A Travel Romance - Part 2 of 3
“It feels like 6 years since I have seen you, I had no way to contact you, I wanted to invite you to a BBQ Sunday night,
I should never have let you get in that cab...”
(If you missed part 1 make sure to check it out HERE)
OKAY... So maybe he was thinking about me those few days…
Relieved, I returned later that day for the first afternoon dive boat. Daniel was scheduled on the second. I'd see him when I got back.
NOPE
My boat got in late, therefore Daniels boat had already taken off. Leaving us no time to discuss when we would actually see each other next...
What the hell is wrong with us?
Why can we not figure this shit out?
I'm not waiting to just run into him again.
Meg had a date scheduled with Cruz that evening. Cruz is friends with Daniel and HAS AN ACTUAL PHONE...
(Shout out to Cruz's phone)
Meg and I devised a plan. She messaged Cruz “Colleen says to tell Daniel if he doesn’t want to wait 'another 6 years' to see her again he should find a way to contact her”
BOOM
Meg and Cruz’s date turned into a double date with Daniel and I along for the ride.
A Wednesday Night
Despite Meg and I's best efforts to be fashionably late, we arrived first. As we sat there waiting we were both for whatever reason so nervous.
We snapped this picture to document our nerves..
They took us to dinner and it was a lovely evening. Looking back now, Meg and I cannot help but giggle about this night. In no sense of the term was it a true double date. The four of us had exactly 1 conversation together, about cracking coconuts, before spending the rest of the evening only talking to our dates. At one point in the night AD actually picked up his chair and just faced it full on away from the table and towards me. Meg and I hysterically laughed about this later.
Daniel told me how he spent ALL DAY Sunday searching for me..
He had his friend drive him to Sandy Bay, the area my hostel was in, just to try and find the hostel. It is not the easiest to find, and from his explanation of where he was, he ended up being only one street away. Then he went to West End to look for me. Based on his story he kept just missing me by an hour or so...
When I asked why he didn’t just get one of the boys to message Meg he replied
“Trust me sunshine, I thought about it, probably 100 times, and came close to actually asking about 15 times. But me, I don’t like asking anyone for anything, I wanted to find you myself.”
(If you knew Daniel, you would roll your eyes, because that is the definition of an Alabama Dan statement)
We split off to our spot on the dock now and he once again he said,
"You know, I should have never let you get in that cab...
But I didn’t know what else to do, I refuse to bring you back to the grime of the Dive Master house, and plus to be honest I was just nervous... this kind of stuff, its all just…its been awhile."
"I shut that cab door and immediately regretted it, walked off pissed as all hell at myself.”
“Well, you could have... kissed me”
(A huge smile over takes his face)
“Trust me sunshine, I've thought about it.. many times."
"And we will."
"But not tonight."
"Not with that cigarette I had tonight."
"Not our first kiss."
We ended that night, no kiss, and I could not have had a bigger smile on my face. He flagged me a cab and pre paid the fare.
"Get her home safe sir."
...
"See you tomorrow sunshine.”
Karaoke Round 3, A Thursday
Another karaoke night rolls around.
IMPORTANT FACT: We never discussed actual plans to meet at karaoke night. I think it was just implied.
MORE IMPORTANT FACT: This happened to be the same night that Taylor Swift was releasing her lead single off her album. (YAY!!)
At 9:45pm Honduran time. Obviously I was over the moon about this. And obviously I was not waiting until the next day to listen to the new song. We got to the bar at 9:30pm, no sight of AD. As soon as 9:45pm hit I sprinted out of that bar down the road where I knew I would have wifi. Connected my phone, listened to the song 6 times, texted some of my friends about it then headed back to karaoke.
My friend Melissa, who has yet to officially meet AD, but knows who he is, told me upon my arrival back that she had seen him at the bar, and he is around here somewhere.
I grabbed a beer, sat by my friends and waited to spot him...
...I never saw Daniel that night. He was nowhere to be found...
I did not say anything to anyone, and I made sure to not show it, but I was gutted. I sang my karaoke song and called it a night by midnight.
