February 19, 1989

Another night down in The Flats, music, dancing, drinking and my new man. I love Cleveland! I feel so alive and so free here.

A new girl came into town for training today. She’s beautiful; tiny, blonde, and tan. She’s also really sweet and a lot of fun. She’s staying with us, now. We were out together tonight and had a blast! She and I were doing Tequila shots and I was a wild one, dancing on the saddle that sits over one of the bar banisters, and wrapping my legs around my guy’s neck on a bar stool. I’m surprised we didn’t all get kicked out.

When we came home we were all drunk and hungry, too. As I mentioned the first day, my man loves to cook. He made us grilled cheese sandwiches. I don’t mean any old grilled cheese, either. He used two kinds of cheese, havarti and cheddar(I think), and put some fresh spinach leaves in between. Oh my! That was the best damn grilled cheese ever.

What made it even better was what happened next…

When our friend was getting ready for bed he came up to me, looked deeply into my eyes, brushed the hair from my face and said, “I love you.”

My heart was racing. I couldn’t believe he said what I’d been thinking.

“I love you, too.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“I know I don’t but I feel it. I have felt like that for awhile but wasn’t sure how or when to say it. I wasn’t sure you felt the same.”

He smiled. “I do. I love you.”

He bent down to kiss me. I can still feel that kiss and still hear the words that preceded it. I didn’t come to Cleveland to fall in love but now I have, twice, with the city and with the man. I’m going to have to put in for a transfer because I’m home now. I can’t go back.

After the grilled cheese he carried me off to bed. I’ve never made love like that before. It was sweet, tender and possessing. I was his. He held me closer, kissed me deeper, whispered I love you over and over again. It was heaven.

I woke up thinking it was a dream and then he brought me a cup of coffee with another whispered I love you. I wasn’t dreaming. He was real, this was real, more than I ever imagined. It happened so fast I can’t believe it. We did spend everyday together since I moved in, almost every moment. We’ve been inseparable. We had an attraction from the very first day we met. I should just stop analyzing and enjoy. He fell just as fast as I did. Maybe we were meant to be together.

I feel like I could live forever on grilled cheese and whispered I love yous!

I’m never leaving Cleveland…happier than I’ve ever been…

Just me…Marissa

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