It all began, rather tragically, in the infamous carpool line at Elizabethtown Christian Academy circa 2003, when allegedly Alexis noticed Alex standing in line, took one look at his shoes, and asked if he was poor. Fun fact: they had the same shoes—except hers were pink, which (in grade-school logic) made them superior. Alexis walked away confidently. Alex stood confused, questioning his footwear choices forevermore. Alexis has no memory of this interaction. Fast-forward nearly two decades to 2018. Xander was leading a home group for twentysomethings through Southeast Christian Church’s Elizabethtown Campus and invited Lexi to check it out. They clicked instantly—friendship came effortlessly. Romance? Hard pass. The entire group swore they were secretly dating, but Alexis and Xander vehemently denied it, blissfully unaware of their impending fate. Cue a global pandemic (because nothing sparks romance like isolation). The group disbanded, and Alexis and Xander drifted apart. But fate had unfinished business. In October 2024, Lexi was at the International Airstream Rally (which she affectionately calls a “cult rally”) in Missouri when she texted Xander while sitting by a campfire. He had never been RVing before, so she invited him to the upcoming Streaming the Gap Rally at Cumberland Gap, hosted by The Guardians of The Gap. To avoid any awkwardness, she made it very clear this was not a move—her Airstream had two twin beds and a convertible dinette, after all. Intrigued by her oddly specific disclaimer, Xander made the drive to historic Cumberland Gap, where Alexis had her Airstream set up in front of The Old Drug Store on Cowlyn Avenue. Upon arrival, he learned two important things: the Airstream did, in fact, have separate sleeping quarters (whew), and the rally crowd was very invested in matchmaking. The entire weekend was filled with not-so-subtle winks, whispered gossip, and well-meaning seniors certain that Lexi & Xander were meant to be. At the farewell dinner at Berkau Park, they stopped to thank Bill Linn, one of the rally organizers and owner of The Olde Church. With impeccable comedic timing, Bill casually said, “Well, you know, we do weddings.” Xander—at a rare loss for words—stared blankly. Lexi, laughing, quickly clarified, “Oh thanks, but we’re just friends.” They all chuckled and went about their night. Later, as they walked past the Post Office, still chuckling about how everyone seemed convinced they were a couple, Lexi turned to Xander and said, “Well, that’d be a hell of an origin story.” That evening, they drove up to the Pinnacle Overlook, where the soft glow of the town lights flickered below. As they stood under the vast night sky, a shooting star streaked across the horizon—almost as if the universe was giving them a nudge. And then, as they stargazed, Xander fumbled for words. Lexi, channeling The Office wisdom at its finest, simply smirked and said: "Why use lot word when few word do trick?" And just like that, friendship upgraded to forever.