Rational Thought Has Left The Building

I'm much more of a realist than a romantic. And I'm more science than science fiction. So how can the following be true?

About ten years ago I was in a bar with a friend of mine, in deep conversation about nothing much. The door opened and a group of guys walked in ... and then I saw him. I'd never seen him before, it was as though I'd seen him a million times. He saw me, I saw him see me, and my friend cranked her neck around to see why I almost fell off my bar stool. 'I went to high school with him', she said in semi-disgust (any mention of high school brought about this reaction). And then he walked over. They said hi, she introduced me, and we jumped right into conversation. I felt like I'd known him forever.

He eventually went back to his friends and I pretended to hear what my friend was saying for the next hour. But mostly all I heard was the waves of estrogen crashing into my brain.

The next day I googled his phone number and called him at work. A bold move, even for me. We spoke for a few minutes and I asked him out for a drink. "Wow, I'm so flattered. I'm really flattered. But I'm kind of seeing someone --- no, I am seeing someone. But I would have loved to. I'm really flattered." And I believed him.

Our paths have crossed dozens of times over the years. He married that someone and they have a child together.

I saw him the other day and that feeling of familiarity burned brighter than ever. I hope he is happy and would never dream of interfering in his life, and I'm certain he feels the same. If he felt or acted differently, it would be a disappointment. And yet I feel certain that our path has not crossed for the last time.

Maybe we knew each other in a past life, or maybe we'll meet again in a future one. All I know is that I'm in no hurry to figure it all out. And meanwhile, my friend says, "You're really hot for this guy? Because when I look at him I see some middle-aged lawyer from my high school class. Huh."