**Written by Husband with Wife’s notes in** (*italics).*
We started hanging out regularly about midway through our senior year of high school (both of us 18 years old). It started out as study dates, then progressed to dates where she would show me around the city. I was from Utah and didn’t know much about the area. Eventually, we were spending almost every day together and we were pretty much dating. I will say, both because it’s relevant for future stories and I need to say it before she gets to it, that we were not officially exclusive. The dating scene was new for her and she didn’t want to commit to an exclusive relationship based on church and parental guidance. I pushed for it but I was okay with the freedom to go on dates with other girls.
It was hard for me to know what she was thinking or feeling as our relationship progressed. I could never tell what she wanted as it was happening. She had a habit of keeping a poker face during the experience, but confessing her pleasure and desire for more after the fact. This dynamic eventually led to a ‘poking and prodding’ approach to our escalating physical relationship. Being the one with experience, I initiated each step in the relationship starting with our first kiss and eventually our intense makeout sessions.