Lauren's Version: Four years ago, I walked into a new office after receiving a promotion from Providence to Boston at my law firm. I would begin law school later that year and work part time downtown. As I was introduced around the office, I learned that I would share an open cubicle with a guy named Charlie. He was also a law student and worked full time. I remember meeting him and my stomach dropping. I texted my mom and told her “I don’t even mind working inside all summer because I just fell in love with my co-worker”. I would later tweet this and start the #WorkBae chronicles. These consisted of me stalking Charlie at work for about a year, posting updates on his new blue shirt and sending pictures of his butt to my friends, telling everyone how we were going to get married (sort of joking, sort of not lol). He had no idea that the calm, cool exterior was all an act to hide my giant crush. Anyone that knows my friends and family, knows how they tormented me for my “fake” relationship. Joking that he wasn’t interested and that he was made up… my sister even told me I could invite either Harry Styles or Charlie to her wedding, thinking that Harry Styles would be more likely to say yes. I would fight with everyone and say “No trust me guys, I really think he likes me too!!! I can just tell”…. Slowly but surely I started to get paranoid that maybe I was wrong, and all this flirting in the office was really one sided.

Lauren's Version: One day, toward the end of January 2017, Charlie asked if I planned on attending the welcome back party Suffolk Law was hosting. When I said that I was, he stated that we should get dinner before and go together. While externally I played it cool… internally, and in my text messages, I was FREAKING OUT. What would I wear? Does this mean he likes me? Is this just as co-workers or something more? All week he kept asking me if we were still on for Friday and every day I died of excitement a little more. When Friday finally came, I texted all my friends saying nervous I was, even telling my friend Shaunna I was too nervous and maybe I shouldn't go. Shaunna told me the now famous phrase of "shut up" and "take a leap of faith, would ya?". At the event, after a few drinks (many) and lots of laughs, one of my friends from law school, Kenni, told me to suck it up and double dog dared me to kiss him. I was working up the courage when Charlie told me there was something he had been dying to do since the day I walked into the office and he kissed me first. I could hear my law school friends screaming in the background, popping up right next to us. Finally, I knew I wasn’t COMPLETELY crazy… but little did I know that I was right when I said I was going to marry the guy with big dimples sitting in the desk next to me. One kiss at the Greatest Bar and a drink at the Omni Parker, and the rest is history. CASE Aherned!

Charlie's Version: I had it all planned out. I went to the jewelry store on my lunch break and picked out the perfect ring (Ok, maybe I went to the jewelry store 5 times before it was perfect). Lauren and I were heading back to our favorite place in New Hampshire the weekend after New Years. I knew the spot I would ask, I had the ring, and I hired a photographer to hide in the spot where I was going to ask her to marry me. Everything was in place. Until the forecast said it would be heavy rainstorms all weekend. And the weekend after that. AND the weekend after that. I began to panic that all my planning was going to waste. Finally, we decided the best idea was to reschedule our trip for our anniversary, the weekend of February 3rd. Luckily this not only gave me time to perfect my plan, but it also allowed me to work up the courage to ask Bob. Not to mention, it became all the more special that I would be able to propose to Lauren on the weekend where it all began three years ago. The bigger question was no longer how would I ask Lauren, but how would I ask Bob and avoid triggering Lauren's spidey senses for surprises. The fates aligned one Saturday night when Lauren went out to celebrate the birthday of her best law school friend (KENZ!), giving me the chance to sneak away to a bar with Bob without raising any suspicions. Or so you would think. I guess I should have foreseen that sitting at a bar with Bob would lead to a few drinks on our end to celebrate. So when Lauren came home that night she asked, "How did you get drunk sitting on the couch by yourself?" I covered quickly, saying I drank too many IPAs all alone. I should probably be concerned Lauren believed I would get that drunk alone pretty quickly with little question.

Charlie's Version: With Bob and Karen's blessing and the ring in my pocket, we headed to our weekend getaway. It was difficult trying to drive to New Hampshire & keep in contact with the photographer without raising Lauren's suspicions. The plan was to check into the hotel, get our rental skis, grab a bite to eat, then head to Nestlenook for a horse-drawn sleigh ride by 5pm. I thought we would pull it off until Lauren's boot zipper ripped as we were leaving the ski rental shop. So now not only were her shoes were ruined, meaning she needed to change, but she was getting increasingly hungry. At this point, there was no time for food but I could tell if I didn't feed Lauren she was going to get hangry and would probably say no when I asked her to marry me. So to speed things along I took Lauren to the nicest place I could think of to take someone before you propose - the 99 (the 99 actually has a special place in our hearts, so she really appreciated this later). In hindsight, Lauren said she should have realized something was up when I rushed her out of the restaurant and I didn't even try to finish her full beer first. We were finally on the way to the spot where I would ask Lauren to marry me. It's the beautiful covered bridge in Jackson, New Hampshire. I pulled over with my heart was racing faster than it ever has. I could barely get words out of my mouth. I took Lauren to the side of the bridge, saying that my mom used to stop here to have us throw a penny into the river and make a wish. I didn't realize the spot we were standing on the bridge was about 50 yards from the water and there was no way anybody could throw a penny that far. I told her to close her eyes, make a wish and throw the penny as far as she could. I like to think her wish came true, because when she turned around I was down on one knee ready to ask her to marry me, she screamed "YES!". And I'm so happy I hired the photographer, because the surprise and happiness on Lauren's face is priceless.