Peter and I had always been part of the same graduating class at Winchester High, but somehow, our paths never truly crossed until the summer before senior year. On July 2nd, 2015, I saw him at a house party, and from the moment I did, I felt an instant pull toward him. There was something about him that felt familiar and exciting all at once. I introduced myself, and just a couple weeks later, we went on our first date. From that point on, we were inseparable. On September 8th, 2015—the day before our very first day of senior year, Peter asked me to be his girlfriend. It felt like the beginning of something meaningful, even then, at only 17. That year, he ended up being the teacher’s assistant in my English class (a little more studious than me, of course), which meant we got to steal extra moments together during the school day. These are moments we will always cherish. Very quickly, Peter became so much more than my boyfriend. He became my best friend, my confidant, my sense of comfort and home. Even when life took us in different directions for college, Peter to Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and me to the University of New Hampshire, we never wavered. We made the distance work, visiting each other whenever we could, counting down the days in between. Whether it meant long weekends, last-minute trips, or even nearly 20-hour Greyhound bus rides, we always found our way back to each other. There were stretches when we were miles apart, especially when Peter studied abroad in Florence in 2019, but no distance ever felt too far. We chose each other over and over again, no matter what it took. From that first night to now, our story has always been about showing up, holding on, and growing together, and it still is! We cannot wait to marry each other!