave me a kiss on the mouth immediately, quipping that if I was infected, he was already screwed. We got home. 

I won't review every detail from the entire weekend, but I'll say this: the trip was worth the risk for me. Waking up next to him for the first time was amazing. The chemistry between us was pure electricity. We couldn't keep our hands off each other, and we shared more with each other in three days than I think we would have if we were in the same city. We grew so much closer. The best part was that he asked me to be his girlfriend. 

On Sunday morning, while we were holding each other confessing our feelings, he asked me how I felt about "making it official." 

"What, you mean, like I'm your girlfriend?" 

"Yeah, I mean, my girlfriend, and I'd be your boyfriend. I know it's a label, and I'm not saying I'm crazy about labels, but we could make it official." 

"I'm okay with that label," I said with a smile. 

That night, he deleted his dating apps. I deleted mine the next day. 

I felt tears welling up when we were parting at the airport. I held it in, because I still had hours of travel ahead of me. Logan airport was a ghost town. Security was a breeze because I was only one of two people walking through. 

I miss him, and I can't wait to see him again. He invited me to meet some of his family for Memorial Day weekend, but because of an arbitration, I can't fly up that Friday. 

"It's okay, you'll see them on July 4 weekend when you come up." 

Things are really moving forward, and I'm so happy. I guess some might expect me to say that I wish it wasn't happening in the middle of a pandemic, but I won't say that. I won't say that because I've been waiting a very, very long time for a good man that I care about and who cares about me, and I think I have found one. I deserve to be happy, and as selfish as this sounds, I'm not going to put my relationship on hold. We will take precautions, and we will stay away from others, but we won't stay away from each other.