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court a girl unless I know that she’s
the one I’ll marry. Yeah, you might think I’m too young for serious
stuff, but I’m not your usual type of guy who will court someone
and expect—even unconsciously—that we’ll break up eventually. I am
a firm believer that entering into a relationship means that you
are ready for the whole and not just a part of
it—from courtship to dating to marriage to family. I have that
thought in mind since day one of wooing Rhy, so I don’t understand
why I’m taking too long to answer. As I look at her, I catch a
glimpse of what I fear I might see. She’s fighting her tears.
    What have I done?
    “I agree. I totally agree.”
    “No, you don’t. You didn’t see your face when
I said my second rule, but I did. And I tell you, it speaks the
exact opposite of yes.”
    “I know, and I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I
mean, I was overthinking, but my answer is that I agree. That’s
final.”
    “Are you sure? Because there’s no backing out
for me.”
    “Ditto.”
    “Okay. Okay.” She breathes deeply, tries to
compose herself, and says, “So, I guess that’s it. We’re we now.”
    Did I just see a blushing Rhy? I’m sure she
blushed before, but she makes sure to turn away before I can
witness it. Today, I have the front row seat for the movie The
Blushing Rhythm.
    “Yes. We are we now. Officially.
Finally.” I jump and scream in my head. It’s somehow sinking in.
“So what would you call me? Baby? Honey?”
    “Grant. I’ll call you Grant because that’s
your name and it is sweet to hear your name, isn’t it?”
    “Sweet? Nothing about my name is sweet. It’s
great, not sweet, girlfie.”
    She scrunches her nose hearing the nickname.
“Eeew, girlfie? Really?”
    “Yes, like wifey, but you’re not my wife yet.
And hubby, but you’ll never be my husband. Yeah, you know what I
mean.”
    She roars, laughing with all her might. I’m
glad I can do that to her. I want to always do that to her. I want
to be the reason she smiles and laughs.
    “Oh, I almost forget. Well, I forgot then
just remember now. I really have to go.”
    I am about to tell her that I’ll call her
when I recall that we don’t have a cell phone, but I want that
because I have more time to interact, speak, and hang out with
people that I care about without any technology bothering me.
    “I’ll see you later?” That came out more of a
demand than a question.
    “Yes, later. Bye, Grant.”
    “Bye, Rip. For now.” I wave at her and
wink.
    “For now,” she whispers.

Chapter 3
    Rhythm
    Grant and I are together for almost a week
and so far, so good. I mean, great. Wow. I can’t believe that I
waited for a year before I said yes to him. I didn’t plan on making
our anniversary as a couple the same date as the first day he
courted me: November 25th. I gave him the ultimatum of one week to
prove to me that he’s worth it, and on the first day of the
ultimatum week, I already wanted to say yes, but how? He never
asked. I’m not familiar with this kind of relationship, so I just
wait for him to ask me if I can be his girlfriend, and happily, he
asked two days before the deadline. I know, I know. Giving your
suitor a deadline is not typical. I am anything but typical, what
with giving him rules right after I said yes? Typical, uncheck.
    I wasn’t sure how he would handle my rules,
but so far, he’s doing his best to comply. I am not in any way
religious, but I have a relationship with God that I don’t want to
be stained. I’m nowhere near perfect, I know, but that doesn’t mean
I cannot try, right? I always dream that my first boyfriend will be
my last, that he will be my husband, and I want to save my purity
for marriage. I believe that’s the best gift I can give to my
husband. I know that holding hands seems to be harmless; however, I
just want to make sure that we will not cross any line, so better
be safe. I thought that Grant would back out the moment I laid my
rules, especially