We had met over the summer a few times when the kids from Springs and East Hampton began to band together in town on summer nights against our common enemy - the summer vacationers. Come September, we were in the same class. This class consisted mostly of learning how to set and manage a budget, plan trips and big events responsibly and me trying to get Thomas to say more than two words (Good Morning) to me. By the end of that year, we had moved from strained morning greetings to full conversations over class projects where we planned a trip to Spain and set a budget for home buying. We stayed close after that class was over and by the end of that summer we were really close friends. Close friends led to best friends and a few months of trying to convince everyone (including ourselves) that we were just friends with a lot of righteous repeating of "why is it that whenever a boy and a girl are really close everyone just assumes they must like one another...." I lost that argument. A few weeks later, we were resigned to accept defeat and be "boyfriend and girlfriend" Flash-forward through the rest of high school (Prom/Homecoming King and Queen a trip to Spain and a singing tour of Italy) and into college where we decided against the same school... and the same state... and spent 4 long years 800 miles (4,200 junior year) apart seeing one another over Christmas and summer and trying to squeeze in some (well-budgeted, thank you again Ms. Jackson) trips to visit one another throughout the year. Academics brought us back to the same place once again in 2018 when we both attended graduate school together and moved in together in NYC where we lived for two years until moving down to Charlotte, NC and finally teaching and living in the same place, settled, together (notice I am repeating this again... 4 years is a long time apart) with our little pup Beanie.

It was the perfect normal day. It started with a walk with Beanie in Southend where we wanted to go out for lunch but with the high COVID numbers decide to eat at home instead. On the way home, we drove through the neighborhood we would eventually like to buy a house in and then stopped to pick up the ingredients for our favorite sandwiches (inspired by Satsuma in New Orleans) Once back to our apartment, we sat out on the balcony with blankets and a space heater for a very Copenhagen meets New Orleans lunch. We got to talking about how long we have been together and everything we have been through together when Thomas took my hand and smiled and said "so you've been my best friend, you've been my girlfriend.... will you marry me?" I smiled, hugged, kissed, cried and forgot to say yes. After being reminded I had to actually answer, I am now engaged to be married to the love of my life and my greatest friend.