Between The Matches

Chris and I woke up at 5 AM, which happened to be my normal alarm time when I went into the office.

Since I was working from home that day, I didn’t have a commute ahead of me, but Chris did. We got ready together and headed out at the same time. Before we parted ways, he pulled me into a big hug and kissed me goodbye.

As we left his condo complex, he followed me to the main road. When our routes split, he gave a quick honk and a wave before continuing toward the highway.

It was a small gesture, but it made me smile.

I got home just in time to log in and start my workday.

As much as I had enjoyed spending time with Chris, I couldn’t ignore the thoughts that had been bouncing around in my head.

There were things I really liked about him. We had fun together. Conversation came easily. We worked in similar industries and seemed to want similar things out of life.

But I also found myself questioning whether the physical chemistry was fully there.

That felt unfair to even think. Chris was kind, attentive, and genuinely interested in me. Still, something felt slightly incomplete, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.

It was just one more thing to sort through. One more question to add to the growing pile of questions already occupying my brain.

The next day, Jack was leaving town for his brother’s bachelor party, and he had asked if I wanted to see him before he left.

The answer was easy.

Of course I did.

What wasn’t easy was figuring out how I was supposed to feel.

After everything that had happened with Chris over the weekend, I wasn’t sure what it would be like seeing Jack again. Part of me worried I would feel guilty. Part of me worried I would feel confused.

Mostly, I just hoped things would become clearer.

That evening, I drove over to Jack’s apartment. Finding it was easy enough. In fact, I was surprised to discover it was less than a mile from my apartment.

Convenient, I thought.

I found a parking spot, and before I could even make it to the building, Jack was outside waiting for me. He greeted me with a kiss and I smiled.

We decided to run to Trader Joe’s so he could pick up ingredients for dinner. It was my first time ever going there, which he found amusing.

Back at his apartment, he cooked while we talked. He picked out a couple of wines for us to try, and we chatted about everything from work to family to whatever random thought happened to cross our minds.

When we finally sat down to eat, we chatted effortlessly.

“What’s your favorite show?” he asked.

“The Office,” I answered without hesitation.

Then I paused.

“Although I just started watching this new show called Tires with Shane Gillis.”

Jack nearly dropped his fork.

“No way. I love that show.”

I laughed. For some reason, that felt like a bigger deal than it probably should have. Humor matters.

And realizing we found the same ridiculous things funny felt like discovering another piece of compatibility neither of us knew was there.

After dinner, I helped him clean up before we settled onto the couch.

We turned on Tires and spent the next few hours laughing, quoting scenes, and talking through entire episodes.

The night passed so quickly that I never once checked the time. Eventually, the show ended. Neither of us seemed particularly interested in starting another episode.

Instead, we found ourselves sitting closer and closer together until talking turned into kissing.

I’ll keep this blog PG, but I’ll say this: the chemistry was impossible to ignore.

For the first time since my divorce, I felt that unmistakable excitement of wanting more time with someone.

Not because I was lonely.

Not because I wanted a relationship.

Because I wanted more time with him.

At some point, reality interrupted. Jack had an early morning ahead of him. – and so did I.

I looked at him and groaned.

“Do you really need to leave tomorrow?”

He chuckled.

“I do. But I’ll be back soon.”

Neither of us seemed particularly happy about that answer.

Eventually, we said goodnight—after a much longer goodbye kiss than either of us planned—and I made the drive home.

It was way past my bedtime.

And for once, I didn’t care.