Strangers Again?

Of Course, We Can :)

After having that conversation with Luther, it gave me the reassurance and confidence to ask Natalie out in a more relaxed manner. I opened up by checking in on Natalie and how her day went, then I started my whole piece. 

"Natalie, I wanted to ask you a question if you don't mind; I just wanted to talk about something that means a lot to me with you." I text Natalie, being able to calm down and be confident about what I'm about to ask her next and whatever results happen, I'd be at peace with.

"Of course, Grant, you can tell me anything! I'm curious now; you're making it seem so important...." Natalie replies, as my heart rate only continues to climb and the feeling of nervousness and sweating all over the place strengthens. 

"I appreciate it, Natalie; it is really important to me; I just hope you feel the same way after hearing about it. Natalie, in the short time I've gotten to meet you, I've felt so strongly about you as a friend and most importantly, as a human being. Whenever I talk with you, I feel comfortable and happy around you. I feel so special around you, and you accept me fully for who I am. You accept all the quirks and faults that make me who I am and still make me feel so happy. And I say all of this to say that I'd love to hang out and spend more time with each other outside of work. Because I love being around you and I'm happy that you're in my life Natalie; you're special to me :)" I reply, with my heart continuing to race, but also having this huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

Because now, I know that I was able to be completely honest with how happy I felt around her and how important she is to me as a friend and person. And regardless of how she responded, I was happy she knew how I felt. I didn't say how I felt romantically because I wasn't comfortable enough yet to do that; this was more than enough for me. Being close friends and feeling this way was the most important thing for me, and I was willing to put aside any romantic feelings I had for her. 

"Oh my god Grant, that's sweet :) Of course, we can hang out outside of work, you're important to me as well and I enjoy being around you and spending time whenever possible!" Natalie replied, and reading that response still made me smile. Because this was the moment where I genuinely knew and felt now that she thought the same about the happiness I was bringing into her life.

"I'm happy to hear that Natalie. Is any particular day or time that works for you? I'm flexible of course, I want it to work for both of us and we can go from there." I reply as I feel like I'm the happiest person alive. Spending time with Natalie in a more relaxed and fun environment outside work mentally intoxicated me. I only imagined feeling even happier than before. 

"Me too Grant, I can't wait :) Let's wait until the new schedule comes out at work and we can work out a day to make it happen from there!" She replies, which also makes me smile, seeing the smile on my screen...

"Sounds like a plan Natalie; we'll figure it out as always! Goodnight, Ms. Lawyer; I can't wait to see you again :)" I'm ready to head off to bed soon, just on cloud nine about how this conversation went.

"You know it Grant; sleep well, Mr. Lawyer :)" Natalie replied, as I subconsciously cracked the biggest smile I've let out in a long time. I then let Alex and Luther know about it and they were just as excited as me which was great to see; they supported me no matter what, and I got the encouragement and confidence to step outside my comfort zone and take this leap of faith. 

And as always, that's a big reason why I've always been so connected to them as friends, but most importantly, as people. They aren't afraid to push back and give me tough love, but there are plenty of times when they've been supportive and gentle when times aren't going the best. That's motivated me always to be the same for them when it's time to be the one giving the advice and helping them know that there are people who care a lot about their well-being as I do. 


Author's Note:
So far, this book has surpassed all of my expectations with the direction it's taken and a lot of support from the people I care about the most and have shared it with. This is where I think it's best to explain the feelings for Natalie outside of the scope of the actual story and why this all developed so quickly.  

Think of it as an open letter, just in case the right person ever saw this...

Natalie, at this point in the story, you've relived all our memories and the moment when I was the happiest I've been in a while.

I always look back at this time and realize how special you were as a person, where I could fall for you instantaneously for many reasons.

From the initial attraction, the discovery of your beautiful soul and humour, and the kindness and positivity you brought, I felt so happy around you.

And if you ever see this, I hope you always know that you were special and important to me, and I meant every word. I loved you back then, and every day, I always look back and a part of me always has that happiness that you made me feel. 

Thank you for everything everyone :)