Butterflies in Stockholm

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Most third dates take place in a decent restaurant, perhaps a long walk under the night sky, followed by the excitement of a gentle kiss. I had all of this; I had all of this and more.

I had this in Stockholm.

I had this in Stockholm with Matthew.

This man who seems to have the ability to sweep me off my feet with the greatest of ease flew me to Stockholm for the Easter weekend.

I arrived after a tearful flight and hand holding with my newest single serving friend Rita, I arrived in a modern, efficient and friendly city. The train from the airport to the centre was cleaner than most hotel’s I’ve stayed, either my hotels are poor or the train was immaculate. You decide.

We had promised not to say a word to each other when we first met, that we wanted to kiss each other first. We stood waiting for me at the station in his true gentleman style yet I managed to bypass him via the second exit and arrived at the hotel. The concierge was kind enough to call him for me ‘Mrs Catherine has arrived Sir’.

I waited at the rotating doors, safely inside hiding from the sharp biting wind. I saw him approach, his collar turned up against the cold, he sauntered in and he took my breath away. My stomach did flip flops and my knees struggled to hold my weight, had I not been frozen to the floor I would have surely buckled. Even though as I write this account, 2 weeks after the moment, I can recall the exact feeling as if I was experiencing it this very moment.

The look on his face was almost coy and he gently placed his hands on me and met his lips to mine.

But this blog is about Stockholm isn’t it? Not about Matthew, though it seems the two go hand in hand for this story.

We spent three nights in the city, walking from café to café, strolling the cannels, exploring the narrow streets of the old city. We lazed in a hot tub, tried local cuisine, watched the sky line, but this was all pale in comparison to how he made me feel, to how I felt him feel.

Hand in hand, discussing family, career, religion, future plans and goals, we each listened to each other’s opinions and respected the differences.

Matthew challenges my thinking, my views, and goals. When I am around him, I feel inspired to reach higher, to knock down boundaries I didn’t know existed. I want to be a better person, I want to achieve more with my life.

He truly believes in me. He truly cares for me.

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