On Sunday, February 13, 2022, two lives were forever changed. Both Danny and Cristiano were invited to a Galentine’s Day brunch thrown by Ryan Harris. Danny was about six months into his return to Charlotte (after being away for over 10 years), and Ryan was the first friend he made - they bonded over the new SCREAM movie. Cristiano was newly single and enjoying spending time with his friends. Both were not looking for a relationship. Just friendships. As for their meet cute, Danny and Cristiano arrived at the party at the exact same time. Cristiano spotted Danny first and was secretly hoping he was going to the same party. Alas, Danny walked in the opposite direction. Cristiano thought to himself, “Damn, I wish that cute guy wasn’t walking that way.” As fate would have it, Danny was just lost. When he turned around, Cristiano asked him if he was there for Ryan’s party. A very brief introduction was made, and they entered the party together. Over the course of several hours, many alcoholic drinks were consumed and the flirting intensified. Danny noticed Cristiano winking every time their eyes locked. Danny couldn’t believe such an attractive guy was seemingly into him. Both gentlemen made it a point to work the room talking to everybody, but eventually the two love birds found themselves alone in the kitchen. It was as if time stood still. The banter was easy. The conversation was interesting. They talked jobs, families, movies, you name it. They both slowly moved closer as it was clear they both were fancying the other. If you know Danny, you know he’s a workaholic and must keep an eye on work, as you never know what can happen with live entertainment. And when you get an email from Tom Gabbard (CEO of Blumenthal Arts), you must immediately read it. What Cristiano didn’t know was that Danny spent the last sixth months acting as the interim Vice President of Marketing. He was told the Board of Trustees wanted to do a formal search, but that he was a candidate. Well, that email from Tom was letting Danny know that he was so impressed with the job he had done, and that the Board agreed the job was his. Six months of hard work paid off. Receiving that email, along with the copious amount of alcohol, and Danny was reduced to a puddle of tears. For him, it was a moment of true happiness. Cristiano hugged Danny, unsure of where this burst of emotion came from, but Danny assured him these were happy tears. It was at this time that Danny and Cristiano both decided to leave the party and call their separate cars. Cristiano was secretly hoping Danny would join him at his house, but Danny wanted to call his family and friends to celebrate his promotion. Before they left, Danny went in for a kiss. Their first kiss. Instant fireworks. Normally, this would be where the story ends (and this is where some facts get fuzzy), but not this time. Danny proceeded to go home and FaceTime his parents to celebrate his promotion and toast the news with a shot. Elated, Danny also spilled to his parents that he made out with a very cute boy. After all, it was true. The next morning, painfully hungover, Danny began texting his friends to tell them about the promotion and cute boy. That’s when the hangover became evidently clear. Apparently, Danny didn’t stop the FaceTime calls after hanging up with his parents. He proceeded to call several other people to take shots and celebrate such a fun night. Hopefully, some of you reading this were part of those lucky calls. The rest, as they say, is history. Danny and Cristiano found their forever person.