The Beautiful, Priceless Moment

The main point in this chapter is the moment in which I realized that I was in love with J.C.

After snagging several hours of sleep, J.C. and I texted for most of that day. After the wedding ceremony, I giddily chattered away to Shannon about the night before, smiling widely and nodding joyfully when she asked if J.C. and I had made plans to hang out again. And as I served punch and chatted with the guests during the reception, I yearned for the moment when I would finally be able to see those eyes and that smile again.

 

We wound up riding out to the Angelina River at the Nacogdoches County Line (listening to Justin Bieber the way that he had volunteered to do) and then wandering aimlessly through the Wal-Mart in Nacogdoches for a little while before returning to his house and hanging out in his bedroom. That night was a little bit shorter than the first, but only by about two hours. Although the activities that we engaged in and the amount of time that we spent together were different, the night had the same ending as the first:  one more hug, one more kiss...and one more agreement to see each other again.

 

Sunday was his day off, so we were able to schedule our tird date for much earlier than the previous two. I journeyed to his house once again, where I was introduced to his parents, Johnny and Dee. The four of us dined at Tokyo Seafood and Steakhouse in Lufkin (I had never been there before, and that one single trip was all it took to get me absolutely addicted to that place!) and took care of a few errands before returning to the house. He walked me across the yard to his grandparents' house, and after visiting briefly with them, we ended up in his room watching 'Paranormal Activity 2.'

 

Throughout the following week, the only thing that we were able to do was text. When I woke up, he was still asleep, and by the time that he got out of bed, I was in class, and by the time that I got out of class, he was at work, and by the time that he got off work, I was in bed. As much as I would have preferred for us to be talking face-to-face, I must say that texting turned out to be pretty sweet.

 

The sweetest moment occurred on the night of Monday, March 24 (I want to say that it was sometime between 8:00 and 9:00...although I could be completely wrong). As much as I wish I could, I cannot recall the exact details of that conversation. One way or another, though, it led to him telling me that he loved me...and me responding that I loved him, too.

 

As if things had not already changed enough, they changed even more the following Friday. He proved to be a complete sweetheart (the way that he had already done countless times before) and woke up about five hours early just so the two of us could hang out before he had to go to work (I didn't have class on Fridays). We spent our time together snuggled up in his bed, watching TV, sharing some sweet kisses, and just talking and joking around.

 

Remaining awake after forfeiting so much sleep proved to be too difficult for him; he wound up dozing off after a few hours. I laid there with my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat...a sound which was soon joined by the sound of his snoring. Unable to keep from giggling quietly, I raised up a little bit to get a look at his face.

 

In that moment--that beautiful, priceless moment--the biggest change occurred. I had already told him that I loved him, of course, and I most definitely hadn't been lying (even in spite of the fact that we had known each other for such a short amount of time). But as I sat there gazing upon his beautiful face as he slept...the love that I had grown to feel for him reached a whole new level.

 

In that moment in time--that beautiful, priceless moment in time--I truly fell in love with Johnny Craig Naron.