Happy Valentine's Day!

If you'd rather not read anything lovey-dovey and romantic, you'd better just leave the internet. It's Valentine's Day, people! This is when we pull out all the stops and put smooches and flowers all over the world wide web! And I'd like to contribute to the mushiness by sharing my favorite love story.
Once upon a time, Kevin and I were complete strangers who both decided to study Chinese on the BYU Study Abroad program in Nanjing. We took a study abroad prep class at the same time, but I hesitate to say we took it together. He sat on one side of the room, and I sat on the other. I met many of my classmates, but I don't think I said a single word to that super-friendly half-Taiwanese guy from the other side of the room. I thought he was one of those super-friendly people who wouldn't like me much because I can be kind of quiet sometimes. (He says he never talked to me because he thought I was pretty.) Go figure.
Fast-forward to the beginning of fall semester in China. I'd been traveling in China for two weeks already with some friends, and I was already settled in to the dorm. A group of us went out to dinner and shopping one evening, and on the way out, we ran into Kevin just arriving in the front office. We asked him if he'd like to go with us, and he said he would, but just let him put his suitcases upstairs first. He was trying to wheel three suitcases into the elevator on his own, so I helped him with one of them.
We went out shopping that evening. Kevin says that there was one point where I turned around and looked over my shoulder to smile at him, and he fell in love with me at that moment.
I remember thinking that he laughed too much. I literally thought to myself, this is a nice guy, but I could never date him because he laughs after every single thing he says.
Over the next days and weeks, Kevin was really nice to me. Our group would always be going out to this or that, and there would be a general invitation to come if you wanted to. Everyone was very nice. Kevin, though, would always come to me specifically and invite me or make sure I was going or whatever.
I had some major stomach problems that kept me home from school at the beginning. Kevin would stop by before class and let me borrow his laptop to watch movies in bed while he was in school.
One time, Kevin and his roommate, Dean, invited me over to their apartment. They both had bikes, but I did not. In China, though, you'll see people perched on the back of a bike, so we decided to try it. I sat on the back while Kevin pedaled. It was super awkward, because we'd just met, and I wasn't sure where to hold on. If you know the person well, I guess you just hold them around the waist or on their back. I didn't feel that comfortable with him yet, so I just held on to the bottom of his bicycle seat. This didn't help much, because there's not much seat to hold onto, and I was holding just millimeters away from his butt. I probably should have just held onto his waist. Also, this was a memorable trip, because although it was a brand new bike, the frame kind of twisted in an unhealthy way with every pedal.
We went to lunch together all the time, and took a Tai Chi class. We talked a lot and went all over Nanjing with the other students in our group. I stopped noticing his constant nervous laughter, which is because he stopped feeling so nervous around me, I guess.
One day we were in a convenience store buying lunch. There were several of us in the store, and there wasn't a lot of room to get around. I had to get past Kevin, and instead of moving to let me by, leaving space for an American personal bubble, he just stood there. I ootched past anyway, but there was a split second where we found ourselves face-to-face. He was just watching me, smiling. I think my heart skipped a beat, and I probably blushed, but then I just moved right past to get the rest of my groceries.
The computer lab we got to use to write emails was pretty small, and after class let out, there was always a line. I remember waiting for a computer and checking out all the boys using computers. (What? I was cute, single, and in college-- that's what I did!) There was a fine variety of handsome guys in the computer lab, but I remember thinking that there was only one I'd like to kiss, and that one was Kevin.
Later that day, actually, Kevin stopped me in the hall after leaving my dorm. "Chelsea," he said, "I really like you. You're happy and smart and beautiful and funny, and I just think you're amazing." (That was the gist of it.)
They never tell you how to respond when that happens. My mind was racing, and my response was rather eloquent: "........................... Um................ I really like spending time with you, too."
What I was thinking was more along the lines of, "WOW, no one has ever said that to me before. You're a fun guy and a great friend, but I've never had a boyfriend before, and I hadn't thought about this yet. You're a cute (I mean, ruggedly handsome) guy-- definitely top tier-- but I hadn't ruled anyone else out yet, and if we started dating, that would rule everyone else out, and gosh, I don't know. What am I supposed to say?"
Needless to say, my eloquence left Kevin feeling rather shut-down. He lobs himself up, and BAM! I slam him right back down.
That's not what I meant. But I didn't express myself as well as they do on the movies. And he gave me a lot to think about all afternoon.
That evening-- it must have been a Monday evening, because we had a group FHE activity of some sort-- I guess you could say I'd come around. He was playing with some kids, tossing them in the air and making them giggle, and I found myself imagining if he were tossing around OUR kids and what kind of a dad he would be. (BTW, it's exactly how he tosses our girls and makes them giggle to no end.)
So as we were leaving the activity, I pulled him aside. "Kevin, I don't want you to feel stupid for earlier, because (awkward pause), um... (probably blushing, but it was dark)... I really like you, too."
Kevin broke into a grin and hugged me right there in the street.
I'm not sure we would win any awards for eloquence, and if it were a movie, I'm not sure anyone would go see it. But that's my version of our love story-- the beginning at least. It's my favorite one.
Kevin, Chelsea, and a monk on a cell phone:

Kevin, Chelsea, and a cute little Chinese boy (ahem, my brother Daniel) at the end of semester banquet: