Grayson and Tatum met in May of 2022 at East Carolina University while working at the campus recreation center. Tatum worked the front desk, and Grayson was a personal trainer. One simple gym check-in turned into the beginning of something special. It was the first time Grayson had seen Tatum, and he was immediately surprised they hadn’t crossed paths sooner. She was kind, friendly, and effortlessly captivating. Their first conversation started with fitness questions—Tatum asked Grayson about the body scans offered at the gym and later signed up for one, requesting him as her trainer. That same day, Grayson ran into Tatum outside his dorm, which happened to be hers as well, though neither had realized it before. Feeling brave, he asked her to dinner. She said no—final exams came first—but the moment wasn’t forgotten. A week later, after summer break had begun, Tatum reached out on Instagram to stay in touch. Even with Grayson heading to military training in California and limited communication, their connection continued. When the fall semester arrived, Grayson invited Tatum to the pool at his new apartment complex. She said yes, and in August 2022, they finally spent real time together. On September 18, 2022, with a little encouragement from friends who couldn’t stop watching from afar, Grayson asked Tatum to officially be his girlfriend. What began with a gym check-in grew into a love that led them here—and the start of their forever.