We had met in Book of Mormon, and I thought he was really cute. He and I never really talked much in class, but occasionally, we'd mock the over-eager, really annoying kids in the front of the class (seriously, who has that much energy at 7am, really?). A few weeks had passed, and conversations grew more consistent - bonding over the criticism of stupid people, and the building of the Rexburg temple.
One day, my cell phone rang with an unfamiliar number - Book of Mormon boy tracked me down and invited me to a party. Unsure of this person, my roommate went with me to check the party out. We walked into a room of two guys, and a lot of girls - we did not stay long. (That and his music was really loud, and kinda weird. I don't speak Spanish... neither did he actually...)
The following Monday, he asked me out on a date - my first at BYU-Idaho (the worst institution in the world, ps). I don't remember getting ready or preparing, but I remember hearing him pull up to my apartment with his loud and obnoxious "scoot-scoot." Strike one. We walked over from my apartment to the local 'cheap' theaters (which, I learned that night, are always cold - doesn't matter if you go in February, they're too cheap to turn on the heater). Shocked I hadn't seen 'Superman Returns' yet, he purchased our tickets and we sat down for the show.
Still rather inexperienced at dating, I didn't know what to expect or how to act. Halfway through the film, he pulled my hand through my crossed arms. I sat there grateful he couldn't see me get goosebumps or hear my heart beat really fast - he was so cute! He walked me home after the movie, and I told my roommates all about my night.
As the week went on, he walked me from class to work, and we made plans for another date. He showed up at my apartment (once again on the loud "scoot-scoot"), and we went for a long walk around campus. It was this night that we discovered the heated stairs located near one of the buildings on campus. We sat and talked on the stairs all evening. Things were going really well, until he mentioned something about telling his family about me. (Whoa, second date here.)
More time passed, and date three was planned. I arrived at his apartment to find him cooking, nay, grilling. He had spent the day preparing ribeye steaks for dinner, and even made brownies for dessert. (I didn't have it in me to tell him I didn't do the red meat or chocolate thing... I ate it anyway.) The evening ended with a chick flick to demonstrate his softer side - I discovered there was a reason I didn't see 'the Lake House' while it was in theaters.
When I went home, I told my roommates about my evening once again. And this is where things got interesting... It occurred to me that I had not given him my number, so I asked my roommates if they knew anything about it. One finally confessed that he had called the apartment and asked for it (when I asked why she would give my cell to a stranger, she told me he had told her that he was calling for the bishopric - I didn't learn this was a lie until three and a half years later) - I learned that he had looked me up on the class roster, then found me on 'stalker net' using some faculty's administrative log in, then called my apartment from there. I shared my webcam story with the roommates as well, and he then became dubbed "creepy stalker boy" by the most judgmental of the apartment - this name would stick amongst us for three and a half years.
Being the inexperienced, stupid teenager that I was, I freaked out, and ended things immediately, dropping him like a baked potato straight out of the oven, or a huge knife on Chandler's toe in his white wicker shoes. Luckily, he was a much better person than I was, and we remained friends and continued to talk and spend time together over the course of the semester. Then, shortly before entering the MTC, he even paid me a visit while he was in Rexburg saying his goodbyes. Apart for two or three letters, and a couple of emails, this would be the last of our contact for the next 3 1/2 years.
The morning of December 11th, 2009, I checked my Facebook to find a message from "creepy stalker boy" with his cell number asking me to text to catch up. Running late to class, I entered it into my phone and walked out the door. Once in class, I sent him a message to keep myself stimulated. We spent the rest of the day texting sporadically, and he called me that night - 6am the next morning, we hung up and went to get ready for class. It only took me a week of this to realize he was the only person I wanted to date when he returned to school the next semester.
These have been the best two months of my life - and things are only going to get better. Who knew that "creepy stalker boy" would quickly become my best friend, and the person I can't go to bed with out talking to, and can't go a day without seeing?
Moral of the story - be nice to your stalkers... they're actually pretty amazing once you give them a chance.
