I crossed more than 1,000 miles for the man I had never truly forgotten. By the next morning, he was gone, and one detail inside his house changed everything.
I first met Thomas when I was 29.
At that age, I thought I understood the difference between attraction and something that could actually change your life.
I had dated enough to know when a man was charming.
I had also been disappointed enough to know charm could disappear quickly.
Then I met Thomas.
A mutual friend introduced us after one of his taekwondo competitions.
He had just finished competing, and he still carried himself like he was waiting for another opponent.
He was confident, athletic, with those ridiculous dimples that appeared every time he smiled.
I noticed the dimples first.
I hated that I noticed them.
He caught me looking and grinned wider.
That made it worse.
Our friend stayed around long enough to make introductions, then drifted toward another group.
Thomas and I were left standing there with no real reason to keep talking.
I thought meeting him would just be fun.
A few jokes. Maybe a drink. Maybe I would see him again.
Nothing serious.
Then we spent six hours talking.
