You Put Your Friend in a Tree??

There I was, a college freshman excited for a new life and ready to be an official “college kid” when I moved down to Nashville for my first year at Trevecca Nazarene University.  The first week of school is always bittersweet.  Making new friends is great, but the questions of “are we going to date” or “is this girl going to be my wife” are always in the back of your mind when meeting your new classmates.  

It was a few weeks into school when I had finally settled in, and had gotten the hang of balancing classes, homework, and friends when I decided, “Hey, I could have a girlfriend now.  I think that’d be nice”

I had heard from a few friends that this girl liked me.  I had known for some time now, and I had finally given in.  I decided, “Well, I’ll give her a shot.  She could possibly be the ‘one’.”  When I had come to that conclusion, one of my closest friends had grown to like her, and asked me if it would be OK if he asked her out on a date.  “Sure” I said, “I’m not looking for any kind of relationship right now.  Go for it.”  I told him.  Not realizing how stupid I was for telling him to ask the girl I like, out on a date, I quickly changed my mind when I heard about their exciting plans for the following Sunday night. 

It wasn’t two days and I was jealous. 

Emotions, feelings, and girls are stupid.

Once I dropped my pride and confessed to myself that I liked this girl, I had to tell her, (it also helped that I knew she liked me).  So, I was completely honest with her. 

It was a chilly October night on campus when our friend left us alone to talk on the benches in the Quad, and I let out the words, “I like you.”  My heart was beating, and forehead sweating, despite the chilled air -- until I heard her say four words to me.  “I like you, too!”

We talked about how we agreed on not jumping into a relationship, and taking it slow.  I asked her when I could take her out on a date, and that’s when things got weird.

“Don’t ask me to somewhere fancy.  Just casual.  Like, coffee or something.  Also, don’t ask me until like, next week”

“OK.”  I replied, a bit confused.  “Did she just tell me when/how/where to ask her out on a date?  Oh well, it’ll be fine” I thought.

A few days pass, awkwardly, with little communication between her and I, and I send her a text to meet up back at the bench in the Quad, under the oak tree to talk about “us” and to ask her out to coffee. (Like she told me to do.)

With full intentions of setting up a coffee date, I go into the conversation with my heart beating fast.  She starts by saying “What are you thinking about ‘us’?”  I replied with the infamous and easy response of, “Hmm, I don’t know… what are you thinking?”

Then the bomb dropped

She replied with, “Well, I’m thinking we should just be friends…”

Hello friend card.

I quickly responded in an awkward agreement, shoveling up all the reasons that could come to mind, including the obvious “lack of communication” and “awkwardness” that was portrayed in the past few days.

We left the bench in agreement of being friends, and to ignore any awkwardness that we made.

That was until a few months later.

I was told by my best friend, (who was this girls’ best friend at the time of our potential dating), that she was in the oak tree above the bench in the Quad the whole time while I was given the “friend card”

I’ll break it down for you.

My potential girlfriend asked her best friend to climb a tree so she could listen in, on her breaking up with me.

truth.