delicate | ethma

19

Emma

Sometimes you find things where you least expect to find them. Or when you aren't looking.

I met Daniel on a plane from Portland after I took pictures for a concert there.

He was seated next to me, and we instantly started talking to each other. It was a five hour flight, but felt like it went by in thirty seconds.

He was refreshing to be around. He was super creative and witty, yet had a serious side to him too. I had just turned 23, and he was almost 25.

We were less than two years apart.

His sign was even compatible with mine, him being a Libra, and me being a Gemini.

It felt good to be around someone new to my life. He was so kind, and so positive that it felt so easy to just forget my troubles when I was talking with him.

He was understanding, and caring, and I was looking forward to talking with him again.

It was a week later when he asked me to get a drink, so we met up at a bar in Downtown Denver one night.

There was this bar called The Hideout, and they had half off drinks on Thursday nights, plus live music.

Sitting there in the corner booth, talking and sharing our stories that were somehow similar, we drank, we laughed, we had a good time.

We danced on the dance floor, and I found out that he was a pretty good dancer. He knew where to put his hands, and he knew how to move his hips. He was fun, and he was sexy.

Both of us did get a little drunk, so we took a cab back to his apartment. He lived closer to downtown than I did.

That's how it all started. We had a connection from the moment we met, and with Daniel, I didn't have to question it.

I felt like whenever I was with Ethan, I never knew where I stood. It was always a question of if or when, but with Daniel, the answers came before I even thought to ask.

I knew he was different than Brooks. He was still a gentleman, but in a less showy way, and a more comfortable way.

Walking on the side closest to the street when we were on the sidewalks, paying for my drinks, and simply being kind.

It was so easy; so comfortable, to be myself with him. I never once felt like I had to be anxious.

We had a ton of fun together.

This is what it's supposed to be like, right? When you know right away?

We hung out again a couple days later, and we played cards together. I've never laughed so hard while playing card games before.

I knew part of me would always be in love with Ethan, but Daniel was the person who made me forget.

We started dating one month after we met, and I introduced him to Olivia and Jordan.

I knew I had Olivia's approval when she pulled me aside that night after we ate dinner. I think she could tell how happy I was, and I think she knew how genuinely nice Daniel was.

We had the opposite conversation about Brooks.

My biggest fear again was Ethan not approving.

But I was wrong about that. I was almost a little bit worried that Ethan was going to steal Daniel from me.

They became friends in a genuine way. Brooks only ever pretended to like Ethan, but Daniel actually did.

Daniel and Ethan even hung out by themselves, and had a great time.

Daniel was a genuinely good guy. I was lucky to have him. He actually trusted me when I hung out with my guy friends without him.

He understood that Ethan was my best friend.

We often found ourselves hanging out in a group of five. Olivia, Jordan, Ethan, Daniel and I. Sometimes the group would extend to Brennan and Enzo too, or to Daniel's brother Landon.

It was a great group of friends, and I was glad to see that Daniel fit right in with the rest of us. I had a feeling he would, but it was great to see that my instincts were right.

It was three months into our relationship when we really started to get serious. Meeting each other's families, and saying I love you's for the first time.

It never felt this magical with Brooks.

Falling for Daniel was scary, yet comforting at the same time. It was like there was a safety net, but I still had to get the courage to jump from the cliff.

My family adored him, which made me happy. Anytime someone had my dad's approval, I knew they were a keeper.

Ethan met my dad once at my birthday dinner last year. They talked for a long time that night, and my dad told me I should always have a friend like Ethan in my life.

So, when he met Daniel, I was hoping for a similar approval. My dad loved him, and I knew Daniel was a keeper.

There were still times when I'd be hanging out with Ethan, and I would catch myself accidentally staring, or wondering what could've been if four years ago he would've said those three words I always wanted to hear him say.

I was genuinely happy with Daniel though. Ethan even approved, so I knew Daniel was a good pick.

My life has been so crazy in the past year and a half, that Daniel was a good person to have in my life.

I found myself laughing harder, smiling bigger, and simply living my life the way I only dreamed about when I was a teenager.

I never thought I'd make photography into a career. I always thought of it as a hobby. Ethan changed that for me. My photography business is what took me to the right place at the right time.

It led me to meeting Daniel, and that was something I would be forever grateful for.