Life

From jumping out of a plane to orchestrating coincidental run-ins to an awkward encounter with Michelle Branch.

A new crush can be a quietly productive force.

The Time I Embarrassed Myself in 32A

I was in line waiting to board a flight.

As were boarding, they scan my ticket and give me an updated seat assignment.

I conveniently lost the new seat assignment and only had my app which had my original seat number.

Then begins the chaos and confusion when someone wants the seat Im in.

I keep showing them my app where it shows that seat.

More and more people are also having seat issues.

The flight attendants tell me were starting to run late.

I decided I needed to go, too, just so I could see her.

But there was one problem: The show was invite-only.

They wrote back asking for a screenshot to confirm this, which I obviously didnt have.

I left them an urgent voicemail asking for my tickets.

Two minutes later, I got an email saying I was on the list.

I guess I wore them down.

Instead, my night ended with me having an awkward conversation with Michelle Branch.

Im a songwriter, so I thought Id play a few shows while I was there.

One night, I went to an afterparty for one of my shows and met this girl.

There was such a spark in the air.

We talked for hours.

I didnt think she was propositioning me, but clearly, we had this connection.

The problem: She had a boyfriend who lived with her.

Frankly, I started scheming.

I couldnt call her; I couldnt be forward with her.

But I knew she was a vegan and worked at a popular vegetarian restaurant downtown.

So one day, I decided to cook a pot of vegan lentil soup.

I was like, Do you want some soup?

She said yes, and we ate some.

Within a month or two, she broke up with her boyfriend, and we started dating.

Three months later, she told me she met some other guy, and that was that.

I still make that vegan lentil soup to this day.

He had this really big, magnetic personality.

As luck would have it, a couple months later, I met him at my friends birthday party.

He showed up because he was hooking up with another girl there lets call her Cate.

Cate said to go for it it turns out shes very sexually open and she basically set us up.

Around that time, this guy started liking my posts on Instagram and we started talking.

Eventually, he invited me out one on one.

Hes gifted in bed.

Cate and I still bump into each other every once in a while, too.

Honestly, thats been kind of fun for the two of us we both know whats going on.

Its almost like having the same favorite TV show.

We were both engineering majors and had almost all of our classes together.

He was tall, hot, and had a great vibe.

Im not a subtle person, so I very much made it clear that I had feelings for him.

He would flirt back sometimes just enough to keep me interested.

I ended up hooking up with the roommate, who became obsessed with me and wanted to date me.

After that, the guy Iactuallyhad a crush on was like, Well, now my roommate likes you!

It broke their bro code and nothing happened.

The whole thing totally backfired.

Hed always wanted to go skydiving.

Before our trip, I thought about how cool it would be if I yelled I LOVE YOU!

before we jumped out of the plane.

It was a very,verysmall plane.

He and I were each strapped to our guides, sitting there with our legs dangling into the air.

I f*cking hated it.

We flirted sometimes, but he had a girlfriend.

That next summer, he worked at another bar nearby.

It was the name of a cocktail, but I was proud of that line.

I was committed and determined to make this man mine.

And it worked he noticed me.

Eventually, we got together and ended up dating for two years.

I realized I wanted a life partner, not someone who lived for partying.

I dont even watch the show, but I ended up watching his hometown date episode with some friends.

At the time, I was 26 and sick of guys who werent interested in anything serious.

I decided to write him a letter.

But then I thought, This guys going to think Im ugly or a stalker.

I never heard back.

He had great hair and mischievous eyes.

It can definitely get you into trouble, because smart doesnt always equal a great partner.

Sometimes hed fly his plane to wherever I was.

Once, I flew with him and he let me control the plane.

It was definitely exciting, likethe helicopter scene fromFifty Shades of Grey.

It felt almost like the universe had just invented a person for me to have a crush on.

For me, it fizzled when he visited me and said something about not caring if his parents died.

I genuinely dont know what he meant by that, but it was kind of alarming.

He was super cute, fun, and sweet.

Fast-forward to the spring: After graduation, he moved to Louisville, about two hours away.

One weekend, I found an Airbnb there, booked it for one night, and Snapchatted him.

I ended up meeting up with him and some of his friends.

We all got hammered.

He never responded, and I was so hungover the next day.

At the time, I was single, on the dating apps, and just kind of adrift.

I matched with this guy on Tinder.

He was cute and had a nice body.

And so, after our date, I went out andboughtthis set of books.

I texted him to tell him I was reading them.

He seemed unimpressed, and the conversation petered off.

We didnt ever go on a second date, but I read more than 600 pages for this man.

I havent picked up another Stephen King book since.

Elisabeth, 31, New Jersey

*Names have been changed for anonymity.

With reporting byAvery Stone.