If you had asked me six months ago what I would need to have in a guy to consider dating him, I would have given you five strict guidelines.
1) I need someone who's lively and fun! Who can make me laugh even in the most serious of times. Alan IS that. He's goofy and sweet and would do anything to cheer me up.
2) I need someone who's not afraid of emotional intimacy, or showing it in physical ways. There was a huge lack of both of those things in my last relationship. Alan and I have already seriously talked about huge things. Enormous things. People have said they've wanted to make a lifelong commitment to me in the past. But I've always known that it would never happen. I'm not saying all of those men were bullshitting, but I don't think they've seen the relationship in an analytical dissective sort of way as I did. Either way, whenever someone said that to me, I could have easily pointed out ten reasons why it could never work. With Alan and I there is no doubt that it could happen. I mean, REALLY happen. And to add to that emotional attachment, we've had sex every night this week.
3) I need someone who trusts me. When Alan and I first became friends, the person I was dating was so enraged with jealousy over it that it pushed me further and further away until there was no getting me back. I will never again be with anyone who doesn't trust me 100 percent, because it hurts too much to be thought of as anything but a trustworthy person when I've done nothing to warrant any such suspicion.
4) I need someone with an open mind. This is pretty self explanitory considering what I do, and taking into account what Alan is about to do. I will never feel like less of a person because someone doesn't morally agree with something I am interested in exploring. I'm just more liberated than most people when it comes to sex, sexual orientation, and strict life rules.
5) Red hair! Okay, so maybe that's not one of them.. but it doesn't hurt! ;) I've ALWAYS been naturally attracted to redheads. Girls, guys, whatever. They're beautiful. Gorgeous! Lucky! SEXY! It's what first caught my eye with him, all those months ago.
But most importantly, I need someone I look up to. Who I adore with everything I have. Who I feel safe with, no matter how vulnerable I'm feeling. Last Saturday i learned of some things at my day job which were seriously threatening to my employment. We went out Saturday night, and I got wasted. So wasted it took me more than eight hours to sober myself up. I had never been so drunk in my life. Not only did Alan take care of me the entire night, (and buy me a drink whenever I wished!) he made sure I didn't drive anywhere, etc, he took me home to his bed, and let me sleep it off. When I told him I was feeling so empty that I needed physical contact with him, he didn't even blink. He doesn't even realize how much of a provider he is.
And it's not even just him who's so amazing. His whole family is. Last night I had a flat tire on my way to go pick him up from work. I had only about ten minutes until he was off. Since I knew roadside assistance would be a hell of a lot longer than ten minutes, I called Alan's mother to go and get him, so he wouldn't be waiting. she insisted that both her and his father were coming to get the both of us. His father laid on the cold dirty ground to fix my tire, and was most pleasant about it. He even read through the only car manual I had with me, the french version, because I couldn't. His sister has been a doll 100% of the time, even though I'm sure my prescence takes away from the time that she would spend with him, doing their geeky video-game stuff. ;)
Overall, I don't know how I am so lucky to have all of this. There's not one thing that makes me say "everything would be PERFECT if it wasn't for *example*!" which is one of the most common things you'll hear someone say when they are conversing about their relationship. I have everything I've ever wanted, and more than I've ever dreamed of. And I'll never ever let it go. ;)