I have been talking to this guy Jeremy for the last month. I went on a date with him last July, about two weeks before I met Ben. We talked for three hours over dinner, and I thought we had a lot in common. Then we just stopped talking. I decided that I was not again going to be the one to do the pursuing and go chasing another man. If there was going to be pursuing, it was going to be on his end. So I stopped calling him, and he didn't call me either. During the time since then, I noticed that he was playing the "Jdate game." (This game goes like this: I look at your Jdate profile; you go look at the people who have been looking at your profile, you see that I was looking at it, and you come look at my profile. I then go look and see who has been looking at my profile, and I see that you looked at my profile. So I go look at your profile again; process repeats itself a few times. Then, eventually, either I or you send an email or a flirt or something. Then we start talking. That is the Jdate game.) I noticed that Jeremy would look at my profile at least once a week. So I decided that I was curious, and I sent him an email asking how he was doing. We've been in touch since then, entirely by emailing and text messaging. I'm wondering if he has some phobia about talking on the phone. Text messaging is much safer I suppose. But for the last week or so he has been hinting about hanging out, or asking what I'm doing this weekend, stuff like that. I knew what was coming, and look at me- I let it happen at his pace, and I didn't push it. I let him come up with a way of asking me out on his own terms, and I didn't do it for him. I am so proud of myself. Well, as I'm sure you've guessed, he asked me out. Yes, it was over text message, but it happened. But at least I've already met him, and I know that in person we aren't weird around each other. The thing that is weird, is he invited me to be his date to his mom's birthday dinner this Saturday. I am going to meet his entire family. So, needless to say, I'm nervous. It is weird to meet the family this soon in a relationship, but should I really complain when every other guy has kept me as far from his family and "his" life as possible? Maybe not. But I think maybe I should take a couple of steps to keep this from being as weird as possible. I am going to call him on the phone (uh oh) and ask if we can meet before the dinner, so that we can become reacquainted before I meet his family. Two sticks with one stone. We'll see how it goes.