On July 9th, 2020, Alex was all set for a blind date. Arriving a bit early, she bumped into Steve, an old friend from work, who was hanging out at the bar with a few friends. Among them was Zack, who Alex couldn’t help but notice—he was very cute. As fate would have it, Alex spotted her date from half a block away, and she could already tell it was going to be rough. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, was a disheveled mess, and seemed uncomfortable in public. Steve texted Alex, letting her know he had to leave and couldn’t bear to witness her awkward date any longer, but invited her to join him and his friends at Misconduct for drinks later. After enduring a painfully awkward hour, Alex made her escape and headed over to meet Steve and his friends. To her delight, she was seated next to Zack. They hit it off immediately. Zack was handsome, funny, and charming, and he amused Alex with his obscure beer order and witty jokes. The night turned into a blast. When it was time to head home, Zack and his friend offered Alex a ride since they all lived in South Philly. The next day, Alex and Zack both swiped right on Bumble and matched. They quickly switched to texting, having already enjoyed a fun night out together. Just two days later, Zack invited Alex to his restaurant for dinner, and it was clear they had mutual interest. Their first official date soon followed on July 26, 2020. They had dinner at La Llorona and, eager to prolong the evening, grabbed some spicy margaritas and started walking. With bars closed due to COVID, they ended up at a concrete chess-top picnic table. There, they realized they had been circling each other their whole lives: Alex went to camp with Zack’s school friends, Zack’s cousin attended Alex’s high school, and they might have even been at some of the same bar and bat mitzvahs without knowing it. That first date was all they needed to know they had found something special.