Brandon and Maegan technically “knew of” each other back in high school — the kind of familiar faces you recognize in the hallway but never quite cross paths with. Years later, life (and Instagram) would have other plans. After college, both Maegan & Brandon found themselves back home in Woodbridge. On Memorial Day, Maegan posted a photo on Instagram marking the final time Rolling Thunder rode down I-95. Brandon saw it and decided to take his shot, sliding into her DMs with some casual small talk. The conversation went back and forth for a bit… but Maegan didn’t quite catch on. After a few messages, she stopped responding, thinking Brandon was just being friendly. On July 4th, Maegan posted another picture. The next day, Brandon messaged again. Maegan was running on the treadmill at the gym when the notification came through. As they chatted about where she had watched the fireworks, Maegan suddenly realized Brandon probably wasn’t that interested in the “cool place” she found to watch them. The light bulb finally went off. They talked every day for about a week, getting to know each other, and decided to meet in person. Their first date was late on a Sunday night at Bungalow Alehouse in Woodbridge. Maegan had just driven ten hours home from Ohio that same day after attending a funeral — but she still showed up. They met in the parking lot, went inside, and grabbed a couple of seats at the bar. What was supposed to be a quick drink turned into hours of effortless conversation, shutting the place down, with surprisingly few beers consumed. Maegan, however, had what Brandon lovingly refers to as “nervous hands.” She spilled her beer that night — setting a trend that would continue for the next few dates. The suspense of “what will she spill next?” quickly became part of the early excitement. When the bar closed, their conversation continued in the parking lot. Maegan seemed very interested in Brandon’s Mustang — or at least that’s what Brandon thought. For the record, she was not, nor has she ever been. Instead of calling it a night, they hopped in the car and drove around the parking lot for another thirty minutes, talking nonstop. Finally, around 2:15 a.m., they said goodnight. The next morning, Brandon was sitting at his desk at work when his phone buzzed. It was Maegan: “What are you doing for lunch today?” It didn’t take long for them to meet up at Chipotle in Tysons Corner. There was more great conversation — and yes, another spilled drink. But by this point, it was clear that Maegan had officially gotten the message. Brandon wasn’t just being friendly. At the beginning of August, Brandon had concert tickets with his college roommates and asked Maegan to join. She walked into the tailgate and fit right in without missing a beat. The two even tried rattlesnake together, because apparently that’s what you do at a proper country concert tailgate. The concert remains, to this day, their favorite — with opening performances by Morgan Wallen and Dan & Shay and headlined by Florida Georgia Line. Somewhere between the music, the memories, and the momentum that had been building for a month, Brandon officially asked Maegan to be his girlfriend. All it took was one missed shot and a second chance. To this day, Brandon likes to say, “I guess it’s a good thing you get two free throws in basketball.” And thankfully, the second shot was the one that changed everything.