Real magic in the Magic Kingdom

About two weeks ago, I was at Taco Tuesday at Fred's with C, and after being approached (/chatted up/harassed/stalked) by a bunch of definite no-go's (and I think it might have been "Marines drink for free" considering how many obnoxiously drunk douchebags with crewcuts there were), I locked eyes with a guy leaning over the back of C's chair to snag some napkins off of our table. After a few sarcastic comments between us, he retreated a few feet back and leaned against the wall, directly behind C's head. From then on, no matter who I talked to or was looking at, he was looking at me. And every time we made eye contact, he'd smile this seductive smile at me (think James Dean), or wink at me, and even stuck his tongue out at me to show off his tongue ring. Come to think of it... I may have started the facemaking. But that's just details.

Eventually Mr. Badass (let's call him Erwin) came and sat down next to me. "Before you say anything, Missy," he said, "let me just tell you now, I'm not gonna let you blow me off like all the other poor guys who keep trying to talk to you. Not until you give me a fighting chance." Ok, so he was real cute, though definitely not my "type," but a guy with charisma and a little spice is alright in my book.

We talked for awhile, and he made C and I laugh until we cried quite a few times, and we sassed each other up. (It's always so refreshing to find a guy who can take it and dish it back just as well.) I asked him why he had flashed his tongue ring at me. "Just tryin' to get some pussy." Classy. (To which I, of course, explained that he better move to another table 'cause it wasn't on the menu at mine.) Eventually, I finally agreed to tell him my name and what I did and where I lived. Each minute that we bullshitted, the boy grew more fond of me. The brattier I was, the more he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of me. (Is it really that easy?) At one point he told me he wanted to take me to Disneyland. "Oh yeah, totally, let's go." (I'm sure.) As much as I sassed him and toyed with him and lovingly dragged him through the coals (which he ate up, and did right back to me, so none of those "you're such a bitch" comments, please), there was definitely some sort of magnetic chemistry between us that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

He walked out with us, and I (perfectly willingly) gave him my phone number. He asked how soon he should call. "Tomorrow, if you want to see me again. But I prefer texts."

Sure enough, Erwin texted me the next day. We wrote back and forth every so often for two weeks, until we solidified a plan to go to Disneyland Friday (which was yesterday). I told my friends I had these plans, but was convinced they weren't actually going to happen.... who honestly takes a girl to Disneyland for a first date?

He picked me up around 10am and was cuter than I recalled, and turned out to be a great driver (very important to me, seeing as how I get so awkwardly nervous when other people hold my life in their hands). We drove over and laughed on the way, and he bought my two-day parkhopper pass (he has a premium annual passport already).

We went straight to the Blue Bayou restaurant, which is the one inside Pirates of the Carribbean. (Which has also impressed every single one of my friends, because apparently it's impossible to get a reservation... this boy did some planning.)

Lunch was dark and kind of romantic, but still in the "uncomfortable first date" sort of way. We had a nice conversation and headed out to start riding the rides. Things started to loosen up while we waited for Pirates, and as we walked out after we got off he held my hand. From then on, we felt a bit more comfortable, and I don't really recall standing in the lines (though we must have) because we were talking and laughing a lot. He's definitely one of those people with a natural charisma and magnetism about him, and one of those smiles that lights up a room, which I love. And he keeps me laughing, which automatically makes him pretty damn dateable.

Eventually we headed over to California Adventure Park, which I had never been to before. Strangely the best thing in the park was the museum about animation. I'm not sure what happened in there, but something between us just clicked. We were looking at all these original sketches from Snow White and talking about how my roommate had just moved out and taken her dog (aka the love of my life) and he made a joke about getting me one, but then said more seriously that he was becoming more crazy about me by the minute and I could probably talk him into just about anything anything. When we walked out he was being really quite, and told me he had had a moment of euphoria while we were inside that he couldn't really explain.

He talked me into going on the Tower of Terror, which is named quite appropriately. They always say that fear and humor are two emotions that bond people the quickest, which I wouldn't argue. Gotta love that adrenaline!

After a few more rides and lots of hand-holding and arms around each other, and times where we'd look at each other and it seemed as though we both wanted to kiss but it just wasn't the perfect moment yet, I talked him into the Ferris Wheel, which he said was his biggest fear. (After everything else we went on, I can't really understand that.) We waited 'til it got dark and my big plan was to kiss at the top when it stopped (movie-worthy, right?), but they put us in a cage with two ladies so that plan was blown. We chose a rocking cage (or at least I did, while he stood shaking in his boots) which turned out to be about as terrifying as he predicted it would be. Although he was scared shitless, he did make me and the two ladies in our gondola laugh hysterically which only reminded me why I was having such a fantastic day and was growing exponentially fond of this guy.

When we got off (and after he pretty much kissed the ground) he said he wanted to go back to guest services to see if we could convert my ticket into an annual passport. They told us the best thing to do is to do it on the second day we use it, so that we won't have trouble with blackout days. The woman showed us the brochure with all of the different options, and was describing to me about how much I would pay for each type of membership. He told her I wouldn't be the one paying for it, and agreed that we would do it next time we came back. As much as I am not one to plan anything for the future these days, I had no doubt in my mind that I would be coming back with him. Already, this was by far the best date I had ever been on.

At this point we realized we were painfully hungry and set off to Downtown Disney to get some dinner before the fireworks, which were only an hour away. But when we got there we found that every single other person at Disneyland was doing the same thing and all the restaurants had over an hour wait, so we put our name in and went to the bar at ESPNZone to have a drink. We realized that we were going to miss the fireworks show by waiting that long anyway, so we decided Disney was done for the day and headed off to the restaurant of my choice, which just so happened to be my beloved BJ's. Mmm....

We got some (delicious) pizza and cocktails in our tummies and at this point were just staring at each other in awe of the day we had just had. Though we joked with each other that it was a good sign that we had "tolerated" each other for the 13 hours we had spent together (again, I adore a guy who can take my sarcasm and give it back to me), it was beyond a doubt that we had both grown head over heels over the course of the day.

At one point, after a couple drinks, I asked him if there really wasn't anything he wanted to know about me (he really hadn't asked me much about my family or past, though I had asked him lots of things). He replied with, quite honestly, the best monologue I think I've ever heard.

"It isn't that I don't want to know about you. I want to know everything about you. But I know I'll learn these things over time. It isn't important to me to sit here and ask you questions about your past, because I can't be a part of your past. What I want to know is how I can make you laugh. What makes you tick. I want to know what you're excited about. What makes you cry, and what your buttons are, so I know what not to do. What I want to know about is your future, because that's what I can be a part of. I WANT to be a part of it."

The day that could have gone so wrong managed to go better than I could ever have imagined.

While he was driving me home (now 11pm) he jokingly said "where to next?" though he knew I had to be up early and had to be getting to bed. "Seriously though, I don't even want you to go home. I don't want this day to end."

I didn't either.

He pulled up to my house and got out of the car to hug me goodbye, gave me a fantastic goodnight kiss, and told me he had been waiting for it all day. He told me he already missed me and truly couldn't wait to see me again.

As much as I am so noncommittal since the heartbreak to end all heartbreaks, there is something about him that I just can't get enough of. This might actually be it.