After matching on Hinge one summer day, Crista was determined to meet Brennan in person. The two were hitting it off behind the screens. On 4th of July, she messaged him asking if they could meet in a parking lot. Brennan agreed to come Crista's direction and meet her in a busy parking lot. From there Crista "kidnapped" Brennan and took him on an adventure... her favorite! She didn't tell him where they were going, but he was willing to go with the flow. This was the first sign that he might be the real deal! From the parking lot, Crista took Brennan down to the Battery (where he would propose 1 year and 9 months later). She wanted to walk along the Battery and look out into the harbor to watch all of the fireworks that were being let off. Since this was in the middle of all the Covid chaos there were no large firework displays from the usual spots, but that year it seemed like every household was shooting off fireworks. The whole night sky lit up in various colors and there was a constant boom in the air. Thankfully it was covering the sound of Crista's heart beating out of her chest. As the hour stroll on the Battery went by conversation was flowing, nerves were settling, and a sense of comfort was setting in. Crista received a text message from her mom telling her that there was a Lunar Eclipse happening that night, and it was starting at 11pm. With excitement, Crista questioned whether or not this stranger she was spending time with liked space! He showed interest, but quickly explained that he finds deep sea more interesting than space. This led to the classic Ocean vs. Space debate. Anyways, since he showed interest in watching the Lunar Eclipse they hopped in the car and moved to Folly Beach. Once at Folly Beach, they found a spot in the sand that stared right into the bright, glowing, full moon. It was nestled between two groups of people that were shooting off fireworks. Others were out and the assumption was that they were interested in the Lunar Eclipse as well. The connection that was being built through conversation, was frequently disturbed by loud booms and people in passing. To find a bit of peace and quiet, the two walked into the wading water. Under the moonlight, they looked up to the moon that was still bright, glowing, and full, and then they looked into each others eyes that reflected what was above. In the moonlight and constant flow of water over their feet... the two locked in on one another with the help of Brennan's lead. A few hours went by and the moon never changed. There was never any dullness. Eyes were bright, smiles were brighter. The loud boom of fireworks was replaced with loud laughter. Thankfully the steady beat of the crashing waves was there to cover the sound of Crista's heart beating out of her chest. Before they knew it, time had passed and they were holding on to every second that they were spending with each other. Eyes were getting heavy and they were giving up hope that they would ever see the Lunar Eclipse. After reading the full article Crista's mom had sent, they realized they weren't ever going to see the eclipse. That night it was only visible in Africa. They walked back to the car and Crista asked if Brennan would dance with her. She turned on "Dancing in the Moonlight" and the two danced together under the moon that became the Lunar Eclipse that never was. As their first date came to an end, it was 4am and a new day was about to begin. What they didn't know, was a new life filled with love was about to begin.