We met in August 2017 at Philz Coffee, where Steph was a shift lead and Chris was the new barista trying (and failing) to hide the fact that Steph intimidated him a little. At the time, we were both seeing other people, so neither of us thought much beyond “cool, another coworker.” That changed pretty quickly once we realized we shared the same music taste: Nirvana, Elliott Smith, Phoebe Bridgers. A friendship formed fast, built on post-shift pizza, dry humor, and the kind of conversations you forget the beginning of because they lasted all night. For a long time, that was all it was: friendship. But life shifted, timing aligned, and somewhere between pouring coffee and collectively drinking heinous amounts of Diet Coke, something more started to grow. On the night of Steph’s 21st birthday, we finally agreed with what everyone around us had been saying: “Please just get together already.” Once we officially became a couple, things unfolded in a way that felt unmistakably us. One of the most memorable moments became an inside joke we affectionately refer to as Blood-Sugar-Gate. One fateful day, we decided to take a hike (rare), and Chris’s blood sugar suddenly crashed. Steph sprinted full speed, very publicly, and against every cellular instinct, down the hill, raided the local Walgreens, and sprinted back up with lifesaving snacks. Chris says that moment made him realize he was in love with Steph. Steph says it taught her that being with Chris occasionally includes unexpected cardio. From there, everything that drew us together only deepened. We bonded over fantasy and horror, as we are chronic re-watchers and completely unapologetic about it. We shared poetry, wandered through San Francisco, and talked about odd and specific topics at 2 a.m. Our personalities balanced each other in a way that made sense: one of us quiet and observant, the other charmingly unable to leave a grocery store without making a new friend. People started calling us two peas in a pod, mostly because wherever one of us went, the other was not far behind. On February 8th, 2025, Chris proposed in a cemetery. It was fitting, because Steph is a self-proclaimed spooky person and thrives on being the most haunting presence in any room. Our best friends appeared out of the bushes with champagne. We celebrated with drinks. Then, when we arrived at dinner, both of our families were waiting as another surprise. Somewhere along the way, Chris went from “cats are fine” to fully believing that Sesame and Hazel are our children. At this point, they agree. Steph, always the night owl, never expected to end up with someone who springs out of bed at 5 a.m. with the energy of a thousand suns, but here we are. Seven years later, we are still rewatching the same shows, still talking about everything and nothing, still chaotic, nerdy, and inseparable, and somehow, it still feels like we just picked up where another lifetime left off.