#ILoveYou #YouLoveHer

#BoardGamesAreTheNewCoffee

Tia

To be honest, dating Nate didn't really change anything between us, significantly. We had been hanging out a lot with just the two of us when we were just friends, so a date actually feels the same.

A new board game cafe just opened near my office, so we were checking it out. Nate asked if we should invite Mich, and I actually said no. There are plenty of games that only needs two players. Right?

I don't know why I said that though. It's not very like me.

Mich posted a photo of her and him and a girl, who I'm assuming is his girlfriend playing board games the other day.

So I guess, he finally deigned to reply to her, I'm assuming, hundreds of emails and text messages and whatever is the latest form of social media.

I hope she finally have closure. Or finally see him happy with someone else and just be happy that he is happy.

So anyway, their board game thing reminded me of this new board game cafe, so I told Nate. No, I'm not just interested in it, because they were just here.

Board games are a thing now, like coffee.

–

Nate placed a gift wrapped box on the table.

"What's this?" I asked, pleasantly surprised.

"An early Christmas present," he stated with a grin.

"But it's November. Thanksgiving isn't even here yet," I added, with a smile that reaches my ears.

He just shrugged and smiled.

Okay, this is not like our usual friends get together.

"Thank you," I said. "But I didn't get anything for you yet."

"That's okay. Do you want to open it?" he asked.

"I think I'll put it under our Christmas tree," I replied. Our family as this tradition where we only open our gifts on Christmas morning. "When we get around to setting up the tree," I added.

"Sure," he said.

There was that Christmas when he was so excited for me to see his present, that he made me guess.

He had asked me to guess what his gift for me was, and he was joking that if I didn't get it right, I'd have to kiss him.

And how could I possibly guess it right? Because he gave me the latest iPhone. It was on my wishlist. But I was expecting my parents or my godparents to give one to me. Not him.

So I did kiss him, on the cheek, of course.

Never in my wildest imaginations did I imagine that anyone (other than my parents and godparents, of course) would give me something so expensive. And that he'd be giving me one, and not her.

But then I'd have to put it fully wrapped under the tree until Christmas morning. Everyone in my family was surprised too. A good surprise, I think.

Mich told me about how one of her colleagues punked her by giving her a model iPhone. She said it was one of those omigosh and then drop moments. But she had fun with it, toting it around in a crowded mall during Christmas season and then dropping it, purposely, on a carpeted floor.

But of course, after Nate gave me that iPhone, I went home, while he and Mich stayed over at a hotel, where according to Mich, they got Nate to spill his guts out about his feelings for me.

Except he didn't, right after. In fact, he waited for years.

I waited for years for this moment. So I'm going to hold on to it, really tightly, and you wouldn't even be able to pry in from my cold dead hands.

"Are you going to make me guess what this is?" I asked with a teasing smile, referencing that Christmas all those years ago.

"Can I just get the kiss?" he replied.

And I replied with a kiss. On the cheek, still, of course.

"So a round of Armadora?" I asked.

"Sure, let's play as a bunch of dwarves digging for gold."

"Gold diggers," I mused.