★  your reply. still starred.

For tonight, for you

Uyaiabasi,

thank you for tonight.

There's a lot I've been meaning to say. Here's most of it.

More certainty — you've been warned

Uyaiabasi means beauty of God. Somebody knew what they were doing long before I ever got the chance to notice. Here's some of what I've noticed since.

01

The smile

Shows up before you've even said anything smile-worthy yet.

02

The energy

Turns an ordinary Tuesday into the best part of my week.

03

The wit

Replied to a love letter with “jarring” and still made my whole day.

04

The standards

A famously cramped schedule, cleared for me. I noticed. I'm still noticing.

05

The confidence

“You may just have to keep up,” you said. I've been trying since.

06

The heart underneath it all

All that teasing, and still: “a memory I'll want to keep.” Me too.

In your own words

I am equal parts curious and completely content to just let you lead on this one.
you, about three hours after I asked
I intend to enjoy myself thoroughly, and you may just have to keep up.
also you, same email, no less dangerous
My calendar hasn't looked this good in a while.
you again — noted, and returned

How we got here

The service

Midweek service, Utako. You were just there, and I remember deciding I wasn't ready for that.

That same night

Ten PM until somewhere past four in the morning. Six hours, seventeen minutes. I didn't say anything then, but I already knew.

The next day

We saw each other again. Barely a full day apart, and already a pattern forming.

The weeks after

More outings, more talking, less pretending any of it was casual.

The email

I finally sent the invitation. Tried very hard to keep the location a secret.

The reply

You called my certainty jarring, accepted anyway, and made both feel entirely like you.

The giveaway

I handed you most of the clues myself on a call, one by one, until there was barely a mystery left. You took it from there. RODO.

Okay. Here it is.

Uyaiabasi, will you be my girlfriend?

Somewhere past four in the morning, still on the phone with you, I already knew. Three weeks in, and I'm done waiting to call you mine. I want more of your mornings, more of your stories, and whatever forever turns out to be.

One tap is the whole RSVP.

Officially

Ijesuyegoma Deborah Uyaiabasi Moses-Duku

I knew it.

Officially, happily, entirely yours. RODO's about to become our place, not just tonight's.

with everything Not just your date for the evening anymore.