They say two people destined to be together are connected by an invisible red string, no matter time, distance, or circumstance. Our string began tugging in 2013 at marching band camp, where Anthony was a soon-to-be sophomore and Anna was about to start her freshman year. He had a crush right away and started talking to her. After that summer, life pulled them in different directions, and the string stretched—but it never broke. Years later, that thread pulled them together again. Anna visited Anthony’s college during her senior year, and he gave her and her parents a tour. (She still remembers how clean his dorm was—he doesn’t!) They kept in touch for a while, but drifted apart… until fate decided it wasn’t finished. One night at a Staten Island club, the string tightened again. They danced, laughed, and reconnected. Before the night was over, Anna grabbed his phone, added her number, and told him to reach out. Fast forward to 2023. Anthony saw Anna on a dating app, but instead of swiping, he sent a simple “Happy Easter” text. That one message turned into days of laughter and long conversations. This time, the timing felt right. After a lot of persistence, Anna finally said yes to a date. Anthony, away in Maryland, drove home the next day just to meet her at Tommy’s Tavern. That night, they shared food, played pool, and laughed until closing time. Anthony swears he won most of the games—Anna disagrees saying she threw some of them. As summer went on, the red string pulled us closer than ever. One August night, under the stars at Mount Loretto, they spread out a blanket, shared wine, and played games. They talked for hours, and Anthony knew he didn’t just want to date Anna—he wanted something real. So he told her, “I love you.” After a pause and a smile, Anna said, “Okay… we can be boyfriend and girlfriend.” And just like that, the thread tied its strongest knot yet. Through the years, that red string stretched across time, twists, and turns, but it never broke. It always led us back to each other. And now, it’s pulled us to the same place, at the same time, for the same reason: forever.