We met on the blacktop of Jennie P. Stewart Elementary School. Brayden would throw footballs at Alex and her friends to get her attention. Alex would often catch them and throw them back. This caught Brayden by surprise and became a fun little game between them

Throughout Jr. High, we had a lot of mutual friends and shared classes. There was a strong attraction to one another throughout these years. We shared a lot of late nights, long walks and juvenile mischief with our friend groups. Our first kiss was in 8th grade during our two week stint of Jr. High “dating” which consisted of holding hands, love letters and sharing ipod headphones. The occasional movie night would provide an awkward arm around the neck cuddle sesh during a scary movie.

Brayden and Alex still kept eyes on each other during these years. Although a little more distant through different friend groups, the attraction was still there. We shared fewer classes together during these years as compared to Jr. High, however, we would occasionally steal each other away for a lunch date at Café Rio or Blimpie. During these lunch dates, we would realize how much we enjoyed ourselves. On graduation day, we shared a silent stare and cracked a smile with one another… not knowing what the future would bring.

Brayden had a work Lagoon party a couple of weeks after graduation and had recently broken off a high school relationship. Now having an extra ticket, he went out on a limb and asked Alex if she would join him. They had the most fun they had ever had and this was the day that they realized what they could be. Timing was not on their side as they were both about to move away to different colleges. At this end of this date, Brayden drove Alex home with the fear in the back of his mind that this could be the last time he would ever see her before she got scooped up by someone else.

Brayden spent his first couple of semesters at Dixie State College and Alex at UVU. They would message frequently on Facebook. Brayden’s first message would always be “Hello beautiful, are you married yet?” her response would be “haha no… not yet ;)” They would make plans for a date on every visit home… if they weren’t seeing someone else at the time. After a couple of semesters away, they both without knowing it, had transferred to the University of Utah during the same semester. During orientation, Brayden looked over and saw Alex sitting there. A major rush came over him as he walked over to say hi during a break. They were both dating other people at the time and couldn’t believe the circumstances they were in. Their relationships didn’t last long after that and they began talking a lot.

They started seeing each other a lot in 2013 and Brayden thought he was finally going to get his chance at the girl of his dreams. Things progressed quickly and then started to fizzle out when Alex decided she wanted to get back together with an EX boyfriend. Incredibly frustrated at the situation, Brayden told her she was making a huge mistake. Her response was “You’re not my boyfriend, you can’t tell me what to do.” Two weeks later, Alex came crawling back and our first real relationship started. They began a fast and furious relationship at this time. There was a ton of passion and intense feelings that were difficult to navigate at that age. With the pressures of school, starting careers, family life and everything in between, they found it was not possible to continue dating. Heartbroken, they called off the relationship and went their separate ways.

Both Alex and Brayden finished school, dated other people, traveled the world and started careers. Alex finished her Master’s of Public Health and is now working on a Bachelor’s of Nursing. Brayden started a career with the Fire Department and obtained a Paramedic license through Weber State University. They both reflected on their missed opportunity with one another and wished that circumstances were different for them. They ended up reconnecting when Brayden ended a relationship and added Alex on Instagram. She “slid into his DM’s” and asked him out for coffee. A 3 hour coffee date turned in to an engagement 1.5 years later.