5 Excruciatingly Beautiful Things That Happen When You First Start Dating

I fucking love the beginning of any relationship. If it was something that could be shot up, snorted, or drank, I would have been in rehab since I was 14 likely to have broken out and re-instated myself over and over again. It’s perfect, it’s exasperating, and it makes you forget every mundane, negative detail about your life because you found someone you are so damn happy with you’re not sure if you’re going to explode like a confetti gun or float away in your elation.

You didn’t think anything could consume your passions this much and it such an indescribable nirvana you’re not sure why you avoided dating in the first place. These are a few of my favorite firsts:

1. THE FIRST TEXT

You meet him out with your friends and you’re not sure if he’s actually going to use your number or just get on to the next, but that moment you see that first text from his number you’re not sure if you’re going to poop yourself or stay blushing for hours. It’s that movie moment when you pick up the phone and you couldn’t pay someone to slap the smile off your face if you wanted to. Then comes the added stress of saving the number. Do you or don’t you? Is this going to last long enough to make that big of a commitment?? Shoot me this is all too much and not enough at the same time.

2. THE HAND HOLD

The beginning of the second date is sometimes as much of a train wreck as the first. You’re curious if you should hug, kiss or handshake hello. Like really though… how do you make it not weird but read totally interested at the same time? You settle on the side hug thing where your neck kind of cranes into their chest and you rub-pat their stomach, but then you’re both walking to your destination and your hand that is so lonely and cold and definitely unsuspecting feels another hand creep on into it. He’s not putting his hand on your lower back like he’s about to get down on it. No, no. This is him saying the world you are his. You’d tell him to mind the sweat, but come on. His palms are probably sweaty too. You two are ADORABLE.

3. THE KISS

Can’t breathe, not even if I wanted to, but the second our mouths separate I can’t imagine breathing anyone else’s air but theirs. I feel like I just ran a marathon, completely twitterpated and can faint at the finish line relying on nothing but endorphins that act like pinball ball dinging everything in its path.

4. PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF RELATIONSHIP STATUS

It is both a proud and exhilarating moment when you’re introduced for the first time as “the girlfriend.” Usually it happens when you’re entering a house party of his close friends and/or family and everyone will rush up to hug him, then side eye you; the stranger. He’ll pull you close by the hip and say, “This is my girlfriend.” He’ll smile, kiss your cheek and you’ll wave or shake your hand gracefully at the weary acquaintance. You’ve won. This is your moment to shine. Take it all in you goddess.

5. THE SLEEPOVER

Because you know when you wake up you two are going to have an amazing first day together too. You’ll grab coffee, take a walk, watch some HGTV and see what it’s like to just BE with them. Plus the night before you probably had one of those corny talks he’ll never admit to his friends. Where you admit all of your first initial feelings for each other like, “I thought it was so adorable when you got pasta stuck in your teeth.” Or “I noticed you were nervous when you talked so fast, but wanted to see you again anyway.”

The high is like an adrenaline junky’s dream. It’s better than a brain freeze if a brain freeze knew what it was like to look into this gorgeous man’s eyes. Who would have thought waking up with your makeup smeared on your face, wearing nothing but his favorite t shirt, that a Saturday could feel this damn good? People deep in like, that’s who.

For more raw, powerful writing follow Heart Catalog here.