It was always You

9 years ago, Jared and Abbie met in college as no more than acquaintances (Until Jared made one unconcerned comment to Abbie that she would hold a grudge about for a nice long while). In school, Jared was student body president and a responsible RA and Abbie was getting in trouble for dress code violations and sneaking in after curfew… perfectly paired. Three years ahead of her, Jared graduated first and went on to get his first Masters in Springfield Missouri. The two had all but forgotten about each other till four years later when they met once again in 2015 while Jared was living back home in Connecticut. Jared walked up to the table Abbie was sitting at during a Fine Arts event and sparked a conversation that turned into weeks of conversation that turned into him asking her out. On their first date in West Hartford (unaware that one day that would be their primary community), Jared asked Abbie to be his girlfriend. She grabbed his hand and told him she knew they weren’t headed in the same direction. Which, for the next few years to follow was true. Jared moved first to Ohio to begin his second Masters and then to Washington state. Abbie’s life was still in Massachusetts before shifting to Connecticut, where her launch team church planted in 2018.

For 3 ½ years, the two remained the best of frustrated friends. They frequently checked in with one another from states away. But what always started as casual conversation would turn into weeks or months of talking and getting closer till inevitable disappointment. They worked and often failed to be just friends. Many letters of frustration were wrote, many late nights spent weighing the possibility of being together against the risk of loss and fear. Time and time again, they would decide they had grown too emotionally close and would put space between themselves, but like magnets they always drew back in toward each other. They had become each others safe space, sounding board and best friend.

Then in December of last year, Jared was visiting home from Washington and took Abbie out (as “just friends" of course). They spent what can only be described as the most perfect day together. Jared held her hand all day and would pull her in close for hugs. Her doubts and fears were melting away and by the end of the day, she could no longer keep pretending that her feelings for him weren’t deeply romantic. Jared, oblivious to Abbie’s inner revelation continued to shower her with affection, thinking it was temporary and would lead to painful following weeks back in Washington. As he says, “All hope had died. I was just putting all the emotional damage on the credit card.” As Jared was dropping Abbie off at her car, after waiting all day for him to make a move, she finally looked squarely at him and said, “Jared freaking Whipple, if you don’t kiss me right now…” Shortly followed up by “we should just be together” (As if it was her idea and not what he had been saying for the past 4 years). It wasn’t long into dating before they both knew what they’d been building up to all along. They were already built on a foundation of deep friendship and trust. When Abbie finally admitted to herself how much she was in love with Jared, she knew he was her one. She had been his all along too.

On May 5, 2018, the anniversary of their first date, Jared took Abbie to retrace their first date. And on the same steps where he asked Abbie to be his girlfriend four years before, Jared knelt down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. After 20 minutes of Abbie running the gauntlet of every positive emotion in human existence, the two left the spot where they once parted ways never to be parted again.