A Boy Named Lucas

So...I think this is a big post. I’ve broken just about every rule on dating that I can, but I think I have a guy that I really like. A keeper. His name is Lucas (pronounced “Luke-ah”).

I’ve known Lucas for about 2 and a half months --basically since the beginning of school this year-- and I didn’t realize that I Liked him until about two weeks ago. I have no idea how it works for everybody else, but for me it goes like this: I’m so happy, I have a cool new friend. Wow, he’s really cool! It’s the best whenever he’s around! Doesn’t everybody think he’s awesome, just like me? No, it’s just me? Oh shit. And that’s when everything changes. I never seem to like guys that are entirely available or reasonable choices. Maybe it’s the “thrill of a challenge” that plays a part.

Anyway, Lucas was entirely unavailable in my mind because he is my teammate. I have forever spouted the rule that I will NEVER date a teammate. Being a student-athlete is a job, and your teammates are your coworkers. When I go to practice, I’m there to work, and I do not want distractions or feelings getting in the way of productive training. Lucas is especially important because he’s better than me and thus very good to work with. Also, I see my teammates 5 or 6 days a week. We practice at school three days a week, and we drive 45 minutes through rush hour to practice outside of school twice a week. We compete every weekend and travel on the bus together. When Friday night comes, someone makes plans and we all hang out together. Some of us even live together. Bottom line: It’s A LOT of time. 

My concerns were enough to make me think that I would ignore my little crush and move on. I mean, I’m doing a dating project, so I didn’t think fresh dating opportunities (a.k.a. distractions) were going to be sparse. Then Saturday Night happened. I was at a chill party with some teammates and some other people, just hanging out and drinking. Lucas and I were talking, and he was rubbing my arm, and then I wasn’t paying attention, and next thing I know, we’re making out. Later he walked me home, I brought him upstairs, and he spent the night.

First this happened...

Then this happened.

So that was a turn of events, to say the least.

[And disclaimer: I’ve thought about putting this post up for a while, but I struggled with really putting everything out there when it’s early in the game. (Yet the game continues! So no worries.)]