I’ve been asked to recount the events of October 28, 2017. While I cannot say with certainty everything happened as I write, this is my recollection of the day. It started out as any other fall Saturday for me back then - practice, maybe a workout, doubtful studying, and a hope for some socializing. A teammate was hosting a Halloween party that evening. As a reluctant planner, I waited until the day of to decide on a costume. I remembered my parents had previously used a couples costume that I could use for me and Jake. It was a great opportunity to provide a few laughs to other attendees. There had been some chatter amongst my roommates that we would have people over prior to the party. Included in this group were some women from the dance team. I had known all of them, but had only recently been introduced to a miniature brunette on the team. I do recall some excitement on my part for the opportunity that night presented. Upon their arrival we had already begun opening bottles of liquor. Dear reader, I won’t say with specificity what the liquor we had was, but the bottle had a sombrero on top. We did all we knew how to impress our female guests - wear a costume meant for couples and set a timer to take shots. This had seemed to work as the brunette excitedly joined in. Did I talk to her at this gathering you ask? Very limited pursuit occurred. Eventually it was time to head to our teammates apartment and our group set out. Once we were there I hoped to get some face time with her. I scanned the room and did not see her. I spotted a friend of hers and asked where she could be. She told me the sombrero bottle was too much for our small acquaintance and she had gone out for some air. I made my way out of the apartment to find her crouched down looking rather sickly, another friend of hers there to help her. I asked if anything could be done to help. They said they planned to head home so I offered my much closer apartment as a refuge for the night. Her caretaker, believing this was fine, accepted and our trio set out the 3 football field march back to my apartment with our brunette slung over my shoulder. Upon arrival, I told them they could have my bed and I would take a couch. In the morning, she left quick to not face any embarrassment. I hoped this would not be the end of our story and it wasn’t. She got my number and texted me a thank you later that day. That’s my version of the events. Haley, I am looking forward to our day and cannot wait to cap that story off. I love you. -Conor

It was a typical college Halloween night. My friends and I had made plans to go to a party thrown by the baseball team. I headed to their apartment to get ready, where we spent a few hours listening to music, talking about who was going to be at the party, and deciding on the perfect hair and makeup to go with our costumes. I was *super* creative this Halloween and went as a vampire, with the help of a mini cape from my mom’s Halloween costume bin. I was not the planner of the group, so just before it was time to go, I finally asked my friend which baseball players we were meeting up with first. She told me that we were heading to Conor Bowers’ apartment. I had met Conor just a few weeks before, and had been talking about how funny he was ever since. I knew she had made this plan on purpose. When we got there, I was nervous but absolutely trying to play it cool. The boys were dressed in ridiculous costumes and were well into their pregame, with a timer set to take shots every 10 minutes. Being the super cool girl that I thought I was, I decided to join in. What better way to impress a guy, right? I did a decent job keeping up (or at least I think so), but soon after the timer game ended, I realized I would be in for a rough night. I was determined to still make it to the party, so we all headed over. Not even 15 minutes later, I was occupying the one bathroom at the party, with my friends holding back my hair. It was definitely not my best night. My friends decided that I would be better off if I got some fresh air, so we headed outside. Shortly after, out walks Conor. He sat down next to me and asked if I was okay, which I obviously was not. With one of my friends following closely behind, he scooped me up and carried me through the apartment community, all the way back to his apartment. Once we got there, he set me in bed, made sure my friend was comfortable staying with me, and he headed back to the party. I woke up the next morning absolutely mortified. This boy that I barely knew had taken care of me, and now here I was, waking up as a vampire in his apartment. And to top it off, I had lost my mom’s cape in the events of the night. I made a few phone calls and got a ride back to the friend’s apartment that I had started at. Before I left, I found Conor asleep on the couch and gave a quick, embarrassed goodbye. Once I was back with my friends, I asked them for Conor’s number. I didn’t think I really had a chance with him at this point, but I knew I had to at least thank him for being such a gentleman. I sent my text right away: “Thanks for taking care of me, you are such an angel”, and we have spoken every single day since. Conor, I am looking forward to being taken care of by you for the rest of my life, just like you did that night. And I will always return the favor. I love you so much. -Haley