It all started sophomore year of high school in chemistry class. Ironic, right? Damien says he knew the moment they first talked that Kirsten was going to be in his life forever, which is insane considering she was actively bullying him. He had really long hair that was always in his face, and the teacher had to physically point out his desk to him on the first day of class. Kirsten's opening line? "Maybe it's the hair." They spent high school being the best of friends. You know the type: boy walks across town to hang out with girl in the middle of winter, girl seeks comfort in boy when her boyfriend's being a jerk, boy holds girl's hair back when she's had too much to drink. That kind of friendship you know is totally doomed from the beginning. Let's not even bring up the part where they did try dating and Kirsten actually did screw it up. College took them in different directions. Different schools, different friend groups, different versions of themselves. They'd see each other's posts on social media every now and then, but for the most part, they just… drifted. It happens. Life gets busy, people grow up, and sometimes friendships fade into the background. For a few years, that's exactly what happened to them. Then one morning, a Red Hot Chili Peppers song came on the radio during Kirsten's drive to work, and suddenly she was 16 again, wondering about the what if. She hadn't talked to him in years, but something in her said she should reach out. So, she did. She invited him to her Halloween party, and he was ecstatic. He came to the party, and it was like no time had passed at all. They fell right back into that easy rhythm they'd always had, except this time, something felt different. The spark that Damien apparently saw all those years ago? Yeah, Kirsten finally felt it too. Kirsten knew Damien was planning to move to Denver with his brother, and in a moment of complete panic and clarity all at once, she did something totally out of character. She asked him not to go. She told him she wanted to give them a real shot. Not as high school friends or idiot teenagers, but as something more. Something real. Thankfully, Damien didn't think she was the craziest person on the planet. So, he moved to the Twin Cities, and here they are. Turns out that kid in chemistry class was right all along. They really were meant to be. Kirsten just needed a few extra years (and one Halloween party) to figure it out. Better late than never, right?