We're so excited to share the love with you!

It was the last day of freshmen orientation at Florida State University. Parents and students headed to the ballrooms for our end-of-orientation send-off. I arrived at the ballrooms but couldn’t find my mom. I called her, and she told me she decided to drive instead of walk with the other parents and was now lost. We hung up for her to call someone for directions. So, I waited on a bench outside of the ballrooms. While waiting, I noticed a black couple passing by in the crowd. We caught eyes, and I smiled and waved. They waved and smiled back. Minutes passed, and the crowd began to dwindle. The send-off ceremony would start soon, and still no sign of my mom. I went to call her, but my phone was dead. So, I figured I'd ask the last person that walks by to use their phone. A few minutes pass and the ceremony starts, and everyone is inside. A young lady appears, but I decided against asking for her phone because she didn't seem approachable. A few minutes later, he came walking around the corner, the guy I noticed the day before because of his beautiful smile. I mustered up the boldness and asked for his phone. He gave it to me, passcode included (so trusting), I called my mom. He sat and waited with me. We talked, and our conversation filled with laughter and curiosity. He told me his major and long-term dreams, and I told him mine. My mom appeared soon, and we all went into the ballrooms. He couldn't find his parents. So, I invited him to sit with us. We talked through the entire presentation. We signed our Class of 2018 banner and agreed to link up in the fall. We exchanged numbers (well, I gave him my number) and said our goodbyes. The ball was in his court. My mom and I left the ballrooms and saw him standing outside beside the couple I waved at earlier. Turns out, they were his parents. We waved goodbye, and my mom and I went to our car. Once in the car, I plugged my phone up and saw a new message from an unknown number. I opened it and saw, "Hey, it's Steven!"

We decided to stop by our favorite breakfast biscuit joint before running our usual weekend errands, and I knew this meant we would be eating at "our spot" on Florida State University campus: the top of the Spirit Way parking garage. For five years, this is where we came to get away from our obligations, vent our worries, share tears, and bond over our favorite foods and music. Upon parking, I get out of the car to supposedly check on a small repair I had done the day prior. I ask her to kindly hand me my phone, knowing that she wouldn't be too keen on putting her enticing food on hold. She gets out of the car, and walks along the passenger doors to find me there on one knee. She exclaimed, "Yes!" with tears in her eyes before I even had a chance to ask the question.