In Training: How We Met

When people find out my significant other is an English Royal Marine (RM), the first question out of their mouth is always "How did you two meet!?" It's my favorite part, telling the story again and again!

Royal and I met on a rifle range in Texas. I was there setting up for a match the next day, and he was on leave visiting some friends after serving in Iraq. Our first conversation went as follows (and this is no joke... sigh... he loves to tell this part):
Me: Who are you?
Royal: Royal
Me: Are you English? (yeah, real bright, but I was in awe)
Royal: Yes
Me: Where are you from?
Royal: South England (he was kinda shy, and probably scared to death by the forward American)
Me: WHERE
Royal: You wouldn't know it even if I told you!
Me: Maybe I would, you don't know that!

That did it for me. Instant attraction, and well let's be honest, the accent (!) I hit on him. Gosh, if y'all knew me, I do NOT hit on guys! I asked him if he liked horses, (which earned me major teasing for the next month from the guys on the range) and he said yes. I had to go to a horse show that night for work, and he agreed to go with me. Unfortunately, so did 1 other man I was setting up at the range with.

We all went to the arena, and I explained all about the cutting. He patiently fielded all my questions about the Royal Marines, England, and his life up until now. He was thoroughly amused when the other guy we went with kept hitting on me, and I kept politely turning him down. The three of us went out to eat afterwards, and Royal sat next to me in the booth, to keep me away from Guy #2. He later told me he sort of regretted sitting there because he couldn't look into my eyes. Aw.

After dropping Guy #2 off, I had a 25 minute drive to take Royal back to his friend's house. I'm a talker, so I told him I was just gonna keep quiet and let him ask me any questions he wanted. He said one thing the whole ride back, to tease me about my driving. I found out later he was afraid of saying something stupid, he just kept coming up with things to say and then thinking "she'll think I'm a complete bore." Before I left, he made sure I was going to be at the range tomorrow. And I was.

I'll never forget the first time I talked to my mother after meeting him, I said "I got me a Royal Marine!" We went out every night the next week, he went where ever I wanted to go. It was his last week here.

We fell in love.