Of relationships and such

As promised, here is the follow-up to the possible relationship post:

I have become quite attracted to one of my co-workers, the grad student whom I've been helping in the field since I arrived at Virginia Tech a little over 3 weeks ago. It all started on a weekend outing in the New River Gorge, WV. We had plenty of down time to talk about everything under the sun, and eventually we arrived at the subject of relationships.

My view on the subject, and one of the main reasons I am still single, is that I am looking for someone just like me . . . only female. My reasoning: the "opposites attract" paradigm works well in the short term. Both parties are enthralled about this new world they get to experience through the other person, and all is good. Eventually though, you run out of things to discover, and you make the biggest mistake you can make in a relationship: you start to change. Don't get me wrong, all relationships involve a degree of give and take, but when these give and takes result in you changing your fundamental ideals, then you have problems. You eventually become bitter towards the other person for somehow turning you into something you aren't, and the relationship dies. So naturally to avoid this situation, one would look for someone with similar interests and ideals to them. Kristyn (the grad student) happens to share just about all of my interests and life ideals, effectively making her a "female Billy." Sounds great, right?

Wrong. While she has confessed to me that I am "everything she is looking for in a relationship," and really wants to try this out, she has some loose ends to tie-up before we can start this thing. She is currently still involved with another guy in the department. While this guy is great in his own right, he does not share the same ideals as Kristyn regarding relationships. While Kristyn wants a serious relationship, this guy wanted to remain single but still have benefits . . . you know the type. Why did Kristyn get into this "relationship" in the first place then? Because, dear reader, this guy was the only single person available to her, and she needed someone during the transition to grad school. She has since recognized that this guy is not for her, and she has turned into something she doesn't like because of him. So, not a problem, right? Just dump the guy and move on to greener pastures?

Wrong again, reader. A day after our "bonding" experience in the New River Gorge, she received a phone call from this guy. I'm not privy to the details, but apparently something really bad has happened to this kid. So bad that his license was taken away because of his mental state due to this situation. She is concerned for his life, and as such does not want to abandon him and start something new until he stabilizes. I spoke with her last night about the situation, and let her know that I am not trying to rush any decisions on her part. We both acknowledged that we share a special bond that you don't find every day, and that bond will still be there when we can finally be together.

We then laid awake in bed all night, sharing stories and goofing off.