Taking the Plunge

Romance...

Why is it that every time you go out with someone you really like to watch a movie, you always end up seeing a movie with the rough caliber of Jeepers Creepers 2, Gigli and From Justin to Kelly? I’ve never understood it, but every movie I have ever watched with a potential romantic interest has ended up being a violent snore-fest. Either that or it made me want to shoot myself in the eye. And the whole time while you’re watching the movie, the only thing you can concentrate on is your physical proximity to your very sexy, warm and snuggly partner.

It’s a pity that so many movies, TV shows and even commercials make fun of the cliched yawn, stretch your arm, and put your arm around your partner routine. I was watching Get Smart the other night with a girl I liked, and if it wouldn’t have been so cookie-cutter to put my arm around her, I would have. Instead, I spent the majority of the movie struggling to get closer to her. Every inch I made towards her seat seemed to take an eternity. After the first fourth of the movie was over, our arms were finally in contact. At last. The next excruciating three fourths of the movie was spent over-analyzing her every movement, from the way she crossed her legs, to her giggles and leans, to the way she positioned her arms around her body. I think I was about to have a hernia. My blood pressure was doubling every half hour from the effort involved with analyzing, leaning, sighing, touching, and laughing at the appropriate times to achieve maximum closeness.

It’s painful when you’re unsure if your advances will be rejected, and when you fear rejection so deeply. It’s harder yet when you know that her reaction will probably either make or break your night out. After about an hour and a half of painful deliberating (and ignoring the awful movie), I finally decided to take a deep breath and just rest my head upon her shoulder lightly. I leaned back in my seat, snuggled up a bit closer, and quickly lay my head down into the side of her neck before I could think any more about it. To my surprise and delight, she actually leaned back into me, sighing happily. The relief! I was able to spend the rest of the movie finally at peace. Somehow the characters seemed funnier. The whole movie seemed brighter, and more romantic. She laughed more. I laughed more. The truth is, the movie wasn’t any funnier that it was before.

I felt the back of the seat digging into my side, but it didn’t matter. I liked being close to her. And she liked being close to me. And that was all I needed. Sometimes, a movie at a theater is only as good as her hand in yours, her whispers in your ear, or her head on your shoulder. We spent the rest of the night walking about town, holding hands, holding each other, and smiling inside and out. I held her in my arms as we waited for her bus to arrive. I kissed her softly goodbye. I felt butterflies. The bus left. She called me. More butterflies.

It’s amazing how much you can be rewarded once you let your guard down and put your pride to rest. There’s always the chance of being shot down, of being rejected, or of finding that your love is unrequited. But there’s also that chance that you’ll feel her hand in yours, that you’ll feel her light kiss on your lips, and that you’ll have one of the happiest nights of your life.

Those who risk nothing, gain nothing. Those who risk it all, have the opportunity to gain more than they could have ever imagined. And that, I think, is a risk worth taking.