FRIDAY
I was at the coffee shop the next day writing, wondering what the hell happened. Letting a million things run though my head about why he wouldn’t be there to see me. I called up my sister, Kathleen, and unloaded on her. At the time I just felt like what's the point. I was upset that I was upset. I don't get caught up often, and was overwhelmed to have feelings that were out of my control. Feelings that could affect the care free attitude I had had this whole trip. Daniel was not part of the plan. I don’t want to end up hurt.
Is this even all worth it?
Being my best friend, and knowing me unequivocally, Kathleen knew exactly what to say. She reminded me to take everyday one day at a time. To enjoy everything I had going for me. To not jump to conclusions when I simply did not have all the facts. I told her in my gut I felt like there was an explanation, I just knew he would want to see me. 1. He’s now told me countless times how he feels about me. And 2. Honestly, he doesn’t even have to say it. There's this thing between us, this force. Certain things can go unsaid, it's felt, it's understood.
I saw Daniel that afternoon when I walked by the shop.
(By the way, this dive shop is on the one road in West End and inevitable to walk by. Feel like it sounds like I stalk him...)
"Hey where were you last night I came to look for you?" - AD
"I was there!"
"When I got there the guys said they had just seen you leave, I had one beer, waited 30 minutes to see if you'd come back, then left.
I was at karaoke for one reason and one reason only, you.
When you were not there, I left.
I'm an old man, I was exhausted from being up until 2am talking to you last night woman"
Yeah... turns out he was at the bar the exact same 30 minutes I had left the bar to listen to Taylor's new song.
...Taylor and I had our first fight that night
Alright, we'd had enough of just missing each other. He wrote down his email address, we made plans for him to come hang with me at the hostel that night. I sent him an email with directions and my google voice number he could message. He was going to message me from his iPad after he got off work and was headed over.
FRIDAY EVENING
Later that evening, as I'm wrapping up my shift at the hostel, about to get ready for the night, my sister calls me. She is hysterically laughing...
"COLLEEN, Alabama Dan just called me. We were on the phone for TWENTY MINUTES, I'm crying laughing"
Turns out since I used my sisters info to sign up for a google voice number, any time someone calls it, it routes to her phone. But if you text it, it's goes to my phone app.
The whole situation was hilarious. What did they talk about for 20 minutes... I still do not really know! When he arrived to the hostel he was just laughing..
"Man you weren't lying, you and your sister do tell each other everything don't ya?! She knew about karaoke last night, and about me coming over tonight. Y'all must have telepathy"
We spent the evening pool side, wrapped up in another long series of chats and laughter.
It wasn't until we were in my room bantering about something that he leaned in and kissed me for the first time.
Finally
And holy hell, it was more than worth the wait, and thats all I'll say about that.
Saturday & Sunday
The next morning when I woke, all I knew was everything has changed.
We didn't leave each other's side for the next 48 hours straight.
We hung out at the hostel pool all day with Meg, Melissa and Grace. Laughing, talking, playing games, listening to music. We spent a whole day on a deserted beach, picked sea grapes, I kicked his ass in a sprinting match, caught the sunset, shared meals, and had the best time.
That next night we met all the dive shop guys out to watch the Maywether/McGregor fight. He leaned over and kissed me at one point, mid sentence, in the middle of the crowded bar.
Shit.
I don't remember the last time someone had kissed me in public. Not like that.
As much as it may not seem like it now (after pouring my guts out on my blog numerous times the past 5 months), historically I am a very private person. I don't tend to display emotion, and I don't showcase affection.
I think it took me by surprise how okay I was with that little charade he just pulled. I loved it.
Shit... I'm in trouble aren't I?
Yup, I think I am.
This is not turning out how I planned. This little 'travel romance' of mine is beginning to creep past that fun little island fling feels.
Do I actually like this guy?
What the hell is this shit, are these actual feelings?
Is this real? No, it cannot be. This is surreal, it's a heightened environment. I'm on a beautiful island, I'm on holiday, of course this is all roses, this isn't real life. It's easy to fall for someone here, you are set up for it. We are just caught up in the moment. It's the gravity of the island.
No Colleen, no. This is real. I can feel it.
No it's the island..
DAMN IT
This is where I began to talk myself off the ledge...
Don't over think it.
Take it a day at a time.
Enjoy this.
Don't look past today.
You still have one more week in Roatan, just see how this goes ...
TO BE CONTINUED...
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