Jess Thoughts

OMG. Jaime called me at six this morning. Not a text — a call. I was barely awake when I answered and he simply told me to get ready because he was coming to pick me up at seven. No discussion, no long explanation, just calm certainty. I had about thirty seconds where I considered telling him he was crazy, and then about ten seconds later I was already out of bed getting ready.

We went to a pancake house for breakfast. Nothing fancy, nothing polished, just a warm little place with coffee that never seemed to stop flowing and people who looked like they had been starting their mornings there for years. It felt comfortable and normal in a way I wasn’t expecting. After breakfast he drove us out to a local farm where a friend of his manages horses. I’m not even sure what the proper term is — a horse farm? A stable? Either way, the next thing I knew we were going horseback riding. In March. In Wisconsin. It was cold and crisp and honestly a little crazy, but it was so much fun. The air was sharp and clean and the fields stretched out farther than I expected, and at one point I realized I was laughing like a little kid. I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt that free.

After that we went antique shopping, which was completely unexpected again. We wandered slowly through little shops filled with old watches, glassware, books, maps, and strange objects that once meant something to someone. It wasn’t anything like the usual things guys try to plan when they think they’re supposed to impress you. That’s what struck me the most about the whole day. Jaime wasn’t trying to impress me at all. He was simply bringing me along into his world — a world that felt stable, grounded, and very real. I found myself relaxing in a way I didn’t expect, just following along and enjoying the day. If I’m being honest, I didn’t want it to end.

But it did. He got a text from work and I could tell immediately that something needed his attention. He apologized and said he had to cut the day short, but suggested we meet up again later in the afternoon under one condition. When he said “condition,” I admit my mind went somewhere else for a moment. Instead he told me I needed to dress down a bit because he was taking me to Dave & Buster’s. I laughed so hard. He said that’s what people in the friend zone do.

It was so unexpected and funny that I leaned down, hugged him, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. And that’s when something happened that I don’t think he intended. For the first time since I met him, he blushed. It only lasted a moment, but it was real. We looked at each other for a second that somehow felt longer than it should have, and then he smiled in that quiet way he does, like the moment had already been understood and put away somewhere.

Later I met up with Anna at the office and we went to the mall for a while. The whole time I felt strangely light, almost warm inside. I kept wanting to tell her everything — to tell someone — but I didn’t. Not yet. I think I know what’s happening, but I also don’t. Everything feels like it’s moving very fast. What I do know is this: if nothing else comes from any of this, my standard for dating has definitely been raised… and I’m not sure it will ever come back down.