The Unadventures of Tracie

Hot off the presses! Part four of the Tracie/Austin story: (two parts to go) Lingering Feelings Austin and I had only been dating for about two weeks when Trent and Jessica got married. I knew Devon was going to be there. He was, after all, one of Jessica’s best friends. It was very, very difficult for me to see him. I tried not to cry and held back tears. I was feeling so many different things. For one thing, after I had gone to talk to him, he said that we could be friends. So, several weeks after talking to him I wrote him an email, and he never wrote back. I was obviously a little mad when I saw him at the wedding. So I casually asked him why he hadn’t written back, and he said that he didn’t use that email address anymore. Well, how in the heck was I supposed to know that?!? Part of me was relieved he wasn’t avoiding me on purpose, but it made it harder for me to be mad at him anymore since I now knew he hadn’t deliberately not written back. Anyway, I kept my cool and chatt...

The saga continues: “Just Friends” As December was beginning I found myself getting excited to go to work. I told myself it was silly since I didn’t like Austin “that way.” I convinced myself I liked the attention and that’s why I was getting butterflies. We were spending so much time together it’s as if we were dating, but we were “just friends.” This was fine with me since I was going on a mission. I had decided after the breakup with Devon that’s what I was going to do. The following April I would turn 21 and I would go. In fact that semester I even took a Mission Prep course at BYU, which was a fabulous class by the way. But the sexual tension was mounting. One night Austin and I rented The Tempest, another Shakespeare “classic.” It was the silliest movie I had ever seen. It was set in the South during the Civil War and it was just plain bizarre. (“Careful Prosper!” “You make me fly like an eagle!”) Austin and I had started cuddling at this point i...

Awkward Beginnings I must make mention of the fact that after Austin actually talked to me he did get discussed by me and my best friend, Heidi. Heidi and I were in the same religion class, and though we were in college, we still passed notes. I wrote to Heidi about Austin and how he was usually the type of guy I’d go for, but I wasn’t going to in this case for various reasons. (My breakup with Devon had affected who I wanted to date.) Heidi remarked that I shouldn’t discount the idea that Austin might be something. Anyway, since I was depressed with my breakup, I tried to make more friends. I did this by trying to make more friends at work. So I decided to throw a work party at my house. I invited everyone, gave them instructions, got cute, and waited…. Right on time Austin showed up carrying two generic bottles of soda. We waited…and waited…and realized nobody else was coming! Awkward! I texted Heidi about Austin being the only person to show up. She...

Here is the long-awaited entry. I thought it might be good if I put down Austin and I’s story of how the two of us became a “we.” This is not a short story, so you have been warned. This will be told entirely from my perspective. If Austin wants to tell his side of the story he’ll have to write it himself. I will be completely honest, holding nothing back (except those details I choose to.) B.A. (Before Austin) It is necessary to begin my story not with Austin himself, but a little bit before. Before I even knew there was an Austin Beckstrom in the world, I was in a relationship with Devon. Devon was the first guy I had dated since the disastrous conclusion of my relationship with Jonathan. (Man, I lucked out on that one. The greatest heartbreak of my life turned out to be the greatest blessing.) After Jonathan dumped me, I became utterly depressed for about a year. A little bit before Devon came into my life I had no job and no life. I wasn’t dating; I w...