Her version: Andrew and I met in the Spring of 2021. I was new to Dallas and ready to meet new people. After going on numerous failed dates, I was about to give up on online dating until I matched with Andrew. He was charming, courteous, and polite to the point I wondered if he was too good to be true… I couldn't wait to meet him in person to see if he lived up to his online persona. Sadly, our first date started as a complete disaster. Andrew and I ended up at different restaurants within a few miles apart. When I got to the restaurant and did not see Andrew anywhere, I decided to call him and he started laughing at the situation. My anger quickly faded when I heard his laughter, so I agreed to go to his side of town since I was already running late to the date (no surprise there). On my way to the actual restaurant, I had a strange thought that I could be meeting my future husband that night, but I quickly brushed it off thinking “surely my future husband would verify the address of the restaurant.” And then when I got to the restaurant, we both were wearing matching jean jackets, we both ordered some kind of whiskey drink that we were too shy to finish (surprisingly), and we talked until the restaurant shut down and had to kick us out. One thing that became certain that night, is that we both had found each other’s best friend. His version: The story of how we met is really more of just a story of how stupid I am. I’ll admit that I was - and I am - no pro when it comes to dating, but we’ll just say I’m glad I made a good impression before the date. Like lots of couples nowadays, Nicole and I met on a dating app. We hit it off immediately, couldn’t stop shooting messages back and forth all day, and I decided it was time to set up a date. Deciding not to come on too strong, I offered to meet at a moderately upscale southern restaurant. I showed up 10 minutes early (as I do) and got a table. About 5 minutes late, I started to get a bit worried. About 10 minutes late, I got the first phone call I would ever get from a very confused Nicole at a different restaurant (of the same name, in a different city). For some reason, I made her come to me (I know, dumb, but I had already ordered a drink thinking I was being stood up). She showed up about 30 minutes after we were supposed to meet and I was pretty sure I was in for a horrible joke of a date. What happened instead blew my mind. We hit it off, in a way I didn’t know was possible. We laughed, we forgot to order food until 30 minutes before closing time, we awkwardly didn’t eat the last appetizer because we were trying to be nice. The date ended up being perfect. I had utterly blown it, but somehow it was one of the best dates we’ve ever had. I knew we had something special immediately (but don’t worry, I kept messing up afterwards, too).