We're getting married!

Emily's POV: We met during a community theater production of Little Women. Andrew played John Brooke. I was a member of the ensemble. And I remember that my first impression of Andrew was that he was late to the cast read-through because the producers forgot to email the cast list to him, and he didn't know he got the part! But what sealed our friendship was playing Exploding Kittens backstage. Rather than allow the children we were playing against to win, we went all out and defeated them. It was glorious and hilarious and there were many high-fives. Andrew's POV: I will spare you the first 3 memories I have of meeting Emily. They involve her telling me where she went to college, a sneak peek of a movie that hadn't come out yet, and some seriously good smelling Panda Express. Anywho, the "most official" meet-cute was when we were playing the card game Exploding Kittens. We were destroying some other kids at it, high-fiving, cheering, and getting super into it. That was when I thought to myself, "Wow, this cute girl is super fun AND loves destroying kids at games." So, I casually mentioned that we should play the iPhone game version. Who needs DMs, right?

Emily's POV: After spending a year as friends, Andrew built up the courage to ask me if I'd be interested in going on a date with him. I said yes ... and then I waited a week for him to actually ask me on the date. It was actually a really cool first date. He took me to a speakeasy where we had some fancy drinks. Then he took me to a fancy steakhouse for dinner. We like to think it's providence that my parents celebrated their 34th anniversary on the same day as our first date. We were both really nervous because if the date went poorly, our friendship could get awkward. But it went spectacularly. And the rest, as they say, is history. Andrew's POV: Our first "official" date was phenomenal. I say "official" because we were just friends at first, but needed to make sure that we could take that next step in our relationship and be romantic with each other and it not be weird. It wasn't. It was perfect. I picked her up, she looked stunning, as she normally does. We arrived at a tailor shop. We entered a foyer with ties and suits hanging all over the place. I knocked on a wall and a little slit opened up. A pair of dark eyes gazed out and asked for my license. After I gave it, the slit closed. We stood for a moment. Suddenly, the wall opens. We enter into a wood-finished, candlelit speakeasy, with a dimly lit gin bar highlighting the room, accented by leather chairs and a duo of staff members. They smiled and told us to sit anywhere. After we had a couple of delectable drinks, we exited and walked about half a mile down the road. We went down stairs and entered a steakhouse that matched the intimacy of the speakeasy. Lit candles illuminated the room. Leather seats hugged the walls. Staff dressed in suits dancing around each other serving meals that drew your eyes like a cartoon character watching a pie cool on a window. We ventured to a back corner, tucked away behind a panel of windows. The twinkling starlight shimmering on our table. A warm loaf of rye bread. Its crunchy yet soft exterior cracks like a symphony as we cut each slice. Warm butter seeps into the bread. Cocktails and drinks descend onto the table. Plates of succulent prime rib, juicy ribeye and garlic mashed potatoes, fluffy as a cloud, sit before us. But what sits before me, is a girl. A lady. A beautiful woman. I look at her and smile. She looks at me and gives me a smile. A smile that brings warmth in the winter. A smile that envelops all my worries. A smile that speaks a million words, because I no longer have any. We share this meal together. I drop her off at home, say goodnight, and walk away. As I pump my fist into the air, skip my way down the hall, and dance through the parking lot to my car, I thank God. I thank God for giving me my last, first date.

Emily's POV: I pretty much had no clue what was going on until it was happening. He took me to this escape room place that we had gone to on a previous date. And if you know anything about me, then you know I absolutely love puzzles and I'm also super competitive. So the idea of an escape room excited me greatly. The particular room he chose was based on Area 51 and required us to start off in separate rooms and then make our way into the same area. Basically, what wound up happening was that I got so into beating the room that I was completely oblivious to what Andrew was trying to do. In fact, I think I was a little mean to him in my eagerness. The final clue was a cypher that spelled out "Marry Me." I turned around and Andrew got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. And I said, "Yes!" I also cried. And then Andrew showed me all the clues that should have made it obvious. Two of the clues were our birthdays. Another was the day we went on our first date. Other clues were related to our favorite sci-fi shows and video games. Honestly, I should be ashamed I didn't notice all the Easter eggs. Between that and my crazy, neurotic competitiveness, I'm probably lucky he still wanted to marry me after that. But luckily, he did. (And we still finished the room within the time limit!) Andrew's POV: The Proposal. While Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock did a great job in that movie, our story is way better. Because unlike their story, our story doesn't involve deception, disinformation, and a hidden agenda... Wait, that's exactly what it had... Let me explain. On one of our earlier dates, we did an escape room together. It was super fun. After I decided to propose to Emily, I wanted to make it memorable and unique. We both have geeky and nerdy interests. So, I wondered what was the best way to convey each of our favorite interests and significant dates, all into one thing? A custom escape room. I contacted the same company that hosted our first escape room together and told them my idea. They were ecstatic to help. After months of planning, emailing, and giving WAY too much information about nerdy things they didn't care about, it was complete. A custom escape room. Complete with hidden messages, one-of-a-kind clues, and nods to each of our fandoms. The original plan was for me to solve the final cipher - which spelled out "Marry Me?" - and give it to her, then get down on a bended knee. But she's mega competitive and insanely smart and took the reins and solved it before I could. Thankfully she was so into the puzzle that she had no idea what was going on until she figured out the "E" in "Marry Me." She, adorably, kept asking aggressively, "Marry M... Marry M what? What does Marry M mean!!?" Finally, she figured it out, turned around, and I got down on one knee. It's a good thing she is so good at escape rooms, because we sat there hugging, crying, and giggling for a good while. But we were so ahead that we had enough time to finish the escape room in time.