‘Yes.’  Bette asked me to live with her and I said ‘yes’.

All practical considerations were ignored.  Forfeiting the deposit and forgoing the benefit of the paid month didn’t give me pause.  There was no reason to wait.  I wanted to be with her. 

Like Bette, I couldn’t wait for more. 

That’s what she said.  She took the words right out of my mouth.

‘I think you’re home already,’ she also told me.  My heart melted. 

For days the natural high and happiness infiltrated every thought and act.  A feeling of invincibility borne of the comfort that her love provided was marked in my movements. 

Needless to say my mood shifted at work.  No assignment or unproductive meeting could topple me from where I was perched.  The pleasant humming and satisfied sighs emitted may have driven co-workers to wonder if I’d misplaced my sanity. 

I had.  I was crazy in love.

Before my answer came I moved to hold Bette.  Collecting her in an embrace that conveyed my absolute acceptance. 

What made her request even more meaningful was my appreciation for the courage required to proffer the invitation.  Add to that the inherent position of vulnerability rooted in the act of extending it.  Beyond personal control, trusting and hoping for another’s consent.
 
“Yes” I’d said plainly.  Then held her close. 

I only hope the depth of my feelings was captured in the single word of assent. 

We sealed the agreement with a lingering touch that conveyed promise and expectation.  Fueled by emotions and heightened by our eagerness to transform our relationship.  Agreeing to be so much more to one another dictated by the very act choosing to live together.

Saturday found us in an often-visited restaurant waiting for our server’s reappearance.  We had met up with the girls to celebrate. 

The screeching, mostly by Alice was enough to condemn us to hearing loss well before the passage of time and aging had a chance to inflict damage.  To be honest I may have been victim to my own joyful squeals.  It was hard to tell. 

Before venturing in we had converged at the entrance waiting for Shane who was delayed by a last minute appointment with a client.