The Most Romantic Thing He's Ever Done

We were friends before we started dating. I had an unrequited crush on him. He was smart and funny and kind – a combo that is in short order on most college campuses.

One night we went to a party as friends but I spent too long fretting over which outfit was perfect while he waited in quiet frustration for me to get ready. After we finally arrived we kind of split off in our own directions. Later that evening he spontaneously decided to sing with some of his friends. He wasn’t much of an attention seeker, the kind of guy that more enjoyed sitting in the audience instead of standing before one. They played a couple of upbeat songs by whoever was top forties at the time. Then they decided to slow the pace.

After just three or four notes I recognized the song as Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight.

It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear.
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long black hair.

It gave me pause. Didn’t the lyrics go “long blonde hair”?

They kept singing and as they neared the end of the song he made direct eye contact with me from the stage and sang the final verse directly to me.

I feel wonderful because I see
The love light in your eyes.
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you.

And I knew at that moment he was singing to me. It was the first time he had indicated that he liked me for anything more than a friend and even though it was public and something I would probably normally abhor, it was as if it was our private moment.

I think that goes down as the most romantic moment of us.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, let’s share romantic stories.