Dating 10th Anniversary

It was at a cinema.
We were two friends. New ones at that too.
We were discovering each other through shared experiences.
Through a series of ‘firsts’, together.
Our first drive together. Our first coffee together. Our first walk together.
And in this case, our first movie together.
Do you remember what it was like in those days?
Sitting in a dark theatre, surrounded by people. A place so public, yet so private.
The desire to have some form of physical contact hung between us like a third entity.
But we took pains not to touch each other. Not to acknowledge the chemistry that crackled between us.
We were just friends. Nothing more.
Or at least that's what we told each other back then.
A few minutes into the movie and I felt how I always felt around him.
Comfortable. Happy. Content.
Almost involuntarily, my head tilted and found his shoulder.
And everything clicked into place.
It was another first for us. But something told me this could be forever.
It felt good. It felt perfect.
It felt meant to be.

He stiffened for a second at the unexpected gesture. And then relaxed, leaning into my head, giving in to the feeling.

That was sometime in 2008.
This is today in 2018.
A few days away from seven years into our marriage.
Over the years, that trusty shoulder has been my headrest in a movie, my posing spot for a selfie. My pillow through long nights and long flights. It has muffled my cries, soaked up my tears and welcomed my guffaws.
And in the decades ahead, it will continue to cradle my greying head and wrinkling face. I hope.

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