My love story started like most. With a notification on my phone.
But this announcement isn’t from Bumble or Hinge, and it’s definitely not from Tinder (come on, people, we all better than Tinder).
This announcement comes from Instagram. And more specifically, from a girl named Emilia.
“Emilia wants to send you a message,” the message read. At first, I thought nothing of it. If you’re on Instagram, you know how often messages from those multi-level marketing programs end up in your spam folder, asking you to model for their jewelry line or clothing brand. Surname.
When I finally opened the message, mostly to remove it from my phone, I was a bit shocked.
Emilia doesn’t tell me I can quickly get thousands of followers or share that she’s a wealthy woman looking for a sugar baby in her area.
Emilia is real, and she’s dating me.
She told me we matched on Bumble, but since neither of us were texting each other (sorry), the match expired. And instead of paying $14.99 for Bumble Boost to prolong the match, she boldly went where no woman had gone before.
Go to my direct message.
No one ever got into my direct messages until Emilia. That means I Have to accept the date. Also, she’s super cute, so that makes it easier to say yes.
We spent the days leading up to the day making small talk while I tried to lower my big expectations.
She seems funny and her Instagram proves that she is cute and smart. But I’ve been burned before.
I’ve spent the past 5 years writing about my dating life at a small Texas newspaper, and the number of failed dates I went on, and eventually wrote about, made me wary of first dates. with a girl in LA. secret cult? Does she want me to invest in her share of time? Or worse, is she looking for a one-night stand with a sweet, unassuming Texan?
But when she came to the restaurant on our date night, I knew something was wrong with her. Something was true about this.
Our first date was perfect. We have a lot in common. We both love Harry Potter, casually love to talk about the weather, and we even wear the same clothes. I was knocked down. It was the first time I glimpsed what love looked like with my own eyes. And boy, do I like the way love looks.
The next day, I asked Emilia out. I organized a picnic and then called all my friends to ask if it was too stressful for a second date (they all agreed), but I moved on. We also wore the same color scheme – black and white – on our second date. We all blushed.
On our fourth day, something changed. She’s not like the others I’ve dated in the past. I fell in love with Emilia. And that scared me to death. Although I am 28 years old, I have never been in love before. I’ve never even dated someone long enough to consider adding the L to my vocabulary (love, not lesbian – we To be bisexual after all).
The more time I spend with Emilia, the more I know I want to be with her. I always envision my partner checking all my boxes. Emilia exceeded expectations that I didn’t even know I had. For the first time in my life, I felt safe. Sure. Watched.
This North Hollywood native has effectively captured my heart, and the only thing I can do is follow it – and her – into the unknown.
Emilia makes love easy. No mind games. There is no “wait at least two hours to text back” rule. No walls, no secrets, no difficulties.
Instead, it’s clear communication from the start. As soon as we met, I deleted my dating apps. She is someone I want to see again. She is the woman I need to know.
I didn’t know what I wanted and didn’t realize what I needed until Emilia came into my life. She showed me how to love and be loved. She also showed me some really cute spots around LA along the way.
With Emilia, I’m exploring parts of California I’ve never been to before. She’s looking at Los Angeles through my eyes, giving her a new appreciation for the city she’s lived in all her life.
Trees on the way to Laurel Canyon for a greener North Hollywood. Sky? Greener and clearer than ever. Our love is everywhere I look. In books and in flowers (especially tulips) and in all the places we’ve been.
Over the past year and a half together, we’ve traveled to San Diego for my half birthday, Idyllwild for our anniversary, Wrightwood for a weekend with longtime friends, and Oak Glen to pick apples in the fall. Wherever we go, it’s a new adventure.
For our next adventure? Move in together this summer and create a space that’s all our own. I’m not sure how we’re going to decorate it or what neighborhood in LA we’re going to claim as ours. What I do know is that whatever we choose will not be perfect, just like our love.
There are only a few things I’m sure of in my life: writing, moving to Los Angeles and Emilia. She offers the kind of love that makes the days longer and the sun shine brighter. Falling in love is wonderful, scary, beautiful, and disturbing at the same time. But Present falling in love with Emilia is easy.
When I moved to California, I fell in love with LA, I just didn’t expect a part of LA to love me too.
The author is a writer and associate producer for Entertainment Studios. She lives in West Hollywood. Find her on Instagram: @ave__babe
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