Just Bootcamp Guy....

I never tend to do things the correct way.  If the easiest way from point a to point b is a straight line, I can guarantee that I will get lost because I took too many turns trying to figure out which way was straight.  So this new dating scenario I find myself in is very foreign to me because well - it seems to be the same deal.  Point a here, point be there - just follow the path as it is laid out.

My friend who knows me best says she doesn't see enthusiasm and that I seem uninspired by this. I mean we are two dates in and this is the first I am writing about it.  I will be the first to admit, this is something I really had to talk myself into.  This guy isn't my usual type.  You know, the hot idiot who will just make me miserable like my housemate. He isn't the stupid coast guard guy that I wasted too much time and emotion on even though I thought we were a perfectish fit.  He's just the guy from bootcamp.  Nothing flashy, kind of awkward and doesn't get what is being presented in front of him until you hit him over the head with it. It took almost two weeks of back and forth on a dating site that we were on and NOT speaking at bootcamp for him to ask for my number and ask me if I wanted to go out sometime.  He did call, but then I had my little mental snap and made myself unavailable from all forms of life.  He texted me on the Fourth of July asking me if I wanted to go to dinner the following Saturday.  I had to think about for a bit because he just isn't the kind of guy I am usually into.  He just isn't.  Never-mind the fact he is ridiculously smart and uses bigger words than I do (yes I have had to look up a few of them).  Forget the fact that he has a career - not just a job.  Don't even think about the fact that his car is awesome (not that the car type is important to me mind you.  I'm just kind of a gear head gal - and his car is impressive in that regard), or that he has a house, is age appropriate and doesn't live far from me.  None of that is to be taken as a checklist either because it isn't mean to be.  I'm really in no place to judge or have a checklist because in reality - I would fail most men's checklists.

I said yes though because I can't whine about how nobody is interested in me if I am not willing to give chances to those who actually ask me out.So my trainer who is kind of the central point of commonality between the two of us came over to do my hair and makeup and to pick out my outfit.  I mean we all know that the feminine wiles are not my strong suit. 30 minutes later, I was made over and ready to go.  Quite a different sight than he was used to seeing at the gym.  Gone was the pony tail and sweat soaked shirt.  Instead I had wavy hair, a cute dress and 4" wedge heels.  I looked very un-me to say the least.  He picked me up on time.  Opened the car door for me (I did at least remember to let him do that for me - again - not good at the ladylike stuff).  We went to a nice little Cuban restaurant and over all it was a pleasant experience.  Afterwards we walked around a bit, then he drove me home, walked me to my gate and hugged me good-bye.  I didn't feel butterflies, I didn't see fireworks, but I didn't have the usual "Ugh - that was 2 hours I am NEVER getting back" feeling either. It was just comfortable because well he is just Bootcamp Guy.

My trainer of course wanted all the details.

Her: "Did he kiss you?"

Me:  noooooo, 

Her: "Did he try to act all Rico Suave?"  

Me:nooooo- do you even think he knows how- noooo?  

Her: "What did you think - do you like him, will you go out with him again?" 

Me: don't know - he is just Bootcamp Guy.

Her: Great - I'll grill him for the details next time I work him out.

He travels for work a lot, but texted me last week asking if I wanted to go for that bike ride we had been talking about for awhile.  Apparently I am being laughed at because I have a mountain bike that I never take off asphalt.  Hello - not adventurous!  Being in yet another banned for life fight with the ex - I agreed.  He said we would ride to the beach, get some lunch and ride back. "OK, sounds like fun" is what I text back.  My brain on the other hand was like "oh mah gahhhd - I am going to die.  I cannot bike to the beach - that's a looooong bike ride. He just wants to kill me.  That's got to be plan.  He isn't the nice guy after all - he is evil and sadistic and I'm going to die."  Ok - so I was channeling my inner Blonde Haired Angel who tends to let her imagination get the better of her at times.  Sunday rolled around and I sunscreened myself up, made myself look bike riding cute and waited for him to show.  When he did - we discovered 1) my bike was covered in cobwebs - yeah THAT was embarrassing and 2) My tire pressure was low & I don't own a bike pump. So we had to ride to his house to overhaul my bike before we could start our ride.  Apparently even though I claim to not be high maintenance - my bike on the other hand is disproving that claim.  After that we were on our way.  It was all fine and dandy until he hit the dirt trail.  DIRT TRAIL?  Helloooooooo - what part of asphalt did you miss?  Yeah it wasn't THAT bad.  We hit the beach about an hour later or so.  The ride wasn't bad at all.  We had lunch and it was pretty awesome.  It wasn't as awkward as the previous dinner.  Conversation flowed smoother and we started to get an appreciation for our individual senses of humor.  After lunch we headed back, biked through a few different parks and then he dragged me through the brush.  Again - hello - not asphalt, but I only almost fell once.  We stopped for a bit, talked for about a half an hour and rode back home.  16.5 miles and 5 hours later date two was complete.  I didn't die like I thought I would.  (Heck - I'm not even sore today.)

The funny thing is that I think I am actually starting to like him. He is growing on me and it isn't so much me convincing myself that I should.  I like the fact that even though he has some stuff going on in his personal life (don't we all?) that he has the career, and the house and the car and has it seemingly together. That there is a certain stability to him that I don't usually find in most guys I am interested in.  I mean isn't this the way it is supposed to go?  You meet someone, you go out with them a bunch of times to figure out if you do really like them and it progresses from there?  Is this the grown-up way of doing things?  I don't know.  I am used to falling for the guys who aren't interested in me past sex and never ask me out a second time.  He told me that he is really enjoying my company and would like to take me out again when he gets back from his next travel venture.  He also said he would be taking it really slow given his current state.  I told him I was fine with all of that. 

 Of course he is going to take it slow.  

He's just Bootcamp Guy!