Finally...

Our company was having a Christmas party in early December.  It was to be a pretty big event, everyone would be dressed up.  Guys would be in their suits and the ladies would be in their cocktail dresses.  Everyone was talking about it.   Unfortunately for me, Sharon was going to attend with her current relationship,  as these plans were made before she and I got together.  It was two weeks before his finals and she didn't want to make any waves.  Since it would be a late night, the company decided to reserve hotel rooms for people that wanted to stay over.  Her other relationship had asked Sharon to stay over.  She had told me that he wanted to do that.  I told Sharon that if she did, we were over.  She said she wouldn't do that.  I decided to go and would take this woman that I coached with named Merrill. We were friends and she had met Sharon and knew about our relationship.  Some of my other friends around the soccer circle believed that she was interested in me but I never got that vibe.  But after I met Sharon it was pretty hard to notice anything or anyone else.  Merrill had told some of our players that we were going to a party together and they were pretty excited.  I guess they still hadn't figured out who Sharon was.  It was a pretty strange evening all the way around.  All of my friends at work were probably wondering why Merrill and I kept telling them that we were just friends.  As we were seated at our table, I caught a glimpse of Sharon coming in.  She was beautiful as always.  I couldn't take my eyes of off her.  Merrill ran into Sharon in the ladies room and told her that I was pining away for her.  Even though Sharon and I had agreed to depart from the party early and meet up afterwards, it seemed like the longest night of my life.  I left the party after a couple of hours and dropped Merrill off at her apartment.  I gave her the prize that I had one at the party.  We chatted for a little while and I quickly left.  Sharon called me a little later and we got into an argument because she ended up staying longer than we agreed upon.  I was upset as I hung up the phone.  About 30 minutes later she showed up at my apartment.  We made up and stayed up all night talking (well there was a lot of kissing and hugging involved).  That following morning we went to Denny's and had breakfast together.  She left my place around 9:00 am to head home as I had several games to coach that day.

The following week, her other relationship completed his final exams and she broke up with him over the phone.  So finally, we were free to be with each other openly.  She drove to my apartment to tell me and we were so happy.  That night was the first time we both said those three words that changes everything.  That night we finally admitted what we were feeling for so long, that we were in love.

Near Miss

Things have been going well between Sharon and me.  We were inseparable at work and I would always drop her off to her car in the evenings and we would always linger.  There were a couple of unresolved things that were hanging over our heads.  One was her relationship and the other was an obligation that I took on for the time being.  We decided to go on a date during the week.  I decided that it was time for her to meet the little girl that I was occasionally caring for.  I am not sure if I really thought this all the way through.  We went to a place in Westwood and we had a nice dinner and thought that we had a good time.  After dinner, the three of us went to my apartment and Sharon asked to speak to me alone.  She started to cry as she began talking.  She told me that she had very deep feelings for me but she couldn't be with anyone with baggage.  Sharon said that she would bow out as to not upset the little girl.  That even though it was hard for her she was doing it for the little girl.  She didn't want to be with someone that had ties.  I was stunned at what she was saying.  Slowly, I started to find the words to say.  I asked her one question, "Do you have feelings for me?"  She said, yes.  I told her that I have very strong and deep feelings for her and that I didn't want to lose her.  I told Sharon that I would choose her over anything and that it wasn't a choice.   She seemed relieved at what I had told her.  She held me close and we shared a long, passionate kiss.

But there was one more thing that was hovering over us and that was her relationship.  She told me that she wanted to end it but couldn't do it yet.  He was getting ready to take his final exams for his MBA program and didn't want to affect that.  So we would continue to see each other.  She said that they rarely saw each other.  The next morning I had flowers delivered to her desk.  I had orchids sent to her because I thought roses did not suit seem to suit her.  She was so happy to receive them and she came by to thank me.  We went to lunch together that day and when we came back she had a surprise visitor.  It was her relationship and he had come to visit her.  He asked about the flowers but she made some excuse about her brother.  He had told her that it looked like his promotion was going to come through along with some back pay.  He wanted to use the backpay to buy an engagement ring.  I told her that she needed to tell him soon before he went to buy a ring.  She told me not to worry that he was too cheap to buy the ring and wouldn't.  So we continued to see each other quietly as she waited for his finals to be done.

Getting Complicated

It was the Saturday after our first kiss.  As usual, my day consisted of practically living at the soccer fields coaching my three teams.  But that day, I was anxious and restless.  I couldn't get Sharon out of my mind.  I kept replaying our kiss and the time that we spent together.  That evening, I was dropping off the little girl that I was helping care for.  She was from a broken home and her older sister was on one of my teams that I coached.  She was always hanging around our games and practices.  Somehow she was attached to me.  I would take her and do things with her like ice skating, movies, train her in soccer.  She is from a pretty dysfunctional family. Her mom and older brother are in and out of rehab.  I think that I provided an escape for her.  It was pretty crazy when I dropped her off.  A lot arguing and screaming.  I was pretty upset leaving her at her house.  My mind drifted to Sharon.  I stopped by a pay phone to call her.  It was getting late but I had to hear her voice. The phone rang and she answered.  I told her that something upset me and just needed to hear her voice.  Bu I also wanted to see her.  Sharon said she did as well and proceeded to give me directions to her house in Reseda.  The really strange part was that I didn't write it down.  God must have really wanted me to see her that day because I was able to get there easily and I am horrible with directions.  Maybe the car drove itself.  I got to her house and she was waiting outside.  She waited outside so as not to have to explain who I was to her brother.  She got in my car and we went for a drive.  It was the first time that we saw each other since we kissed and I really wasn't sure what to expect.  Sharon gave me and hug and we kissed.  We spent the night together and we just stayed up being with each other.   If we were tired it really didn't show.  I dropped her off that morning.  Later that day, I called her and we talked for hours.

The week following was Thanksgiving.  I was even more excited to go to work knowing that I would see her.  These days when I would take her to her car, we would stay quite a bit longer as neither of us wanted to say goodbye.  It was customary on the day before Thanksgiving that our office would close early and allow us to go home.  That day, Sharon and I left early but we stayed in the car just being with each other.  We spent quite a few hours just talking, without paying attention to the time.  On Thanksgiving day, Sharon spent the day with her family and I was over at one of my friend's home for the day.  She was never far from my thoughts and I was wondering if she was thinking of me as well.  The days following Thanksgiving were always a busy time for me.  It was a big soccer tournament weekend and as usual, I had two teams entered in a tournament in Pasadena.  It was possibly eight games in two days.  I had told Sharon what I was doing that weekend and didn't really expect to see much of her.  But to my surprise, she showed up at my apartment before I was to leave for the first game.    She came with me to the games and braved the cold and the wind.  We had lunch in between games with some of the parents who have been with me for a few years.  My teams didn't advance to the championship games that weekend.  But for some reason, I really didn't mind.  Sharon stayed with me at my apartment that entire weekend.  We spent it together and we never left each other's side.  I think we both never wanted that weekend to end.