Once upon a time there were two hearts, both with their own unique set of values, beliefs, hopes, and dreams. From the moment that each of these people was born they were destined to be together, for unbeknownst to them, they shared a bond. As they progressed through their journey of life, this star-strung link brought them inevitably closer. Then one day, by what some might call extreme luck, they were introduced. Little did they know that at that time, they each found their best friend for life…one day after school Nick was bored out of his mind and had no intention of going home even after track practice, gym workouts, and crashing the fencing team practice to slash around a sword. Right when he was at his wits end, he ran into his best friend Luke in the hallways of Walt Whitman High School. Luke invited him to come hang out at the local youth group, to which Nick vehemently disagreed. After much convincing, Nick ended up cautiously strolling into the basement of a nearby church, not knowing what he would expect. Once inside, to his surprise he saw a group of teenagers sitting in a circle eating dessert, not a bible or preacher in site. Among this group, one girl in particular caught his eye. She had dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, a smile that could light up a room, and most importantly, a true and genuine laugh that made you want to join along. He casually worked his magic and got to know the girl better, realizing how beautiful of a person she truly was in the process. After several weeks of attendance, he became a part of the group and was invited to join them to their annual trip to Hershey park…

The group finally arrived at Hershey Park (despite their near-death experience on the road trip there). All day in the park every person in the group laughed and enjoyed themselves, but the two star-crossed lovers continued their courtship and spent the majority of the day exclusively together, getting to know one another better. Eventually, they made their way to the park’s staple, the kissing tower, named after the renowned Hershey’s chocolate kiss. The ride was designed to take guests to the top of the tower to see the entirety of the park, and once they arrived at the top, it was good luck to kiss your significant other. Nick nervously sat next to Alexa and the entire ride up he worked to muster up the courage to kiss this gorgeous girl he had just met a few weeks prior. When the ride finally came to a stop, his heart pounded inside his chest because he knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity with the love of his life. Not wanting to act too boldly, he brought his hand to his lips, kissed it, and lightly touched her arm as a sign of affection. Alexa blushed the color of a rose, and he knew his intentions had met their mark.

After their experience at Hershey Park, Alexa and Nick remained close friends and hung out collectively with the rest of the youth group. They began messaging each other more often and they became accustomed to each other’s company. On the 4th of July, Alexa and Nick had a classic American cookout with their friends before making their way to a nearby neighborhood to watch some fireworks. After one of the fireworks didn’t go off after being lit, Alexa began to approach it. Understanding the danger, Nick quickly grabbed Alexa around the waist to stop her from moving forward. Seconds after, the faulty firework shot off and created a spectacular show for them to watch while they stood there in their embrace. This was the first time they had been this close and before Nick departed for the night, he quickly gave Alexa a goodnight kiss on the cheek. To him, that kiss had been more exhilarating than any firework he had seen or heard that night.

Since these two had taken to each other so well, they decided it was finally time to hang out individually away from their usual group of friends. Alexa invited Nick over for a movie night at her house. They started out the night watching the classic Disney film, Tarzan. The masterfully made love story with the expert soundtrack by Phil Collins was a great first start. The pair snuggled up on the couch and became very comfortable with each other. Once the movie had ended they decided to watch a thriller next. Knowing this would be his chance to get to sit close to this beautiful girl, he agreed to watch a scary movie so she would cuddle up when she got scared. As it turned out, she was relatively unphased by scary movies, but Nick certainly was not, so they ended up close anyway for his protection. The movie they chose was The Blaire Witch Project, a movie in which campers suddenly encounter a mysterious malevolent force in the deep forest. Shortly after the film began, they heard a loud bang at the glass door. Despite being shaken from the movie, Nick wasn’t going to show cowardice while he was trying to impress this girl. So, he got up and ripped the curtains back to reveal their friends playing a prank. After giving them both a heart attack, their friends left content with their mischief. After continuing the film, Nick tried to be smooth and told Alexa that when the Witch finally appeared on camera, he would get the courage to give her a kiss. Little did he know, the Witch doesn’t show up once during the entire course of the movie. So, when the credits started to roll, he looked a little embarrassed, but Alexa assured him that he didn’t need an excuse to give her a kiss. When they finally kissed, it was clear that they were made for each other.

Fast-forward almost five years and Nick and Alexa were very happily together. They went to college together, and over that period of time they had grown closer than ever. Nick knew that it had come time to propose to this angel on earth so he set out and bought a ring that he knew she would love. Now, the difficult part had come: how to pop the question? His first plan was proposing in this renowned garden on Long Island and have his friend who was a photographer catch the moment. When the time came for that, it rained horrendously and the entire sky turned grey and cloudy. Plan B. New Years Eve was coming up and he had planned to book a reservation at a rooftop bar in NYC with his best friends. There he could ask the big question at the start of the New Year, symbolizing the beginning of a prosperous and happy marriage. That same New Years was about as cold as you could get and no one, especially Alexa, wanted to go into the city. Plan C. Down at Virginia Tech, there’s a breathtaking hike that shows the one of the most miraculous views of the sunrise on top of the mountains in South West Virginia. He organized his other friend who was a photographer at Tech to accompany them on this “sunrise hike”. Unfortunately, the group of friends encountered the most thick fog and icy winds they had ever seen in their entire lives and they almost ended up driving off the side of the mountain just trying to get to the trail. Three brilliant plans had come and gone, leaving Nick desperate and exhausted. He wanted this moment to be special and memorable for years to come. Then he realized something…it wasn’t about the time or the place, it was about the love between these two for that was what really mattered. Their connection is what sustained their relationship, not any fancy background or picture. Nick humbly dropped on one knee to ask his beloved to marry him in front of her basic, college girl tapestry…and she said yes. In that moment, he was the happiest man in the world.